Message from the Undergraduate Director of Public Management & Policy
Welcome to Public Management and Policy at GSU.
Do you want to make a change in your community? In your hometown? In the world?
Join the community of doers working to make this change real.
The Public Management and Policy (PMAP) program prepares students for roles as critical thinkers and problem solvers in the public and nonprofit sectors. Students acquire skills in policy writing, critical thinkinganalysis-evaluation that are in demand by governmental agencies and nonprofit groups, as well as graduate and professional schools.
Join our community of talented and motivated students who want to develop the knowledge, skills and values required to become responsible visionary leaders in a wide range of careers in the public sector or in nonprofit agencies.
The Program
The Bachelor of Science in Public Policy (BSPP) curriculum is designed to teach you the essentials of public policy and give you the freedom to explore your interests.
We offer an introductory course: PMAP 2000, Citizenship in the Local Community. This course gives you a chance to dip your toe in the applied learning offered in the BSPP degree.
Requiring 30 upper-level credits, five courses in the major common core and five elective courses. Our major common core classes provide:
- Exposure to community and regional leaders with an impressive roster of speakers (PMAP 3031, Policy Leadership)
- Introductions and deep examination of the topics driving our world (PMAP 3311, Critical Policy Issues)
- Skill building to prepare you for office or field work in Public Policy (PMAP 4041 and 4061, Policy Data Analysis and Policy Evaluation)
- Service-Learning opportunities in your chosen area (PMAP 4941, Internship).
It is with the internship that many of our students use their skills and find the jobs that start their careers. Read about our internship program requirements here: https://aysps.gsu.edu/public-management-policy/pmap-internship-course/.
Our 5 elective requirements can be general in nature or emphasize one of two basic tracks mirroring Minors in the program: Nonprofit Leadership and Planning and Economic Development. Knowledge and skill-building courses are offered to educate and prepare students for careers once they graduate.
Additionally, for students outside the major, PMAP offers minors in Public Policy, Nonprofit Leadership, and Planning and Economic Development. These minors require 15 hours (five courses) in the offered curriculum. This is a great way to go beyond the books and learn through doing and applying your knowledge in a meaningful fashion.
Support Your Education
One of the advantages students in the PMAP program enjoy is having access to:
- Specialized in-house academic counseling
- Career and internship services
- Dedicated librarian focusing on Public Policy
Our students receive specialized support from academic counselors who know the program and understand the challenges students encounter. Students are assigned to individual counselors, so you can schedule time with someone who knows you and wants to help you succeed. Having a separate service ensures the focus is on your progress and fit with the program.
Our Career Services group is here to help you prepare for a job interview or just help you in your job search. These professionals can help you with your academic portfolio (you need one of these!), your resume, your cover letter and even with practice job interviews. They bring employers to the school and have workshops to prepare you for your career. Additionally, they help identify internship opportunities, help connect students to internships, and help with our on-line job and internship list serve Handshake.
Finally, PMAP has its own dedicated research librarian. The librarian is an expert in the field and a resource waiting to help with research projects, sources for course work, and general searches. They are here to support your learning and help you find the resources and reading you need.
Careers and Graduate Schools
Our undergraduates are career-ready upon graduation, with motivated students getting jobs in the public sector with agencies such as:
The BeltLine Inc., Georgia DOT, Northeast Georgia Regional Commission, Midtown Alliance, the cities of Columbus, Tyrone and Powder Springs.
Our BSPP graduates also go on to further education in some of the best graduate and professional programs in state and out-of-state. Graduates of the BSPP program have found placement in graduate programs as prestigious as Columbia, Johns Hopkins, New York and Northwestern Universities. Our graduates go on to schools in the Atlanta metropolitan region or state of Georgia, such as Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory, University of Georgia, Mercer University and out-of-state schools such as the universities of Florida, Dayton, Maryland and George Washington.
Hear what some of our graduates have to say:
“I was selected to serve on the City of Newnan’s steering committee to update the comprehensive plan. It’s really neat to be able to use the information I learned in class in the real world.”
“Learning the basics of data analysis has been crucial in my early successes in the workplace. Understanding how to properly source and aggregate data, and then analyze it in a professional manner that you can build upon with narrative texts. ‘Say it with numbers’, always stuck in my head, and it hasn’t failed me yet.”
“The lessons I learned here will be invaluable in my pursuits.”
Are you ready to become a changemaker?