What You Need to Know About Becoming a Public Policy Major

The curriculum for public policy analysis majors emphasizes the social sciences, including economics and political science. These academic programs allow students to develop the leadership and problem-solving skills needed to thrive in the fast-changing world of public policy. The goal for graduates of these programs is to be prepared to address society’s biggest challenges, no matter the arena or sector.

A public policy major is a degree path that trains students to develop, implement and evaluate policy solutions for the problems society faces. Students may look at large-scale problems like controlling the national debt or focus on local issues, such as homelessness. They then apply interdisciplinary skills and critical thinking to measure government or nonprofit success in these areas and propose new solutions that could benefit the public.

Public policy requires understanding political science, economics, mathematics and data collection to make informed decisions. Students share their work with stakeholders of different backgrounds and knowledge levels, making communication skills key to success.

Public policy and political science majors are similar. Some schools even offer the two subjects as one degree, such as a political science major with a public policy concentration. However, students majoring in political science analyze issues through the lens of politics and government. In contrast, public policy majors learn how to study and address social or environmental issues affecting the public, such as ending the opioid epidemic or protecting endangered species.

At its core, this type of program trains students to participate in the policymaking process. Several courses are shared across departments and programs, and students can specialize in an area of interest.

Early undergraduate coursework for this major includes an introduction to the field where students gain a high-level understanding of policy design in response to large problem public, nonprofit and business spheres. Students also learn how other fields like political science, economics and philosophy inform the major while gaining exposure to fundamental ideas in ethics and leadership practices. Other foundational topics include management, communication, data analysis and research methods. Introductory courses typically include contemporary news and policy issues.

Which specialization students pursue depends on their career goals. Potential areas of concentration include natural resource management and local government. Public policy majors might instead explore homeland security, law or emergency management.

If you stay up-to-date on news and current events and dream of solving society’s big problems, this might be the major for you. Public policy is an interdisciplinary field with room for specialization and growth as your interests change and evolve. Students should be prepared for plenty of reading and writing. Policy analysts must be comfortable working with others to analyze and use data in the design and promotion of public policy.

Public policy graduates can pursue career paths in many fields, though the most common is civil service at the federal, state or local level. Many of these degree holders gain entry-level positions with the government or nonprofit organizations. Some graduates choose to enter politics or academia by pursuing a legal career or a consulting role. Because of their experience with forecasting, economics and the political process, public policy graduates also qualify for roles in the banking, transportation and real estate fields.. Some firms hire people with these skills to advise when working with government agencies on large projects.

Graduates who want to continue their higher education might attain a Master of Public Administration or Master of Public Policy degree to conduct independent research and develop specializations. Public policy graduates may also consider an advanced degree in law or business.

The table below includes examples of career paths public policy degree holders may follow. Some jobs require a master’s degree, while others require certification. For instance, urban and regional planners typically need a master’s degree, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the state of New Jersey requires its planners to be licensed. However, this is not required in other states. Whether you must apply for graduate school after obtaining your bachelor’s degree in public policy depends on your career goals and specific job requirements.

Data is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most recent estimates of annual salary by occupation and the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.

“I have greatly enjoyed my time as a Public Policy student. I originally chose the major over political science due to its emphasis on application (rather than theory), and I have no regrets! I have had several academic opportunities to dive into education policy, using the quantitative analysis tools that I developed in the core coursework of my major.”

“My experience as a Public Policy major at DePaul could not be better. Public Policy is an all-encompassing major with the end goal of teaching its students how to enact change that makes the world a better place. This view has allowed me to take various paths through my Public Policy journey. I am not tied down, I can explore everything that interests me like Energy Policy and Transportation. Over the summer, I took a class about Statistics in Public Policy and now I hope to learn more about Data Analytics and Computer Science to use these disciplines with my policy interests.”My main advice for anyone interested in Public Policy is to make sure that you have an ambition to make the world a better place. It sounds corny, but this is what Public Policy allows you to do. I also suggest being open-minded because there are so many facets of Public Policy that you might not know you like until you give it a chance. The best thing about Public Policy is that it has elements of disciplines like business, geography, computer science and many more, but in the end, you get to make the choice of how you want to make the world a better place.”

“I have benefited most from the connections I’ve made with aspiring public service professionals and through the national network, reinforcing my belief that public service is a community effort. We all have a place in a greater effort to better society for everyone.”

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