This month, ASU won a roughly $10 million federal contract to offer a Master of Arts in War and Strategy starting in the Fall 2026 semester. Students admitted into the program include current military officers and Department of Defense civilian personnel.
Ryan Shaw, a managing director of strategic initiatives and a senior University adviser, said the 30-credit hour degree is authorized to serve up to 24 students and currently has 12 admits ready for the fall. The Secretary of Defense selects the admits for the program.
A University spokesperson said the program will be taught at the University's Barrett & O'Connor Center in Washington, D.C. Shaw said the program will be offered for the next three years through the contract funding.
He said the contract will elevate the University brand, particularly regarding its relationship with the federal government.
READ MORE: International security event highlights ASU's role in defense innovation
"As great as ASU does in so many aspects, we are still not really considered a D.C. insider school," Shaw said. "There's a set of universities that have always got the edge here, and that's the Johns Hopkins and the Georgetowns and the George Washingtons and the George Masons."
East Coast schools like those Shaw named are generally the first choice for serving the federal government, he said. This contract with ASU allows the University to step into that space and deliver an exclusive program.
The contract will open up future opportunities for ASU, both broadly and in D.C., Shaw said. It allows the University to serve the broader student population by building out faculty with expertise in these topics and potentially offering similar programs.
"It's not what we can get, it's what we can give," Shaw said. "We do think that we can add a lot of value here for the sake of American national security."
The program, officially titled the Secretary of War's Strategic Thinkers Program, started at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in the 2019-20 academic year, according to the school.
The University spokesperson said in an April 16 written statement that a number of universities applied for the contract in 2026, including ASU.
The University's plans to take on the program have been in the making for around two years, Shaw said. The federal government published a request for information to gauge interest among potential contractors in 2024 and officially requested proposals earlier this year.
"Of course, we pounced on that one," Shaw said.
The University made a bid that was eventually accepted, but officials began setting up the program ahead of final approval. The Arizona Board of Regents signed off on a request for the program in November 2025, and the University Senate did the same in late March 2026.
In the request to ABOR, the University said the program would prepare students for national security and military leadership.
READ MORE: Arizona Board of Regents grant invests in research with defense, commercial uses
"By preparing senior military officers to become more effective strategic leaders, the program advances a more secure and just world, which embodies the university's commitment to addressing critical social issues through research and education," the request stated.
Shaw said one feature of the program is a war game experience that incorporates the University's Decision Theater and artificial intelligence. In addition, there will be a "staff ride" component in which students will perform an intensive series of studies and visit historical battlefields.
The program will be housed within the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership, the University spokesperson said.
Richard Avramenko, the director of SCETL, said this program fits well with its undergraduate and graduate curricula.
"It's going to move the needle a little for what we're doing at the Civic School and our larger plan to participate in national security policy making," Avramenko said.
He said the program will serve America's active duty military personnel and veterans while also fulfilling SCETL's objectives.
"We're very pleased to be the institutional home for this M.A.," Avramenko said. "We aspire to contribute to the larger mission of ASU and their aspirations to serve the country."
Edited by Carsten Oyer, Jack McCarthy, Katrina Michalak and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at apruiz@asu.edu and follow @andiruiz2405 on X.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on X.
Andi Ruiz is a lead politics reporter at the State Press dedicated to serving her community with truth and honesty in her reporting. She has been working in broadcast and news since high school and was recently an anchor at The Cut Network during her first year at Cronkite. She is going into her second year at ASU as a Barrett Honors student studying journalism and mass communication.
