Public Policy
Available as a major or minor
Public policy influences every part of our lives from what our schools teach to what our grocery stores sell to what time is shown on our clocks. Creating effective policy requires people with diverse backgrounds and expertise who are passionate about change-making.
Our program will help you understand the intricacies and impact of policymaking — and show you how you can use your skills to become leaders in the policy process.
Curriculum & Courses
Sample Course Offerings
POLI-250: American Policymaking
IR-351: Environmental Public Policy
ECON-227: Health Economics
CJUS-240: Inequality in Criminal Justice
Student Experiences
Policy students craft campaign around prickly environmental movement
The intersection of public policy and prickly politics was the focus of a semester-long partnership between Roanoke College's Environmental Public Policy 351 course and Roanoke Parks and Recreation. The city department asked the students to design, from the ground up, a public awareness campaign to help people understand the strategy behind No Mow and counter the skepticism of it.
To create an effective plan, the class had to look at the issue from all angles, anticipate arguments and craft attention-grabbing messages to respond to them. Their efforts combined research, field work and real-world strategizing.
“They came away with a better understanding of the Roanoke area and of policy-making, especially in relation to the environment,” Associate Professor Andreea Mihalache-O'Keef said. “They got to directly experience the global-local connection in terms of environmental causes and outcomes, and hopefully developed a better appreciation of the importance of local governments in those issues.”
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Roanoke College's Washington Semester program offers students a life-changing opportunity to live and work in the nation's capital. Students get invaluable experience interning for Capitol Hill, national museums, think tanks and nonprofits.
“None of the other schools I was looking at had a program like this at all,” said Sophia Contini ’24, who interned with the U.S. Marshals Service’s Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. “It seemed like such a good way to get more experience while also learning how to live in a new city and be more independent.”
Learn By Doing
We offer many firsthand learning opportunities for our students.
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An internship will help students gain insight into the structure, responsibilities and routines of the setting, the work of the staff, and the background and needs of the clients.
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We offer semester- or year-long international exchanges with more than 50 schools around the world, including Egypt, Israel, Belgium, Chile, Morocco, France, Denmark, Germany, Australia and Japan.
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Model UN brings together rising young leaders from around the world to step into the role of diplomats who must persuade, lead and build consensus to solve pressing problems. Roanoke has a Model UN Club and ususally goes to several events per year.
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Our Washington Semester gives you the chance to complete federal internships with agencies such as the U.S. Marshals Service, the Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This program allows you to live, study and intern while earning academic credit from Roanoke College. You will take two courses taught by professors from surrounding universities as well as complete an internship.
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Roanoke students have the opportunity to travel broadly with faculty and most of our students take advantage of this. All of our faculty lead month-long trips where they teach and travel with students.
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The Public Affairs Society brings together passionate, curious students to consider current events from multiple perspectives. Through discussion groups and campus events, it aims to share ideas and encourage a robust civil discourse.
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The Student Government Association represents the collective voice of the Roanoke College student body and serves as the official liaison between students and the college administration.
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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New fellowships, research and a shout-out in Scientific American. Catch up on the latest news from your talented faculty.
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Educators across campus are advancing research and contributing expertise to nationwide discussions.
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The collaboration expands online access and strengthens academic pathways for students while elevating standards in medicinal plant and integrative health professions.
