Undergraduate Specialization Options

Craft a track that fits your interests and career goals.

Glenn College majors offer different specialization options, which allow students to focus on a particular policy area or develop a specific skill. The specialization requirement can be fulfilled through the completion of an interdisciplinary Public Affairs specialization track, an approved minor, an approved personalized track or a second major.

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Specialization Tracks

Select the track, or one approved minor, to fulfill your specialization requirement (waived for students pursuing a double major).

Talk to an advisor to declare your specialization

Nonprofit Management

Pursue leadership positions in nonprofit organizations.

The Nonprofit Management track is an excellent option if you aspire to serve in the nonprofit sector, for a government agency that deals extensively with nonprofits or within the organized philanthropy field. Nonprofits are engaged in a wide range of policy sectors, including social welfare, public health, education, arts and culture, and social justice. The specialization track addresses the distinctive features and practices of nonprofit organizations and emphasizes management techniques helpful to leaders in mission-driven organizations.

Nonprofit Management Course Requirements AU22 or Later

Nonprofit Management Course Requirements Prior to AU22

Urban Policy and Management

Study the important public policy issues facing cities and urban areas today.

Students gain an understanding of the difficult problems local and regional governments face on a daily basis. Graduates of this program are well suited for programmatic or analytical positions within local, county and regional government or coordinating services for people in need within the nonprofit world.

Urban Policy and Management Course Requirements

Community Organization and Civic Engagement

Explore how people can work together to influence policy decisions and become active in their communities.

Students on the Civic Engagement track will be prepared to empower members of communities and lead them toward making a difference. Courses in this track teach students about how social change occurs, how members of a community can work together and how individuals can affect public policy issues. This track offers answers to the long-standing question “can one person really make a difference?”

Community Organization and Civic Engagement Course Requirements

Education Policy

Make education more accessible, equitable and effective.

The track is a great option if you are interested in working for departments at the federal or state level, nonprofits, universities, school management or consulting work related to education. Through multidisciplinary courses, learn how to leverage your skills in program evaluation, data analysis and finance to enact change in education policy.

Education Policy Course Requirements

Public Management

Serve in a management role for public organizations at the local, state or national level.

This track draws on courses from around the university to develop students’ abilities in areas crucial to public management, including law, accounting, communication, politics and strategic leadership. Skilled managers are needed at all levels of government, and this this track helps prepare students to become the next generation of public leaders.

Public Management Course Requirements

Looking for a track that better fits your goals?

Work with an advisor to design a personalized track focusing on a policy area of particular interest.

Personalized tracks must be interdisciplinary in nature, consist of a minimum of 15 credit hours, may not duplicate existing tracks or minors, and must be approved by the Glenn College’s undergraduate curriculum committee. Examples of recent personalized tracks include National Parks Management, Lobbying and Government Relations, Food Policy and Comparative Cultural Policy. Please see your advisor for more information.

Fulfill the specialization requirement through the completion of an approved minor offered by another academic unit on campus.

Students may choose minors that reflect their unique policy interests, as minors are an opportunity to delve more deeply into specialized topics. Popular minors include political science, public health and economics.

Minors must be approved by the Glenn College’s undergraduate curriculum committee in order to fulfill the specialization requirement.

Make a bigger impact

Students are encouraged to pursue additional majors/minors beyond the minimum requirement if their schedule allows.

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Additional Information

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