The Students of the MCPC Complete their Education with a One-Month Program in Washington
The program took place at George Washington University

The students of the fourth graduating class of the MCPC, accompanied by the Profs. Carlos Barrera and Edward Grefe at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial.

Once again, the students of the Master´s Degree in Political and Corporate Communication (MCPC) have taken, during the month of March, a specialized program in Political Communications and Issues Management at the Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) at George Washington University. This is the only full-time Master´s Degree taught in Spain, in this field of study, which includes an overseas program of this kind in the U.S. capital as part of its program of studies.

The objectives of this overseas program was to get to know In situ how national and international organizations in the United States seek to defend their interests in public affairs, and attempt to attract allies for their positions via various strategies. The functioning of lobbying was a particular focus, and the students had frequent occasions to speak with politicians and lobbyists about their work. This year, in addition, the program coincided with the American primary elections, which permitted the students to attend interesting working sessions with communications specialists of the campaign staffs of the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and the Republican John McCain.

Throughout four intense weeks, the students of the MCPC participated in the classes taught by the professors Christopher Arterton, Edward Grefe, Charles Cushman, Greg Lebel, Steven Billet, Luis Raúl Matos and Don Bates, among others. The program also included sessions with prestigious officials of Political and Corporate Communication at their own offices: the White House, the House of Representatives and the Senate, the Annapolis Chamber of Delegates (capital of the State of Maryland), the AFL-CIO labor union, the consulting firm Fleishmann Hilliard, the National Education Association, and the Embassy of Mexico.

There also was held a lively talk-colloquium with Pablo Pardo, a former student of FCOM and who has been a correspondent of El Mundo in Washington for several years. During their final days in Washington, the students of the MCPC attended various sessions of the Seminar on Electoral Campaign Strategies which was held at the GSPM with high-profile participants.

The "Four-Week Program" thus offered the students of the Master´s Degree, after the six months of lecture courses in Pamplona, a global and complementary vision both of the functioning of American institutions as well as the paths for participation and influence in the decision-making processes of the legislature and executive branch.