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Be a force for good and reduce economic disparities

Social and economic inequality are increasingly prominent features of our lives. Professionals with an economic skill set bring a distinct collection of tools to measure, analyze and create policy on these disparities.

Economic analysis is a must-have tool for professionals in the private, public and nonprofit sectors in order to study how individuals and institutions allocate resources — and the consequences of the resource distribution.

This major offers the following options: • General Economics • Law, Economics and Policy • Managerial Economics • Mathematical Economics

Rooted in Sociology, Economics, Political Science, and various natural resource sciences, students will gain valuable interdisciplinary insights into complex challenges involving energy resources. Students are offered a choice of several courses that will prepare them with the skills and competencies needed to understand economic, social, political and cultural dynamics of energy policy, and to design and evaluate energy policy as it pertains to Oregon and other contexts.

This major offers the following option(s):

• Environmental and Energy Politics
• International Affairs
• Law and Politics

Political Science is the systematic study of politics wherever it takes place—in governmental institutions, the international arena, and civil society.

The discipline of public policy is closely connected to the practice of policy and this program ensures that students interact with policy-makers as well as the knowledge-producers who support policy decisions. The Public Policy Major will provide students with a set of research, analytical, and management skills that will be transferable across sectors and across issue areas.

Our world is shaped by the policies that govern us. Whether you’re interested in the environment, housing, energy or another sector entirely, creating meaningful change takes a deep understanding of the theories and frameworks that shape policy and strong leadership skills. 

The Graduate Certificate in Rural Policy is an 18-credit multi-disciplinary offered through OSU Extended Campus by the School of Public Policy. Students have a choice of over a dozen courses that will prepare them with the skills and competencies needed to understand economic, social, political and cultural dynamics of rural places, and to design and evaluate rural policy as it pertains to Oregon and other contexts.

This major offers the following option(s):

• Crime and Justice
• Environmental and Natural Resource Sociology

Sociology is the study of human social behavior and sociologists examine interactions within and between groups and resulting social institutions.