Policy Studies
Career and Graduate Opportunities
Policy studies students don’t just earn a degree—they build strong resumes and connections through interactive coursework, service learning, internships or part-time work experience. As a student in this program, you will benefit from the focused career support and programming needed to achieve your professional goals.
As a policy studies student, you will be ready to add value to any organization upon graduation. You will have acquired highly desirable skills needed to begin your career in the public, private, or nonprofit sectors, or continue your education in a top-ranked graduate program.
Launch Your Career with Confidence
What can you do with a degree in policy studies? The answer depends on you and your career goals. Policy studies graduates have strong work experience acquired as part of the curriculum, making you highly competitive on the job market or when seeking admission to a wide variety of graduate programs in public administration, business, medicine, public health, information studies and social work.
Recent Employers of Policy Studies Graduates
Public Sector: Local, state, and federal government
Private Sector:
- Consulting (Deloitte, EY, Booz Allen Hamilton, ICF)
- Financial Services (IBM, JP Morgan Chase, Citibank, Goldman Sachs)
- Media/Technology (Google, Walt Disney Company, United Technologies)
Nonprofit: AARP, Planned Parenthood, The United Way, The Children’s Defense Fund, National Health Coalition, Peace Corps, Teach for America, AmeriCorps
Go further
Many policy studies graduates go on to pursue a master’s degree in public administration or international affairs. Maxwell’s new 4 + 1 option allows undergraduates to apply in their junior year to earn an M.P.A. or M.A. in international relations with just one additional year of study beyond the B.A.
Top-Rated Law and Graduate Programs
Policy studies graduates have been admitted to several prestigious law schools including:
- Harvard University
- Columbia University
- University of California at Berkeley
- University of Michigan
- Georgetown University
Others have pursued graduate and Ph.D. programs at top programs including:
- Maxwell School’s top-ranked M.P.A. program
- New York University
- Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
- Princeton University
- Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
I am Maxwell.
Pursuing the policy studies program as a pre-med was critical for me to be able to understand legislation and policymaking as a future medical provider. I’ve been asked to serve as a member of the board for the Alliance for Fertility Preservation, as I will begin my time as a physician in a few short months.”
Katherine Frega ’16 B.A.
policy studies; medical student, research assistant, Upstate Medical University
Career Resources
Maxwell students have access to many career tools and resources, including Syracuse University’s exclusive online job and internship portal, alumni directories, networking treks and skill-building resources needed to apply for jobs or graduate school. As you start thinking about your post-graduation goals, career advisors are available—in person, via drop-in virtual appointment, and via text—to help translate your academic work into professional opportunities. You will quickly discover the many ways a liberal arts education can open new pathways to your future.
