UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS IN

PUBLIC POLICY AND PUBLIC SERVICE

Apply Take a Virtual Tour

Why Study Public Policy and Public Service

The public policy and public service program is for students who want to shape change. You’ll explore global affairs, ethics, policymaking, and social movements to understand how big decisions get made and how communities are transformed. The program helps you build the analytical, strategic, and leadership skills needed to tackle issues such as climate resilience, equity, economic development, health policy, and human rights.

Interdisciplinary by design, the major lets you tailor coursework across eight disciplines and create a concentration aligned with your passions. You’ll also gain real-world experience through internships with government agencies, elected officials, think tanks, nonprofits, and community organizations. It’s a hands-on path for future advocates, problem-solvers, and public leaders ready to turn ideas into impact.

Turn Policy Into Action

Design your own concentration, work directly with policymakers and nonprofits, and gain hands-on experience in shaping real solutions to public challenges.

Apply Now

Degrees & Programs

The BA in Public Policy and Public Service is a multidisciplinary program that allows students flexibility to design their own concentrations.

UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES & PROGRAMS

BA in Public Policy and Public Service Minor in Public Affairs Minor in Technology and Public Policy

Career Path & Outcomes

A young woman in a striped blazer works on a laptop at a table in a busy, brightly lit café or shared workspace with other people in the background.

Examples of where public policy and public service graduates are working include:

AmeriCorps VISTA
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
CNN
Edison Research
Global Security Institute
Massachusetts Senate
Midland County District Attorney’s Office
New York State Assembly
Office of the Nassau County Comptroller
U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. House of Representatives

Examples of where public policy and public service graduates are pursuing advanced degrees include:

American University
Boston University
Columbia University
George Washington University
Johns Hopkins University
New York University
Pepperdine University
Temple University
University of California, Los Angeles
Washington and Lee University

96%

Graduates who were employed and/or attending or planning to attend graduate school within a year after graduating

90%

Employed graduates who secured their position within six months after graduating

Experience Change Firsthand

The Washington Center Semester Program

This program invites Hofstra students to become interns in Congress, the executive branch, the federal judiciary, and various nongovernmental organizations. In recent years, Hofstra students have worked for various senators and representatives in the State Department and the Justice Department, for the Office of the Clerk of the United States Supreme Court, and for such groups as American Defense International.

New York State Assembly Session Internship

This internship involves working in the office of a member of the New York State Assembly in Albany. Interns are assigned research and administrative responsibilities in an assembly office, spending a minimum of 30 hours at the capital each week. In addition, interns enroll in a course on legislative politics, which meets periodically and for which required readings are provided.

The Washington Center Internships and Academic Seminars

Hofstra University partners with the nation’s largest internship organization, The Washington Center (TWC), so you can intern or participate in academic seminars in Washington, D.C., while earning academic credit. TWC provides a diverse selection of world-class internship programs and seminars in the heart of Washington. Through TWC, students will become equipped with the skills and confidence to thrive in the workplace.

Learn More About The Washington Center Internship

Hofstra Cultural Center

The Hofstra Cultural Center (HCC) is the force behind the University’s noted presidential conference series, and it works on a regular basis with the faculty of the Political Science Department to present speakers, symposia, and other events.

More About the Hofstra Cultural Center

Center for Civic Engagement

The Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) organizes forums, conferences, debates, workshops, exhibitions, cultural gatherings, and performances around several important themes, including nonviolence, social justice and sustainability, the democratic process, and globalization. CCE offers a minor in civic engagement and internships.

More about CCE

The United States Capitol building is shown at sunset, with its large dome and white columns visible against a partly cloudy sky. Trees are in the foreground.

Internships

Internships offer real-world experiences beyond the classroom and prepare students for professional careers.

Hofstra students have interned for the government, media organizations, nonprofit organizations, think tanks, and advocacy groups. Examples include ABC/ABC News, American Legislative Exchange Council, Citizens Committee for NYC, Congressman Peter King, Doctors Without Borders, International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, National Legal Aid and Defender Association, Planned Parenthood, Uniondale Community Council, Voice of America, and the public relations agency ZE Creative Communications.

Related Subjects

Contact Us

Office Information

Department of Public Policy and Public Service

View Department

Executive Dean, Public Policy and Public Service Programs

Meena Bose

The Peter S. Kalikow Chair in Presidential Studies Professor of Political Science

516-463-7316

External Advisory Council

Meet the Distinguished Panel of Scholars, Alums, and Government Officials

BE PART OF THE DECISION-MAKING

If you want to influence how communities are governed, resources are allocated, and change happens, the public policy and public service program gives you the tools and the access to start now.

Apply Visit Hofstra