Many people are interested in improving things in their community and country. But people who work in public policy take this ambition to the highest possible level by pursuing a career in it. If you have ever considered a career in public service, you may have also thought about improving your skills by getting a master’s degree in public policy.
There are plenty of great reasons to consider getting this advanced degree. It is a broad degree program that is designed to help you develop a range of valuable analytical skills, with graduates finding work in private, public, and non-profit sectors. While it may not always be required in public policy and is a huge investment of time and money, it can be worth considering for policy professionals who want to hone their skills or get into specific careers.
If you’re currently on the fence, keep reading for some considerations to make that will help you decide if getting a master’s degree in public policy is the best choice for you.
#1: You Want to Improve Your Technical Communication Skills
A master’s degree in public policy from Pepperdine University will help you improve your skills. This is especially true in the area of communicating the technical and complicated information that you’re working with and translating it into a language that others can easily understand. Doing this degree program will teach you how to effectively read long, academic research on a wide range of problems.
It will also help you develop the skills you need to digest the information and put it into layman’s terms effectively. MPP graduates are often relied on as being professionals who not only know and understand the point but can also communicate it to others in a way that just about anybody can understand.
#2: You Want to Improve Your Problem-Solving Capabilities
A master’s program in public policy will send a wide range of policy dilemmas your way. You will spend your time learning about and researching a wide range of issues including urban education, the Social Security trust fund, safe water, mortgage interest deduction, and many more.
Throughout this degree program, you will develop the hard and soft skills necessary to get to the bottom of some of the biggest questions, concerns, and problems facing society today, learn how to test possible plans of action, how to identify political stakeholders, and figure out how to come up with solutions that are sellable both publicly and politically.
#3: You Have a Variety of Interests
If there are lots of things that you are interested in for your future career, an MPP might be the best choice for you. Perhaps you enjoy politics, are interested in economics, and like the idea of working on a city budget. If you are the type of person who likes to learn new and diverse things and get bored if you focus on the same thing for too long, this degree might be the ideal choice for you.
It offers a combination of politics, economics, policy research, and statistics, so if you like the idea of education where you can cross disciplines, switch gears, and always have something new to learn, you are likely to thrive on this program. The MPP is also a great advanced degree idea if you enjoy group work since policies are never made by just one person. You will have the chance to learn from fellow students with different interests to you, which will provide you with the chance to learn about topics that you may not have chosen personally.
When Not to Get an MPP
While there are undoubtedly lots of great reasons to consider getting a master’s degree if you are interested in a public policy career, there are some instances where it just might not be the best educational option for you. You might want to consider alternatives to getting this master’s degree if:
You’re Already in a Policy-Focused Environment
If you are already working in an environment where you are surrounded by smart policy people, then you may be able to get to where you want to be in your career by learning from those around you. If you already have a basic grasp of the skills, then time and experience can be your best teacher.
While an MPP offers a very practical degree with lots of logical lessons, these are also lessons that can be learned on the job in the right environment.
You Want Hands-on Policy Experience
If you want hands-on policy experience, it may be a better idea to look for a new role rather than getting an MPP. Grad school exists in a vacuum for the most part and it’s important to bear in mind that your professors will be academics rather than professionals who are practicing in the field, so an MPP is not going to be the best way to get real-life experience.
While you can find some good programs that require in-field practical experience in your final semester, you will be solving problems in the classroom, rather than in the complexities of a policy-making environment for the majority of the program.
You Want to Become an Expert
It’s worth bearing in mind that a master’s of public policy isn’t designed to help you become an expert in any one thing. Getting an MPP will certainly help you become a master of economics, statistics, policy, and politics, but you’ll be getting a well-rounded knowledge of all of these rather than becoming an expert in just one.
An MPP is designed to help you get better at communicating with the experts in these subjects and make sense of the information they provide.
In Summary
If you want to find a successful career working for a government agency, private company, or in consulting, a master’s of public policy can be a useful degree program for building the knowledge and skills that you need.
This degree program will help you develop your ability to digest and clearly communicate often complex information. At the same time, it will provide you with an opportunity to get better at thinking more broadly about the challenges that are faced in communities and the country today.
Why Pursue a Career in Public Policy?
Policy-related jobs exist in every industry. Getting a master’s degree in public policy offers a range of career paths including justice, policy analysis, law, advocacy, lobbying, law enforcement, and more. The main aim of a public policy professional is to influence and even change policy when needed. Public policy plays a huge role in social capital and is a part of every aspect of everyday life today.
