For me, Georgetown’s location in Washington DC, the center of US policy making and public policy internships, is a major boon. However, even while being so close to the Capitol and being known as a school for public service leaders, Georgetown does not offer a major in Public Policy; it’s highly respectable “Government” major is as close as it comes.
While it’s Government major offers many aspects which you would find in a Public Policy major, of course it is not a dedicated public policy course. From my comparison of the Government major and undergraduate Public Policy majors offered at other schools, I concluded that the Government course would lack the breadth of issues analysis that would come with a public policy course.
In the future, I would like to analyze and form public policy. At the moment, it is not my aim to do this within government, but for a non-profit organization. Since I want to work specifically in policy analysis I wonder if not taking a major dedicated to public policy would put me at a disadvantage (after undergrad). But, I also wonder if the internship opportunities offered, Georgetown’s reputation in public service, and the DC experience, would be more valuable.
I believe you are getting hung up on the name rather than the actual situation. Georgetown is the premier school for public policy, and we even have a dedicated graduate school for public policy. As it currently stands, Georgetown probably places the most students into the think tanks around DC and into the government jobs these think tanks draw from as well. The internship experience at Georgetown cannot be undersold, as at Georgetown, I did what I believe you want to do, working for the Brookings Institution for an entire year, writing public policy pieces and conversing daily with huge names like Bob Rubin, Sheryl Sandberg, Peter Orzag, and once, Joe Biden. You cannot find the same opportunities anywhere else, and your major really doesn’t determine your attractiveness for these positions, as I am an International Political Economy major.
Great advice from @hotair: don’t get hung up on the name of the major: you can be sure that employers don’t. Your internships are critical, as they will lead to the work experience that you need to get into the Masters in Public Policy to get the jobs you want. Also, where do you think most non-profits are headquartered?! they take interns also.