More about our degrees

In addition to our pathways to earn a double major that complements your BA in Public Affairs, if you qualify for University Honors, adding the program is easily achievable. Both the Society, Policy, and Citizenship track and a Public Affairs degree focus on students interested in a public policy-oriented career. Students can complete this as a major, double major, or minor in a normal four-year course of study. Please meet with your honors advisor to discuss your academic course plan and the requirements for the completion of both programs. Learn more about University Honors.

Pathways to Professional Formation

The College of Arts and Sciences is further investing in your professional formation with the creation of the Pathways to Professional Formation initiative. Dedicated to supporting you in your lifetime journey of professional and personal discovery, our program strengthens existing professional formation programs and develops new opportunities. Learn more here.

Expand Your Education to the Global Classroom

• Develop knowledge of diverse cultures.
• See your own culture through a new lens.
• Strengthen your leadership skills.
• Broaden your world view.
• Advance your career.

Visit Education Abroad to learn more.

Research and Experiential Learning

Engage in Unique Student Research

Senior Capstone Project

As a Public Affairs senior, you will investigate an identifiable public or social problem about which you are capable of gathering information.

Recent Capstone Projects include:

• Evaluating the Effectiveness of Rapid Rehousing in Reducing Family Homelessness.
• Food Literacy for the Future: Impact of School-Based Food Education on Youth.
• Bridging the Value-Action Gap for Reducing, Reusing, Recycling through Environmental Communication Best Practices.
• The Efficacy of Community Based and Restorative Justice Programs in Lowering Juvenile Recidivism Rates.
• Alternative Discipline: A National Review and Recommendations for Program Implementation.
• Syringe Services Program as HIV Prevention: Addressing Critiques and Geographic Disparity of Coverage.
• Effective Methods of Arts Advocacy and Funding for Seattle’s Creative Advantage Initiative.

Present Your Work

You may choose to present your research at the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research. Through this annual conference, NCUR creates a unique environment for the celebration and promotion of undergraduate student achievement, provides models of exemplary research and scholarship and helps to improve the state of undergraduate education.

Engage with the Local Community

Seattle University’s Center for Community Engagement is the main entry point for students, faculty, and staff for all forms of community engagement. The volunteer portal for all of their programs, including the Seattle University Youth Initiative, is a good place to get started if interested in volunteering. 

Scholarships, Fellowships and Research Grants

Your faculty can help you find resources to support your experiential learning. Among the examples of support our students have received:

• The Udall Foundation awards scholarships to college sophomores and juniors for leadership, public service and commitment to issues related to Native American nations or to the environment.
• The Truman Scholarship is the premier graduate fellowship in the United States for those pursuing careers as public service leaders.
• The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers research, study and teaching opportunities in over 140 countries to recent graduates.
• The Public Policy and International Affairs Program helps students achieve a Masters or joint degree, typically in public policy, public administration, international affairs or a related field.
• The Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management offers a fellowship that supports the travel and participation of up to 40 students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds at the APPAM Fall Research Conference. 
• The Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) brings ten (10) undergraduates from underrepresented groups to the ARNOVA annual conference to attend a workshop on paths to higher education, ideally in the field of nonprofit, philanthropic and voluntary action studies.
• The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation.
• Challenge Detroit is a competitive leadership and professional development program that invites tomorrow's leaders to live, work, play, give and lead in and around the greater Detroit area.
• Gortons Leadership Program offers ten-month fellowships to undergraduate students in the Pacific Northwest to participate in monthly roundtables with foreign policy experts and to support their professional development.