The demand for public policy professionals is currently high. The majority of public policy professionals are employed by think tanks; public-policy research, analysis, and engagement organizations that conduct extensive research and analyze data to inform policies. Along with this, public policy majors can find employment in a wide range of other fields.
There are many factors today that are set to increase the demand for public policy professionals including the concern over drug-related crimes, security issues, and increased connectivity along with the proliferation of information via the internet. Sound policies that promote trust in governing bodies are becoming increasingly more essential due to world affairs, changing public interests, and shifting economic and political circumstances.
Those who decide to work in public policy can often enjoy a fulfilling, rewarding career that allows them to see their work have a direct impact on communities. Many public policy professionals that are employed by the government and non-profit organizations are motivated by public service and a sense of community responsibility.
Career Outlook for Public Policy
According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the social crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic needs to be addressed properly in order to avoid it creating an increase in social inequality including exclusion, discrimination, and global unemployment. Due to this, there is currently a growing need for professionals in public policy across all sectors. Public policy professionals may be classed as political scientists, lawyers, sociologists, urban and regional planners, or economists.
A bachelor’s degree is required for most entry-level jobs in the public policy field. To work as a policy analyst, you will typically be required to hold at least a master’s degree; however, many think tanks today are moving towards a preference of hiring candidates who have obtained or are in the process of completing a doctorate qualification.
By 2029, the expected demand for political scientists is six percent. The outlook is 30% for other public policy related career paths such as health and medical service managers, while social and community service managers have projected job growth of 15%.
A policy analyst will usually focus their research on a certain sector. Through 2029, climate change policy analyst careers are expected to grow by 8% per year, while healthcare policy analyst careers are expected to grow at double that rate. Legislative aide roles are also expected to grow as the role of both federal and local governments becomes more essential in addressing the COVID-19 crisis.
Skills You Need to Work in Public Policy
Whether or not you decide that a master’s degree in public policy is the right choice for you, there are various skills required to work in a successful public policy career. The description of a public policy job involves political science, research, psychology, statistics, and humanities.
These careers are focused on researching, analyzing, and shaping public policies, which requires an in-depth understanding of the humanities and social sciences along with statistics to develop informed policy recommendations. Some of the main essential skills for working in public policy include:
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Analytical Skills
Public policy professionals are tasked with engaging in constant research to predict potential implications of certain policies, requiring strong analytical skills. They are not only tasked with analyzing numbers, but also the impact of policies on legal, political, and environmental contexts.
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Research Skills
To work as a public policy professional, you will need to develop strong qualitative and quantitative research skills. These professionals are trained to integrate political science, economics, and statistics into policy evaluation and formulation.
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Interpersonal Skills
Public policy professionals spend their time discussing policies, and they need to have the skills necessary to explain often complex topics in a way that can be easily understood, to convince stakeholders that the policies being proposed are sound and research based.
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Leadership Skills
Public policy professionals will often work as a part of a group. Good leadership skills are essential in order for them to successfully be able to motivate and lead teams towards achieving clearly defined goals and objectives.
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Attention to Detail
Policies are based on research, which means that in order to work successfully in this role, public policy professionals should have strong attention to detail skills to ensure that they avoid missing important details that may have a significant impact on a particular policy.
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Communication Skills
Along with communicating research results and explaining complex academic research in simper terms, public policy professionals will often need to communicate to a wide range of audiences. They are often responsible for collecting data, which requires strong active listening skills. Public speaking skills tend to be required since public policy professionals are often tasked with presenting their findings to various groups and individuals.
Career Options for Public Policy Master’s Degree Graduates
While a master’s degree in public policy is not required to get into many roles in this sector, getting this qualification can help you find even further career opportunities. Some job roles that you may be interested in pursuing with a master’s qualification include:
- Chief Lobbyist: A role that involves representing an organization, conferring with elected officials, and forwarding the interests of the organization.
- Sociologist: A role involving the design of research projects to evaluate social issue theories. Sociologists collect data to analyze through observations, interviews, surveys, and more.
- Senior Budget Analyst: This role involves overseeing an organization’s financial health and creating policies to facilitate efficient financial resource allocation.
- Policy Analyst: A role that involves reviewing, evaluating, and monitoring policies and legislation to determine benefits, issues, and potential impacts on stakeholders.
If you want a career in public policy, a master’s degree is not always essential. However, with demand rising for professionals in this sector, it may be worth considering to help you stand out from the competition and enjoy more career opportunities.
