Education Requirements To Become a Public Policy Consultant

The Public Policy Consultant’s role is to help provide information to legislators in order to influence their understanding of an issue in support of the focus of the organization the Public Policy Consultant is representing. In order to perform this role, the Public Policy Consultant must have excellent organizational, research and communication skills. The Public Policy Consultant must have a deep and broad knowledge of not only the issue they are discussing with legislators, but also the goals and operational policies of the agency they are representing.

The best way to develop these skills is through the process of earning your degree. Most employers will require that you have a Master’s degree in Public Administration, Government Relations, Public Policy or Non-Profit Administration. The preferred degrees are Public Policy and Government Relations. If you know what kind of employer you wish to work for it can sometimes be useful to double major in the field related to your desired employer (e.g. Social Work) in addition to the previously mentioned degrees. You may also wish to minor in a foreign language if you plan on working in a job that will have contact with people who do not have English as their first language. As with most jobs, the higher the degree you achieve the more desirable you will be to potential employers, the faster you will promote and the more likely you will be able to move directly into a management position. For this reason some choose to earn their Ph.D.’s in Government Relations or Public Policy.