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Policy analyst education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a policy analyst. Policy analysts usually study political science, business, or law. 65% of policy analysts hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,850 real policy analyst resumes to see exactly what policy analyst education sections show.
The most common colleges for policy analysts are the George Washington University, The and the George Washington University, The.
There are also many online policy analyst courses to help get the education required to be a policy analyst.
There are certain policy analyst certifications that you should consider. These policy analyst certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
What education do you need to become a policy analyst?
What degree do you need to be a policy analyst?
- Bachelor's, 65%
- Master's, 23%
- Doctorate, 6%
- Associate, 4%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a policy analyst?
- Political Science, 23%
- Business, 12%
- Law, 7%
- Economics, 6%
- Other Majors, 52%
Most common colleges for policy analysts
| Policy analyst common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| George Washington University, The | 8.60% |
| American University | 7.37% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 7.19% |
| University of California - Davis | 6.49% |
| University of Texas at Austin | 5.96% |
Best majors for policy analysts
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Political Science | 23.2% |
| 2 | Business | 11.5% |
| 3 | Law | 6.7% |
| 4 | Economics | 5.6% |
| 5 | International Relations | 5.0% |
Best colleges for policy analysts
The best colleges for policy analysts are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.
A policy analyst with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for policy analysts. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become policy analysts.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
6. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,230
Enrollment
12,161
7. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
8. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
9. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$53,391
Enrollment
8,568
10. SUNY at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,099
Enrollment
21,404
20 best online courses for policy analysts
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1. Data Analysis Immersive (Full-time)
Learn to problem solve, and effectively communicate, like an analyst. This course teaches you to use industry-standard tools to make ethical, data-driven decisions. Experience hands-on training to master SQL, Excel, Tableau, PowerBI, and Python – tools listed in virtually every data analytics job posting across industries...
2. Data Analytics (Part Time)
Harness Excel, SQL, and Tableau to drive powerful analysis and insights. Build confidence and credibility to apply this versatile skill set to countless jobs. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
3. Data Analyst
Use Python, SQL and Statistics to advance your programming skills and refine your ability to work with messy, complex datasets...
4. Data Structures and Algorithms
Get hands-on practice with over 80 data structures and algorithm exercises and guidance from a dedicated mentor to help prepare you for interviews and on-the-job scenarios...
5. Global Health Policy
In this course, learners will become familiar with principles and theories of global health problems, and major challenges and controversies in improving global population health as well as practical applications of quantitative methods to analyze and interpret issues and challenges for policy. Topics will include health and foreign policy, health governance, acute disease surveillance, non-communicable diseases, burden of disease, universal health coverage, health systems strengthening, health...
6. Engineering Life: Synbio, Bioethics & Public Policy
Synbio is a diverse field with diverse applications, and the different contexts (e.g., gain-of-function research, biofuels) raise different ethical and governance challenges. The objective of this course is to increase learners’ awareness and understanding of ethical and policy/governance issues that arise in the design, conduct and application of synthetic biology. The course will begin with a short history of recombinant DNA technology and how governance of that science developed and evolved,...
7. Master Public Policy Analysis In Six Easy Steps: The Basics
An Introduction to Policy Analysis Concepts and Practice For The Real World!...
8. Master Public Policy Analysis: Advanced
Learn Advanced Policy Analysis Concepts and Practice For The Real World!...
9. Intro to Data Analytics
Discover if data is a career fit for you Regardless of your industry or role, fluency in the language of data analytics will allow you to contribute to data driven decision making. In this free, two-hour livestream, you’ll learn to understand, analyze, and interpret data so you too can join the data conversation. We’ll cover how to ask the right questions of your data and basic analytic functionality. Then you’ll apply your new found data analytic skills to a real-world dataset, allowing you...
10. Data Visualization
You will start by building data visualizations and dashboards, considering your audiences to be as effective as possible. Then, you’ll move into drafting presentations using storytelling techniques, visualizations, and animations to provide data-driven recommendations...
11. Intro to Data Analysis
Start your data science journey right with this hands-on introduction to the discipline of data analysis. In this course you'll learn the 5 key stages of the data analysis process and apply them to real data sets using Python libraries NumPy, pandas, and Matplotlib...
12. Social Policy for Social Services & Health Practitioners
In the U.S., social policy accounts for two-thirds of government spending. Knowing how policies are constructed, what values underlie them, and how they succeed or fail makes everyone more effective at work or in their civic role. This specialization includes an HONORS track in which learners will complete a professional social policy analysis.\n\nTeachers, health care workers, police, and social workers interact with policy daily, but all of us should care about the impact and effectiveness of...
13. Bats, Ducks, and Pandemics: An Introduction to One Health Policy
Welcome to "Bats, Ducks, and Pandemics: An Introduction to One Health Policy". One Health is the concept that human, animal, and environmental/ecosystem health are linked. The concept provides a useful framework for examining complex health issues such as food safety and security, emerging and vector-borne diseases, and antimicrobial resistance. It can be used to analyze government policies to determine if they are effective in improving health and well-being. Agriculture is the foundation of...
14. 2017 Great Decisions: Foreign Policy Association
Learn about leading foreign policy challenges confronting U.S. policy makers and the American public...
15. Mastering Group Policy on Windows Server
An IT person's guide to managing Active Directory Users and Computers with Group Policy...
16. Data Visualization
Discover how data visualization can communicate insights far more effectively than text or tables. In this course, you’ll learn how to build data visualizations programmatically using Python, and how you can use visualization to both discover and convey trends in your data...
17. Experimental Design & Recommendations
Learn two of the most in-demand skills in the entire field of data science! By the end of this course, you’ll know how to generate personalized recommendations based on user data, as well as run statistically valid tests that produce clean, interpretable results...
18. Translating Research to Healthcare Policy
In this course, you will learn about the process of evaluating the real-world outcomes of health research. You will learn important terminology and concepts as you explore how the outcomes of health research can influence health policy and practice. The readings, videos, and activities in this course should be completed in the order they are presented to ensure that you will have the best learning experience possible. This course will be of interest to graduate students, health professions...
19. Global Energy and Climate Policy
The Global Energy and Climate Policy course offers an introduction to the theoretical and practical understanding of how energy and climate change policies are designed, shaped, advocated and implemented. As energy markets go truly global, domestic energy policies are becoming more and more entangled with wider issues of international governance. Concurrently, the urgent need to mitigate and adapt to climate change and transition to a low-carbon future is adding a further layer of complexity...
20. Active Directory & Group Policy Administration for IT Techs
Active Directory & Group Policy Administration Basics for Helpdesk and Desktop / IT Support Technicians...
Top 10 most affordable universities for policy analysts
The most affordable schools for policy analysts are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and florida state university.
If the best universities for policy analysts are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for policy analysts.
1. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
2. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
6. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
7. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
8. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
9. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$6,491
Cost of attendance
19,075
10. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for policy analysts
The hardest universities for policy analysts to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.
Some great schools for policy analysts are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for policy analysts based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
5. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
6. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN • Private
Admissions rate
18%
SAT average
1,502
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
10. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for policy analysts
The easiest schools for policy analysts to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, wayland baptist university, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a policy analyst without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for policy analysts.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
4. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
5. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
6. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
7. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
8. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
9. University of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,020
10. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
Average policy analyst salary by education level
| Policy analyst education level | Policy analyst salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $72,848 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $66,868 |
| Doctorate Degree | $76,401 |
Policy analyst education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025