NAES College: Public Policy Degree Program - with scholarships for Native Americans

NAES College --Native American Educational Services

Degree Program |

Public Policy Degree Program

Public Policy is the only major area of study offered at NAES. This major is based upon Native American tribal and community perspectives of tribal knowledge, community development, and community leadership. In the course of study, students examine these general subject areas, their interrelationships, and how these lead to new learning, new knowledge and new leadership actions. In order to graduate, students must earn at least 120 semester credits. Of these, a total of 54 credits are required to be taken in residence at NAES. These 54 credits make up the Public Policy major. The remaining 66 credits may be completed by transfer credits, Credits for Prior Learning (CPL--maximum allowed through this process is 36 credits), or completing the credits at NAES or through any combination of these. The credit requirements are:

Courses

Credits

How

Community Education

18

In residence at NAES-Major

Core Areas of Study

36

In residence at NAES-Major

Academic Concentrations

24

NAES, Transfer, or CPL

General Education

24

NAES, Transfer, or CPL

Electives

18

NAES, Transfer, or CPL

Public Policy Philosophy

NAES views public policy as a "social contract" which is fluid and constantly being reshaped by values, goals, laws, rules, and funding priorities set by public officials. As a field of academic study, public policy focuses on how government meets needs, solves problems, and spends public funds at the federal, state, local and tribal levels.

Our public policy degree program is designed for Native American students who live and work in urban and reservation communities. For each student, previous work and educational experience is integrated into an academic program that provides the theoretical framework for understanding community service and public policy. The instructional program, community based in focus and national in scope, combines tribal knowledge, learning and intellectual traditions with an understanding of the public policy process and the issues confronting Native people in urban and reservation communities. The program is designed to provide urban and reservation Native communities with leaders and community members who have a detailed and comprehensive understanding of how public policy impacts their community, historically and in the modern world. The curriculum focuses on the basic principles of public policy with a special emphasis on legislative activity, court decisions and administrative changes that impact Native Communities. In the words of one of our faculty members, our goal is to develop "public policy entrepreneurs" for Native American communities.

Community Service/Field Project:

Two unique foundations of instruction within the NAES academic program link students to the community in dynamic ways that maintain the freshness and relevance of their academic work: Community Service and Field Projects.

Community Service projects are integrated throughout the curriculum. Designed and carried out with faculty guidance, projects address the needs of the community. In several instances, these projects have resulted in permanent programs being established at NAES or other Native organizations. For example, a community service project created by a student at the Chicago Campus resulted in the development of an American Indian Women's Leadership Development Program. Designed as a program for working women to share common concerns, it has developed into a permanent initiative for Native women in leadership positions who come together on a monthly basis to engage women outside the Native community in dialogue in regard to leadership skills and to develop both personal and professional skills.

Field Projects, a second unique aspect of the curriculum, are required of all graduates. The Field Project is carried out in an area of importance to the student and the community. It involves the identification of a community issue, conventional and community based research, analysis and, in some cases, suggestions for resolution. Field Projects usually result in a written paper which is evaluated by a degree committee and, once complete, maintained as a resource within the NAES library. Students select topics relevant to their chosen professional fields such as Indian child welfare, economic development, and tribal history. ERIC, the national clearinghouse for educational research and data, regularly reviews completed field projects and considers them for inclusion in its resource base. NAES College is the only undergraduate school in the country with whom ERIC maintains this kind of relationship.

Field Projects often have implications far beyond the degree of the student. Staff from other Native organizations use them for ideas and information about programs they are developing. Researchers have used them to gain an understanding about Native issues from a community perspective.