Policy and Community Development Bachelor's Degree

Build a Better Tomorrow

Address social problems by promoting participative democracy, sustainable development, economic opportunities, and social justice. Implement strategic solutions and empower people within their communities. Foster a healthy and inclusive society.

Michigan Tech’s bachelor’s degree in policy and community development prepares smart leaders to empower and support healthy communities and smart policies.

Divisive politics, social uprisings, income disparities, and infectious disease outbreaks all have a profound effect on the financial, physical, and social wellbeing of our communities. How do we leverage this moment to recommit to racial, economic, and environmental justice? How do we make communities work better and be healthier places to live, work, and play? What policies help us get there?

Our students gain analytic skills and practical experience necessary to address social problems and foster healthy and inclusive communities by engaging in research, community projects, internships, and study-away programs.

Concentrations

Law

Develop expertise in the foundations of law.  Review civil rights and liberties. Learn about the legal process. Critically evaluate laws, policies, and programs and their impact on society, social justice, and environmental justice. The law concentration prepares you for law school and a career in law or legal aid. You can get pre-law advising in this and any other concentration if you're planning to apply to a college of law.

Not interested in law school, you’ll gain a solid foundation for your advanced studies in public policy, as well as be prepared for professional careers in political organizations, criminal justice, social justice, or public service. Choose from 11 different courses to customize your law concentration.

Environment

Develop expertise in the foundations of environmental policy. The environment concentration prepares you for a master’s degree in Environmental Policy, Sustainable Communities, and other similar programs, as well as professional careers in environmental justice, environmental non-profits, corporate sustainability, and environmental policy.

You’ll study the laws, regulations, and policy apparatus that organizations and governments use to manage environmental issues. You’ll explore how environmental policy balances the protection, conservation, and sustainability of natural resources with affordable energy and economic growth while understanding how human activities impact the environment. Choose from 19 different courses to customize your environmental concentration.

Health

Learn to apply skills in policy and community development to health. Build foundational knowledge in public health. Focus on improving people’s physical and mental well-being in a specific geographic region. Examine social determinants of health, including health inequalities and their policy implications. Build a course of study that focuses on improving health care, one of the fastest-growing sectors of the US and the global economy.

The health concentration prepares you for careers in community health or for a master’s degree in public health. Choose from 14 different courses to customize your health concentration.

Fast-track Your Master's Degree

Earn an Accelerated MS degree in sustainable communities, environmental and energy policy or industrial heritage and archaeology. You can do it in just one additional year at Michigan Tech with your BS in policy and community development.

  • 4+
    faculty-led study away programs
  • 90%
    of undergraduates involved in research

Tomorrow Needs Policy and Community Development Experts

The expertise of policy and community development professionals is crucial for promoting social equity and reducing disparities. These professionals can navigate diverse stakeholder perspectives and interests, mediate conflicts, promote collaboration, and build consensus. Experts analyze complex data and conduct thorough needs assessments, leading to evidence-based policies and programs that uplift marginalized groups, bridge the socioeconomic gap, and create opportunities for growth.

Be Career Ready

Career Opportunities for Policy and Community Development Majors

Growth is strong in several careers that are attractive to policy and community development degree holders. Community health educator jobs will grow 12%, fundraiser jobs will grow 11%, and social and community service manager jobs will grow 12%. Career opportunities include, but are not limited to:

  • Attorney
  • Budget Analyst
  • Case Manager
  • City Planner/Developer
  • Community Health Workers
  • Consultant
  • Data Analyst
  • Fundraiser
  • Health Education Specialist
  • Housing Administrator
  • Land Use Specialist
  • Law Enforcement
  • Lobbyist
  • Non-Profit Administrator
  • Policy Analyst
  • Public Relations
  • Real Estate
  • Regional Planner
  • Social and Community Service Manager
  • Social Worker
  • Transportation Logistics
  • Urban Design/Downtown Development
  • Urban and Regional Planner
  • Zoning Administrator

Companies Hiring Policy and Community Development Majors

These are just some of the organizations hiring policy and community development majors:

  • Advocacy organizations
  • Consulting companies
  • Corporate social responsibility/outreach departments
  • County, state, federal government
  • Diversity/Equity/Inclusion offices
  • Economic development agencies
  • Environmental agencies
  • Historic preservation agencies
  • Housing authorities and real estate firms
  • Law firms and consulting firms
  • Non-Profit organizations
  • Parks and recreation departments
  • Planning and development agencies
  • Public health agencies
  • Public/Private partnerships
  • Public utilities
  • Regulatory agencies
  • Transportation commissions
  • Think tanks

Ready to take the next step?

Learn more about studying policy and community development at Michigan's flagship technological university

"You do policy research, which is researching how governments make decisions, why governments make decisions. And so it's a lot easier to both make effective policy and hold ineffective policy accountable if there’s actual hard data to back up why it is or isn’t effective."Eric Boyer-Cole '22, BS Policy and Community Development

College of Sciences and Arts

The College of Sciences and Arts is a community of faculty, staff, and students committed to excellence and driven by our passion for education, outreach, research, and creativity across the social and natural sciences, humanities, and the arts. Uniquely situated in the heart of Michigan's R1 flagship technological university, we specialize in human-centered potential and discovery-based learning designed to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. Knowing that every student at Michigan Tech will pass through our doors, our college strives to be at the forefront of interdisciplinary collaborations that lead to breakthrough solutions.

Our students gain a profound understanding of social and cultural contexts through experiential learning and innovative research. We welcome you to be part of our caring, expansive college community, with 32 undergraduate and 24 graduate degrees to choose from.

The opportunities in Michigan Tech's College of Sciences and Arts are limitless. Transform into a civic leader ready to contribute to a sustainable future. Lead and participate in action-based experiences that are critical to the start of a fulfilling career. Job-shadow at a local hospital or veterinary clinic while preparing for a career in health. Design sound and lighting for a regional production. Conduct community forums on the implications of artificial intelligence. Work to purify vaccines. Study the impact of social media on society. Research the mysteries of space and galaxies beyond our universe. Explore transforming abandoned iron and copper mines into giant batteries. Understand freshwater ecosystem health. Document the nature of changes in cognitive function and motor behavior in aging and dementia.

At Michigan Tech, your academic growth is supported by a variety of learning centers, along with our Humanities Digital Media Zone and Writing Center. Model climate in the only cloud chamber of its kind. Take part in interdisciplinary health research in our state-of-the-art H-STEM Complex. Create amazing sights and sounds in our visual art, sound, and theatre performance spaces

Undergraduate Majors in Social Sciences

Not sure which major is the right fit? No problem. Browse the entire list of College of Sciences and Arts majors. Or, give yourself time and declare the General Sciences and Arts major, which lets you decide when you arrive on campus. To learn more, speak to an academic advisor.

Tomorrow Needs You

Combine your creativity and curiosity to meet pressing societal challenges with innovative solutions. Graduate with the technical skills, critical thinking and tenacity to inspire, design and implement a sustainable future across social and natural sciences, humanities, and arts.

"What you’re going to be doing in the workforce is helping people enact change. You already have experience doing that before you graduate."Anna Kavanaugh, Policy and Community Development