Public Policy, Government, Law, International Affairs Community
Careers in public policy, government, law, and international affairs provide opportunities to impact communities and shape the world’s future.
On this page:
Community Resources
Not sure what you want to do with your degree?
- Utilize the Occupational Outlook Handbook, O*Net, and career videos to explore the responsibilities, education, pay, and job outlook of public policy careers.
- View how Panthers in public policy have launched their post-graduation career paths in the UWM Career Outcomes dashboard.
- Want to consider other career paths? Use tools in the Career Exploration Community.
Career Options
| Peace Corps | Federal Government | Foreign Service | Domestic / Civil Service | State of Wisconsin Public Service |
| City of Milwaukee | Milwaukee County | Public Policy | Local Government (general) | Careers in Legal Field |
Professional Associations
Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
Here is a sample of keywords you can use when researching career paths or searching for open positions. For more ideas, our staff is ready to help!
| Legal Associate | Foreign Service | Domestic / Civil Service | Policy Analyst |
| Federal, State, Local, County, City Government | Think Tanks | State and US Legislatures | International NGOs |
| US Department of State | US Congressional Committees and Offices | Law Firm | Nonprofit Organizations |
| Lawyer – Corporate / Business – Attorney – Environmental | – Family – Immigration – Intellectual Property | – Entertainment – Employment / Labor – Tax | – Constitutional – Criminal Defense – Prosecutor |
Experiential Learning
Hands-on learning beyond the classroom helps you expand your skills, form community connections, build your resume, and gain the Panther Edge. These include internships, undergraduate research, study abroad, community engagement, and leadership experiences.
Examples:
- UWM offers high-quality, safe and affordable international academic opportunities. Students develop knowledge, skills and perspectives to become mindful and engaged global citizens. Learn more here.
- Find research specific to your interests here.
- Take advantage of Student Leadership Programs available on campus; learn more here.
Internships
Internships provide an excellent opportunity to get hands-on experience, expand your transferable skills, develop professional connections, and build your resume. Our staff can help you tailor your resume and cover letter, search for positions, and prepare for the interview.
Be sure to utilize Handshake to search for positions. Employers looking to hire UWM students & alumni use this recruiting system to connect with you!
Examples: Be sure to check out the SET website for additional internship opportunities here. SSTPI, CLIP, and the Arts, Humanities, and Social Science Internship Program are some of the UWM-specific internship opportunities available to our students.
On-Campus Jobs
On-campus jobs provide convenient options with flexible scheduling and opportunities to gain transferrable and career-related skills. Explore and apply to on-campus jobs on Handshake. For additional support, visit our employment website.
Community Service/Volunteer
SET has deep community partnerships which provide student opportunities for volunteering, service-learning, service trips, and other forms of community-based learning. You may even find yourself in a course with a built-in service-learning requirement. You can learn more about this on our website here.
Examples: Big Brothers Big Sisters Program, Alternative Spring Break Trip, Virtual Tutoring Program, and Hope House Food Pantry…to name a few!
Student Organizations
On-campus jobs provide convenient options with flexible scheduling and opportunities to gain transferrable and career-related skills. Explore and apply to on-campus jobs on Handshake. For additional support, visit our employment website.
We proudly host eight career fairs every year, showcasing around 80 diverse employers each fair. Interested in knowing the kinds of employers attending?We invite you explore a past fair and the employers who attended.
Meet your Advisor
Director of Community Engagement and Experiential Learning
bwtrager@uwm.edu
Utilize Job Search Tools
What does it mean to work in fields connected to Public Policy, Government, Law, and International Affairs? Read more below about each of these areas, plus discover industry specific job boards to search for internships and full-time positions. Note that we highly encourage all students to explore roles in Handshake where many of our employer partners post their opportunities to find UWM students.
Local, federal, or international policy can be a natural career choice for people who are interested in shaping the world around them. Policy is an ever-evolving field that has a range of focuses which can vary depending on your interests and passions. Working in policy requires and develops a range of skills related to communication, organization, and research.
Working in government provides a range of opportunities that cut across majors, interest, and skill sets. Opportunities exist with major federal and state agencies like the FBI, DPI, and the State Department, as well as agencies and offices doing impactful work at the local level.
You may think of being an attorney or lawyer when thinking about a career in law, when there are many options in the field of law that don’t require a Juris Doctor (JD).Careers in law can span law enforcement, policy and policy change, community outreach and engagement, justice system reform.
In an increasingly connected and inter-reliant global social and economic system, careers in international affairs meet the demand to connect people, places, ideas, and systems. Beyond diplomacy, careers may fall in the realms of development, trade, communication, and security and individuals may work for governments, international NGOs, or multinational corporations.