The Policy Studies Major enables students to understand the effects of policy decisions made on the federal, state, and municipal levels, and by non-governmental actors, corporations, and nonprofit organizations. The Policy Studies Major grounds students in a liberal arts education, while providing the essential skills, knowledge, and networks to embark on a rewarding career that enables them to work within the policy-making arena to improve the lives of others. Students will acquire practical skills by studying policy issues; and develop skills in policy analysis, problem solving, data analysis, communications, policy creation, and assessment.
A core component of the program is student’s participation in a capstone internship project for 6 credits, which can be taken with community partners locally, or in Washington, DC through the Washington Center Program. Through this capstone experience, students will undertake projects that will enable them to demonstrate their skills to future employers.
What Career Opportunities are Available to Policy Studies Majors?
Students who major in Policy Studies can expect an abundance of opportunities in governmental (municipal, county, state, federal, and international); with NGOs; in non-profits and in the corporate and regulatory arenas. Some employment opportunities include:
Government Sector Jobs:
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Legislative aide (federal, state, large city)
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Program analyst/administrator/manager
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Budget analyst/manager
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City manager
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Policy director (generalist) for elected official
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Policy specialist for elected official
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City planner
Nonprofit Sector Jobs:
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Advancement or development manager
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Policy research assistant
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Program manager
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Government relations manager
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Community outreach manager
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Policy Activist
Private Sector Jobs:
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Government relations manager
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Program analyst
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Program manager
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Public relations and marketing manager
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Policy Consultant
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Community relations manager
Degree Requirements Overview
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| New Student Seminar | 1 | |
| SEEDS General Education Requirements | 31-33 | |
| Major Requirements | 43 | |
| Free Electives | 45-43 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| ECON 101 | Applied Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 102 | Applied Microeconomics | 3 |
| INFO 173 | Spreadsheet Modeling for Business Decisions | 3 |
| POLS 101 | American Government and Politics | 3 |
| POLS 208 | Introduction to Public Policy | 3 |
| POLS 324 | Applied Policy Analysis | 3 |
| POLS 420 | Seminar and Internship in Political Science | 6 |
| or POLS 436 | Political Science Washington, D.C., Internship | |
| SOCI 240 | Statistics for Social Research | 4 |
| Major Electives | ||
| Complete 15 credits of elective coursework from the list below. | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 43 | |
Major Electives
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CHAD 212 | Children and Justice | 3 |
| CHAD 302 | Public Child Welfare | 3 |
| EAES 101 | Planet Earth | 4 |
| EAES 107 | Earth and the Environment | 4 |
| EAES 160 | The Human Environment | 3 |
| EAES 161 | Human Geography | 3 |
| EAES 170 | World Geography | 3 |
| EAES 202 | Introduction to Sustainability Science | 3 |
| EAES 210 | Introduction to GIS and Remote Sensing | 3 |
| EAES 260 | Energy, Environment and Society | 3 |
| EAES 271 | Geography of East and Southeast Asia | 3 |
| EAES 272 | Land and Life in Latin America | 3 |
| EAES 280 | Principles of Land Use | 3 |
| EAES 281 | Introduction to American Urban Studies | 3 |
| EAES 283 | Urban Georgraphy | 3 |
| EAES 300 | Energy Transitions: A Global Dependence | 3 |
| EAES 380 | Transportation | 3 |
