Public Policy

Types of Degrees Public Policy Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many public policy graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	3,391
Bachelor’s Degree	2,471
Graduate Certificate	379
Doctor’s Degree	280
Basic Certificate	214
Undergraduate Certificate	3
Associate Degree	2

What Public Policy Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to public policy were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Public Policy Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in public policy should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Public Policy Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to public policy:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Public Policy Majors

A major in public policy will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Public Policy Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with public policy:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Education Professors	10.3%	$64,780
Health Specialties Professors	25.9%	$97,370
Legislators	7.0%	$24,670
Medical and Health Services Managers	20.5%	$99,730
Political Science Professors	10.4%	$83,370
Political Scientists	2.7%	$117,570
Transportation Planners	6.7%	$81,340

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Policy?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 2,603 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in public policy in 2021, making it rank #121 in popularity. This major is dominated by women with about 64% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of public policy majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	275
Black or African American	203
Hispanic or Latino	399
White	1,341
International Students	54
Other Races/Ethnicities	199

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Public Policy. About 2.2% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Public Policy

Some degrees associated with public policy may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to public policy have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	0.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	3.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	25.5%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	1.3%
Master’s Degree	15.1%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.0%
Doctoral Degree	51.1%
Post-Doctoral Training	3.1%

Online Public Policy Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	2	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	2	1
Bachelor’s Degree	68	26
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	141	17
Post-Master’s	12	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	61	2
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Public Policy

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to public policy.

Major	Number of Grads
Public Administration	15,867
Human Services	11,596
Community Organization & Advocacy	2,557
Other Public Administration	553

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By The Official CTBTO Photostream under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.