Career in Public Affairs

Being a part of Political Science courses, Public affairs can be related to public relations dealing with strengthening and developing relations between stakeholders and employers. As the working of these professionals is closely related to the government, it is essential for these candidates to have a sound knowledge of current political and economic issues. For those of you willing to make a career in this bridging course that connects public and government, we present our exclusive blog mapping the way for you! 

Skills Required for Public Affairs

One must possess the correct skills to make a booming career in this field. Here is a list of skills required to ace this area of study: 

• Strong interest in political issues. 
• Updated knowledge of current affairs. 
• Excellent research abilities. 
• Time-management skills. 
• Excellent communication skills. 
• Good Team-working skills. 
• An eye for details. 
• Able to perform well under pressure. 
• Economic awareness. 

Also Read: Master of Social Work

Course List

There are various programs offered by numerous universities across the globe. We have listed some of the major bachelor’s and master’s degree courses available in this field:

• Bachelor / Masters / PhD of Public Affairs (BPAff / MPAff)
• PhD in Public Affairs- Governance and Policy Research / Social Work
• MA in Public Policy
• MPAff in Environmental Policy and Sustainability
• MPAff in Nonprofit Management
• LLM in European Law and Public Affairs
• MA in Philosophy and Public Affairs
• MSc in Media, Power and Public Affairs
• MA in International Public Affairs

Bachelor of Public Affairs
This is a 3-4 year-long undergraduate program, which prepares students for working in government, non-profit sectors, and other areas of the social services. The curriculum of this program is designed in a comprehensive way for students that build their foundation of a general liberal arts education. 

Master of Public Affairs
MPAff caters broad and deeper understanding of public & political institutions, economic & social processes along with implications for policy development and implementation to students. Subjects taught in this program, includes Values, Ethics and Public Policy, Policy Writing, Mgmt/Leadership, Economics, Statistics, etc.

PhD in Public Affairs
PhD in this subject is a doctoral degree program which provides focuses on public administration, policy, planning and research. The program provides a theoretical, analytical and deep understanding of the underlying problems and ways to solve the social ills of society. The subjects covered under this program are Intellectual history of Public Administration, Policy Analysis, Advanced Quantitative Methods for Public Administration, Law, Courts and Public Policy, Dissertation, etc.

Top Universities for Public Affairs

There are various educational institutes abroad which offer an undergraduate and postgraduate program in Public Affairs. Given below in the following table is a list of  some of the renowned universities around the world that provide industry-focused curriculum and exposure to students wanting to establish their career in this field:

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Name of the Institutes	Location
Columbia College of Arts and Sciences	United States
University of New South Wales	Australia
Brown University	United States
George Washington University	United States
University of Georgia	United States
Royal Holland University of London	United Kingdom
The Australian National University	Australia
University of Malaya	Malaysia
University College Dublin	Ireland
University of Leeds	United Kingdom
University of York	United Kingdom
Victoria University of Wellington	New Zealand

Career Prospect for Public Affairs

Candidates with Public Affairs degree can work in areas/ sectors such as Education, Healthcare, Human rights, International law, Security and intelligence, and Science and Technology.  Here are the popular jobs which students can pursue after completing a degree in this degree: 

• Economic Development Director: These professionals perform various administrative, technical and professional works in preparation and implementation of economic and community development plans. 
• Consultant: Their job is to share their expertise and knowledge to help businesses attain goals and solve problems while in return charge fee to share their valuable knowledge and expertise.
• Community Relations Manager: The job duty of this personnel is to plan, organize and manage events to achieve goals set by their organizations. Making a plan of action under this pr

Also Read: MPA-Master of Public Administration

Other Job Profiles

Apart from the above-mentioned prospects, there a few more job profiles closely related to the field: 

• Public Affairs Officer
• Government Relations Manager
• Policy Research Assistant
• Public Relation Officer
• Budget Analyst
• Assistant Professor
• Community Outreach Manager

This was all about Public Affair courses and its scope. If you have any doubts regarding this course and can’t decide whether opting for this program will be the right thing to do or not, let Leverage Edu help you out. Take our psychometric test along with a free career counselling session and free yourself from all the doubts!