Public Policy
Available as a major or minor
Our public policy program provides students with the tools to craft meaningful, ethical policies. They gain that experience both inside the classroom and with hands-on learning opportunities outside the classroom.
Curriculum & Courses
Sample Course Offerings
POLI-250: American Policymaking
POLI-245: Ethics and Public Policy
IR-351: Environmental Public Policy
CJUS-240: Inequality in Criminal Justice
ECON-227: Health Economics
PHST-202: Global Health and Culture
Student Experiences
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Five Roanoke College students are taking the opportunity this semester to study in Washington, D.C. and surrounding areas.
Careers & Outcomes
Public Policy Courses "Prepare You for Anything"
As Casey Wilson '21 did research and writing for U.S. Senator Mark Warner, D-Va., she realized that public policy was her calling. She was in the nation’s capital as part of Roanoke College’s Washington Semester program, which connects dozens of Maroons to exciting internships in the heart of Washington, D.C.
“I interned in the U.S. Senate, which was amazing. I got to see it firsthand, and that really sold it for me,” Wilson said.
Wilson, who majored in political science at Roanoke, took that interest and has carried it on to the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia, where she pursued a master’s in public policy. Through her real-world experiences — both in the U.S. Senate and during her studies at Aberystwyth University in Wales as part of the Fulbright Summer Institute — and the public policy classes she took at Roanoke, Wilson feels armed with the expertise she needs to succeed at the next level.
“Roanoke College overall is always able to prepare you for anything,” Wilson said. “I’m very confident that I have a really good background going into grad school.”
News
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Carol Swain ’83 and Bryana Archer ’26 sat down for a wide-ranging Q&A about Swain's life and accomplishments during Swain's recent appearance on campus.
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The annual conference will bring together students, faculty and community leaders to explore important aspects of racial justice, AI ethics and more.
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Inazu, who teaches law and religion at Washington University, shared his thoughts about civil discourse in a divided society.
In addition to fascinating classes taught by engaging professors, students complete the Public Policy Practicum, which puts them out in the real world to get a firsthand look at how policy works. This could take the form of an internship that will help students develop practical experience or an independent research project that allows them to apply skills developed in their policy-related coursework.
Even before the existence of the Public Policy concentration, which began in the fall of 2021, Maroons have gone on to study policy at top-ranked graduate schools and to earn high-level jobs in state and national government.
We offer a major in Public Policy.