General Public Policy Analysis

Types of Degrees General Public Policy Analysis Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	2,935
Graduate Certificate	297
Doctor’s Degree	227

What General Public Policy Analysis Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, general public policy analysis majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for General Public Policy Analysis Majors

General Public Policy Analysis majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• 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.
• History and Archeology - Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

Skills for General Public Policy Analysis Majors

When studying general public policy analysis, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• 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 General Public Policy Analysis Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a general public policy analysis student include the following:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• 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.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a General Public Policy Analysis Major?

People with a general public policy analysis degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Legislators	7.0%	$24,670
Political Science Professors	10.4%	$83,370
Political Scientists	2.7%	$117,570

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in General Public Policy Analysis?

The major attracts more women than men. About 59% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	234
Black or African American	256
Hispanic or Latino	378
White	1,394
International Students	472
Other Races/Ethnicities	201

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in General Public Policy Analysis. About 16.1% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to General Public Policy Analysis

Some careers associated with general public policy analysis require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. 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.

Find out what the typical degree level is for general public policy analysis careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Bachelor’s Degree	3.2%
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.	1.6%
Master’s Degree	8.2%
Doctoral Degree	86.1%
Post-Doctoral Training	1.6%

Online General Public Policy Analysis 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)	1	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	2	1
Bachelor’s Degree	44	14
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	107	10
Post-Master’s	5	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	42	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to General Public Policy Analysis

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

Major	Number of Grads
Health Policy Analysis	378
International Policy Analysis	252
Other Public Policy Analysis	143
Education Policy Analysis	129

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.