The best degree or a good degree for a career in government depends quite a bit on what a student wants to do in a government job. Because government is so big at the federal, state, and even municipal level, multiple degrees can be very useful in a number of agency positions. That said, certain degrees stand out as good entry level educational programs that will give a student wanting a career as a government analyst or generalist a good start. These include Public Policy, Government, Business and Economics. All four of these degrees as either Bachelors in Science or Bachelors in Arts from accredited schools and degree programs will work very well. With these degrees a student can land a job as an analyst, a researcher, a legislative staffer, or a program specialist.
Top Featured Government Degrees
1. Ashford University – BA – Public Administration
Contribute to your career in public service! Form a solid foundation of knowledge and skills in the public sector. A Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration degree from Ashford University is a great fit for professionals seeking entry into federal, state, and local government jobs, as well as careers in non-profit management.
2. Colorado State University – BS – Public Management
Management in today’s public organizations depends on leaders with fundamental knowledge and skills that are specific to the public sector. A successful leader or manager will have a broad foundation of knowledge and skills.
3. Columbia Southern University – MBA – Public Administration
Columbia Southern University’s graduate programs are designed to produce exceptional leaders. If your dream is to lead, to execute your vision and make a difference on a larger scale, CSU’s online MBA concentration in Public Administration degree can be the catalyst to achieving your goals.
4. Liberty University – MA – Public Policy
Liberty University’s Master of Arts in Public Policy prepares you for an exciting career in fields such as public administration, government and politics. The program focuses on developing your critical thinking skills, while expanding your knowledge of critical issues facing today’s society. Courses will prepare you to serve successfully in the field of public policy through establishing the understanding of the importance of applying ethics to management practices and as well as integrating faith with learning in a professional atmosphere.
Details About the Best Degrees for Government
Undergraduate Degrees for Government
As mentioned earlier, undergraduate programs that focus on government, public policy or business all work very well for generalist government positions. That said, if a student wants to use a scientific degree for government work, the best undergraduate degrees for technical government work are not the above. Instead, undergraduate bachelor of science degrees in biology, chemistry, physics, engineering and statistics all find specialist roles in a number of government agencies nationwide. Of course, the best undergraduate degrees in these fields come from top level colleges and university. These are considered good bachelor’s degrees because of the school name in many cases. The study material itself may be the same as average schools with the same programs. Jobs secured with these degrees can include scientist and research positions in agriculture, space, business, law enforcement, the military, and even exploration.
Master’s Degrees for Government
At the master’s level the law degree, or juris doctor, is one of the best master’s degrees to obtain for government work. Additionally, other good master’s degrees include a master’s in business administration, public policy and economics. Specialist degrees in all the science fields also fall into big demand in government agencies, particularly with programmatic research that news laws and program directions are based on. The master’s level programs generally focus on training students to deal with policy decisions on a large scale. Program professors already assume students have a basic working knowledge of their topic area. At the master’s level they now have to prove they can manage those skills in solving large scale problems or challenges. A master’s degree allows a student to enter government at higher levels and immediately command higher pay as well in policy positions.
Online Degrees for Government
While there are a number of online programs that offer courses and degrees for government work, the best online degrees for government careers will come from established universities that have expanded onto the Internet rather than those entirely running a virtual program. These are considered by most HR offices as the top online degree programs available. This difference is mainly due to school name recognition.
Online schools are not given as much recognition in government personnel shops versus accredited traditional schools. A few schools have proven themselves different at a local or regional level, but they’re still not going to beat out an online degree from Columbia University or Tulane. And those virtual degrees won’t score well against traditional degrees from the same schools.