System messages

Actions on this page

Education

Learn more about graduate education in our Public Service Graduate Education Resource Center.

Enhance your knowledge and skills, and transition to new careers through continuing education. Workshops, academic coursework geared toward working adults, and specialized, professional Masters programs can help you.

Community classes and professional development workshops — on land on online

If you are looking for further education but are not sure enrolling in graduate school is the answer right now, an option is to take professional development workshops offered by technical assistance providers, foundations, and community groups.

These workshops are typically a single training or session to develop a specific skill set or knowledge base, external to your local academic community.

Read more about participating in community workshops.

Taking individual college and university courses

Individual courses can help you prepare for a degree program, master material better and faster than simply reading, brush up on a subject you used to know well, and understand principles in a field more clearly.

Read more about taking individual courses.

Certification

A certification program is a set of courses in a particular field that lead to certificate status or a license to practice. Whether you need the skills to improve your current work or need a license to start practicing in your field, certification proves to you and to potential employers that you have attained certain knowledge of and experience in your field. That field dictates both what certifications are possible to obtain and the means to do so.

Prerequisites for certification can include any combination of the following: completing coursework, earning a degree, passing examinations, and/or successfully completing an internship or other experiential component. Sometimes certification is part of a degree program, while other times it's independent.

Read more about certification.

Undergraduate programs

Most nonprofit job openings posted on Idealist.org require at least a college degree. Lucky for you, it's never been easier or more affordable to go to college with a focus on public service. The nonprofit workforce possesses a wide range of educational backgrounds and skill sets. Undergraduate majors in social sciences, health, business, foreign languages, and pre-law as well traditional liberal arts majors can all prepare you for working in the nonprofit sector.

Organizations like American Humanics are revolutionizing undergraduate education in nonprofit sector leadership.

The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 enables borrowers of Federal Direct Student Loans generous options for repayment, including special consideration for people in public service careers.

Read more about how to set yourself up for success as an undergraduate.

Graduate school

If you've been working for awhile and recognize your need for specialized education to further your social-impact career, a professional masters programs may be a good solution! Diverse programs around the country and the world cater to a wide range of adult students, through part-time, low-residency programs in addition to more traditional full-time designs.

Joint degrees allow grad students to focus on issues they care about (environmental protection, education, public health) as well as roles they want to play (law, public policy, social work).

Again, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 enables borrowers of Federal Direct Student Loans generous options for repayment, including special consideration for people in public service careers.

Read more in our Grad School Resource Center, and check out our Grad Fairs.