Overview

The Civic and Nonprofit Leadership option in Political Science focuses on U.S. public administration, nonprofit leadership, and public policy. This major provides students with key critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and ethical skills, to be prepared for a wide variety of careers in government, public administration, non-profits, public policy advocacy and research, and the private sector. Our students are leaders, change agents, problem solvers--skills necessary for all careers. Our students are adaptable and flexible, ready to learn new skills as fields and technology develop. Our students care--they are already leaders on campus and in our community. They want to make a difference, and we hope you join us!

Why study Civic and Nonprofit Leadership at EIU? 

• All of our small classes are taught by department faculty. Our faculty care about you--we learn your names, we mentor you, we support you in the learning process.
• All students complete an applied learning experience through an internship, study abroad, government simulations, independent study, or an honors thesis, and write and present a research project in their senior capstone course.
• All students complete a course in Geographic Information Systems, an essential skill for city management, urban/regional planning, nonprofit and government careers.
• Our program is flexible, allowing you to complete a double-major and/or minors. 
• We offer an accelerated graduate program for qualified students, where you can earn a B.A. and M.A. in 5 years and a 3+3 B.A./law degree with Northern Illinois University for qualified students.

Degree: B.A.

Completion time: 39 hours

Internships:

Numerous internship opportunities exist, including Congressional offices and campaigns, law offices, city managers, non-profits, and Washington, D.C. internships. Students interested in pre-law internships should contact our Pre-Law advisor, Dr. Karen Swenson (kbswenson@eiu.edu), while students interested in all other Political Science internships should contact our Internship Coordinator, John Morris (jsmorris@eiu.edu). 

Resources

- Program Information in EIU Catalog