| ECON 201 | Data Analysis Tools in Economics and Business | 3 |
| ECON 202 | Economics and Finance for Non-Business Majors | 3 |
| ECON 215 | The Economics of Social Problems | 3 |
| HLTH 102 | Introduction to Public Health | 3 |
| HLTH 204 | Social and Behavioral Aspects of Health | 3 |
| HLTH 240 | Foundations of Environmental Health | 3 |
| HLTH 360 | Health Policy and Administration | 3 |
| POLS 203 | International Organizations | 3 |
| POLS 205 | Introduction to Public Administration | 3 |
| POLS 207 | American Foreign Policy | 3 |
| POLS 216 | Urban Politics | 3 |
| POLS 304 | State and Local Government | 3 |
| POLS 311 | Governmental Budgeting | 3 |
| POLS 313 | Politics and Technology | 3 |
| POLS 315 | Urban Administration | 3 |
| POLS 327 | Food and Politics | 3 |
| POLS 331 | Animal Rights: Law, Politics and Culture | 3 |
| POLS 332 | U.S. Immigration: Law and Politics | 3 |
| POLS 353 | Intelligence and National Security | 3 |
| POLS 365 | Global Environmental Politics | 3 |
| POLS 425 | Politics of Federal Bureaucracy | 3 |
| POLS 431 | Globalization and Security | 3 |
| SOWK 220 | Social Welfare Policy and Services | 3 |
New Student Seminar
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Students in the Adult Learner program must take GNED 100. | ||
| Complete one course from the following. Some courses may be restricted by major. Consult with an academic advisor. | 1 | |
| Pathways to Success | ||
| Freshman Seminar in Chemistry | ||
| First Year Seminar | ||
| Adult Academic Success Seminar | ||
| New Student Seminar | ||
| Freshman Seminar in Health and Physical Education | ||
| Pathways to Adult Learning | ||
| New Student Seminar | ||
| New Student Experience for Mathematical Sciences | ||
| Freshman Seminar for Music Majors | ||
| Introduction to Nursing | ||
| Freshman Seminar in Political Science and Law | ||
SEEDS General Education Requirements
Click here for a listing of courses that fulfill the SEEDS requirements.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations | ||
| Effective Writing I | ||
| Complete one Effective Writing I course. | 3 | |
| Effective Writing II | ||
| Complete one Effective Writing II course. | 3 | |
| Interactive Communication | ||
| Complete one Interactive Communication course. | 3 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning | ||
| Complete one Quantitative Reasoning course. | 3 | |
| Political and Civic Life | ||
| Complete one Political and Civic Life course. | 3 | |
| World Languages | ||
| Complete two sequential classes in one World Language when starting at the Beginner I or Beginner II level. Complete one class when starting at the Intermediate/Advanced Level. | 3-6 | |
| Exploration | ||
| Complete one course from four different Exploration categories. | 12 | |
| Analyzing Cultures and Societies | ||
| Creative Expression | ||
| Ethical Inquiry | ||
| Historical Thinking | ||
| Literary and Artistic Analysis | ||
| Scientific Reasoning | ||
| Total Credits | 30-33 | |
Recommended Roadmap to Degree Completion
This recommended degree plan is provided as an outline for students to follow in order to complete their degree requirements within four years and 120 credits. This plan is a recommendation and MUST be used in consultation with their academic advisor. Important note: Students should be aware this plan assumes no pre-requisite coursework is required. If pre-requisite coursework is needed, students may have additional requirements to fulfill which do not appear on the plan.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| New Student Seminar | 1 | INFO 173 | 3 |
| SEEDS: Effective Writing I | 3 | SEEDS: Effective Writing II | 3 |
| SEEDS: Interactive Communication | 3 | SEEDS: Exploration 1 - Historical Thinking recommended | 3 |
| SEEDS: World Language 1 | 3 | SEEDS: World Language 2 or Free Elective | 3 |
| ECON 101 | 3 | ECON 102 | 3 |
| POLS 101 (Fulfills SEEDS: Political and Civic Life) | 3 | ||
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| POLS 208 | 3 | SEEDS: Exploration 4 | 3 |
| SEEDS: Exploration 2 - Analyzing Cultures and Societies recommended | 3 | Major Elective: 200 level | 3 |
| SEEDS: Exploration 3 - Ethical Inquiry recommended | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| SOCI 240 (Fulfills SEEDS: Quantitative Reasoning) | 4 | POLS 324 | 3 |
| Major Elective: 200 level | 3 | Major Elective: 300 level | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| POLS 420 | 6 | Major Elective: 300-400 level | 3 |
| Major Elective: 300-400 level | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| Free Elective | 1 | ||
| 15 | 13 | ||
| Total Credits 120 | |||