Public policy programs focus on how decisions are made and the effects these decisions have on people. Students learn how lawmakers and politicians create and change public policy. They also learn how economics and politics affect public policy.
Recently, a law was passed in California that banned indoor smoking in public places. This meant that people couldn't smoke in bars or restaurants. For smokers, this law was cause for concern. Where could they smoke socially? For nonsmokers, especially waiters and bartenders, the law was welcomed. It meant they would breathe in less smoke at work. Bar and restaurant owners worried that they would lose money, although many people said they would eat out more because of the smoke-free air. The law is still in effect, yet debates about it continue. People discuss issues of personal freedom, air pollution, and the exact health risks of secondhand smoke.
Every day leaders in government, businesses, and nonprofit groups make policy and law decisions that affect your life. Often these decisions are difficult to make because they cost money or may change the way things have been done. No matter what, policies are a necessary part of life. People who study public policy analyze issues and create policies that will be good for society overall.
Most graduates from public policy programs work for government agencies and nonprofit groups. You can be a congressional staff member, budget analyst, or lobbyist. You can also work for corporations, schools, or consulting firms. All these jobs use your skills in critical thinking, research, analysis, and public speaking.
In public policy programs, you take courses in organizational theory, policy analysis, and political science. You also take courses from many areas of study, such as business, economics, sociology, and philosophy. In addition, you study statistics and research methods so that you can analyze information properly. You can apply the study of public policy to almost any social issue or problem. Depending on your interests and the specialties offered by the program, you can take courses about specific issues. These include environmental problems, land use, and international human rights. Additional courses include education reform and managed health care.
Several schools offer a public policy program with an undergraduate major or minor. Other schools offer concentrations in public policy as part of a political science, business, or economics program. Most four-year colleges and universities offer bachelor's degrees in these areas. Typically you finish your bachelor's degree in four years.
Many schools offer graduate programs in public policy. Graduate degrees take from two to five years after you finish your bachelor's degree. Most people with graduate degrees in public policy become professors, administrators, or policy analysts.