<p>Would a BS in economics be a good major if I am interested in eventually getting a masters in public policy/administration? If so what kinds of public policy jobs can I get after earning my BS degree that will help me gain experiance in the field of public policy? And will these be somewhat decent paying jobs? I'm also considering a marketing degree, but I don't know how this will help with public policy. Can anyone enlighten me? Thanks!</p>
<p>Economics would be one of the best, if not THE best, preparation for an MPP. Combine that with political science, and that would be even better. I would recommend econ because the major is very analytical but in a broad way. You can take highly quantitative courses or courses that are more geared toward policy analysis, environmental economics, public finance, etc. Either way, it's one of the most analytical majors out there and will you serve you well. Check out any MPP curriculum and you will see that knowledge of economics will be beneficial. In fact, many courses are actual econ courses anyway. And the "Quantitative Methods" type courses will seem like a joke after you get an econ degree, but the polsci majors won't necessarily be able to say the same.</p>
<p>Regarding the field, an MPP degree is mainly for the public (government) sector, although you can also use it for the private sector. Pretty much an MPP is to government what an MBA is to a corporation. So if your dream is to work as a policy analyst for the U.S. Department of State or something like that, then that's what you want. The public sector does not pay nearly as much as the private, but that doesn't mean you won't be making money.</p>