Public Service Minor: Northern Kentucky University, Greater Cincinnati Region

Program Type: Undergraduate

Minor Requirements: View Requirements

Department: Political Science, Criminal Justice & Organizational Leadership

The 18-credit hour Public Service minor is designed for students interested in careers that focus on serving others, usually through government agencies and nonprofit organizations. These careers may involve policy making, implementation, and evaluation in areas such as: community and economic development, policing and emergency management, health care and education administration, community and public arts programs, and so on.

Program Contacts

Missy Gish
Coordinator
gishm@nku.edu

Students in the Spotlight

James E. Mills Jr.

Graduating Year: 2020

Education: B.A. in Integrative Studies in Public Service

“My experience in the program was wonderful from start to finish. The flexibility of the program really put me in control of my education and was able to be tailored to my needs and what I wanted to get out of my degree. It also gave me the opportunity to take classes that were more aligned with the type of work I wanted to continue to do. Another great benefit of my BA was that I was able to take several courses during my undergrad that are required for my current master’s program thus it was a great bridge over for me when I started working on my Master of Public Administration.”

What you do: Currently I am a police chief for a local municipality in Northern Kentucky.

Necessary job skills: Being a police chief requires that you have a well-rounded knowledge base to put you in a unique situation to be able to meet the needs of all community members and staff. Our communities are made up of diverse people and reach can require different needs and resources. My BA gave me the skills necessary to meet all of those needs and be the leader that my community and staff need.

Career path: After I complete my first career I would like to work on the county and city management side of public service. I am deeply rooted in public service and think it is one of the most rewarding professions available.

View All Stories

Find Your Passions & Build Your Future

Internships: There are numerous internship opportunities in the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati region with local governments and nonprofit organizations. We also offer students the opportunity to spend a semester interning with a Kentucky legislator in Frankfort through the FLIP program. Future Leaders Internship Program (FLIP) fellows are placed with a Northern Kentucky legislator as they serve in the General Assembly during the Spring semester.
Career Explorations: Our students explore public service careers in their classes and outside of them – “learning by doing” along the way. Some of them work on projects for government agencies and nonprofit organizations, connecting what they are learning in the classroom with what is occurring in the community. They also participate in the Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project, where they learn more about social issues and nonprofit organizations in our region and, ultimately, select one or more to award grants.
BA-to-MPA Pathway: For students interested in pursuing a Master of Public Administration (MPA) at NKU, up to two 500-level public service minor courses (e.g. PAD 500, 501, 511) may be waived by the MPA Admission Committee, after review of transcripts and consultation with the student. In effect, this creates a BA-to-MPA pathway for NKU students that decreases the required credit hours for the master’s degree from 36 to 30, which saves time and money.