What are some career options when majoring in public policy ?

Hi Michael, do you live in a big city, suburb,...? I'm asking because you suggested that you want to influence laws/policies where you live. A few of us can probably help you start brainstorming if you can be a little more specific. Also, what types of social justice issues are you passionate about? Civil rights? Human rights? Voting rights? Feeding the homeless? Improving educational opportunities for lower-income communities?

Public policy or public administration degrees are essential if you would like to be a manager or director at a government agency or nonprofit organization at some point. There are numerous things you can do: policy analysis, budget analysis, program oversight, organizing, advocacy, etc. I highly recommend having a variety of internships while getting a degree so you can figure out what aspect of social justice work you most enjoy. I also highly recommend working for a few years in the field before going back for a master's degree.

Social justice takes many different forms, so first find what aspects of social justice intrigues you - when you say equality, for instance, do you mean access to quality education or affordable housing or jobs?

Also think about what role you want to play in influencing the laws...do you want to be an elected political official that makes the laws? Do you want to be the lobbiest that works on convincing lawmakers what they should focus on changing? Do you want to be a lawyer that helps upkeep the laws and serve as defense council for your community?

Look into Masters in Public Administration (MPA degree) or law school (JD degree). Get researching! Google is your best friend.

There are significant numbers of internships available in the nonprofit and government sectors (and some of them even pay!). There are lots of different topics and roles a person can play in public policy, as the other responses indicate. Seeing the work happening in practice will help you clarify a career path. The internships get you that exposure, but also very often serve as a foot in the door for your career.

Great to hear that you are interested in studying public policy! As the others have said there are many careers that you can pursue with a degree in public policy. A few ideas include working at a nonprofit; working in local or national government; or even working at a company's corporate social responsibility team. But as others have said, I think it's important to think about what issues you are most interested in - for example, education, environment, health or others to help define your path.