The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs (known to many students as "Woody Woo") is one of the University's three professional schools. The program is designed for those interested in careers in public service. The curriculum is a synthesis of the departments of politics, economics, history, and sociology, and is open to a limited number of undergraduate students. Each year, approximately 180 sophomores apply to major in the the Wilson School and 90 are accepted. In addition, the Wilson School offers a certificate program geared toward students concentrating in the sciences or engineering.

The most distinctive aspect of the undergraduate experience in the Woodrow Wilson School is the policy task forces. In these exercises, a limited number of students (about eight) work together with a faculty director and one or more senior "commissioners" toward proposing solutions to current problems in public and international affairs. Each junior conducts a piece of research on a topic carefully chosen to shed light upon the larger problem that is central to the group. Woodrow Wilson School students are thus encouraged to use any intellectual discipline or skill that may help solve a problem.

In addition to its undergraduate program, the Woodrow Wilson School offers three graduate programs: Master's in Public Affairs (MPA), Master's in Public Policy (MPP), and Doctor of Philosophy in Public Affairs (Ph.D.).

(Adapted from the Woodrow Wilson School Web site.)