Emerging Careers in Political Leadership & Governance Attracts Students; Top University Offers Academic Training

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More and more students today are opting for niche degrees that will allow them to enter into the emerging sector of political leadership and governance. With an increasing demand for qualified individuals in this domain, students are looking to pursue prolific and promising careers such as, functional consultants and a top university is offering academic degrees to meet this demand.

India is the only democracy in the world with the largest pool of youth population. This is a prime indicator as to why our economy is on a growth curve. India aims to become a 5-trillion-dollar economy by 2024-25 and to realise this goal, the youth of our nation will play a central role.

Another critical element in the realization of India’s 5-trillion-dollar economic goal will be the political leaders, who will lead our nation in the coming years. We need national leaders, who are young, educated, dynamic, proactive, capable and knowledgeable enough to prepare, plan and handle all the challenges of politics efficiently – not only in India but also globally.

India will become a truly developed nation if it can strengthen the participation of its youth in mainstream governance and politics. Politics is one domain which is evolving continuously. Since 2012, we have seen a change. The educated citizen has started actively taking interest in the day-to-day affairs of our country. They have started participating in various issue-based events and activities concerning the nation.

In politics too, we are seeing an emerging trend of having functional consultants, who are good in certain skills and are willing to contribute to various political parties and offices of the leaders. This has led to an ever-increasing requirement for qualified individuals who can enter this domain and has led to some prolific, emerging career prospects in politics.

Understanding this crucial need to train students for a career in politics, MIT School of Government (MIT-SOG) was conceptualized by Shri. Rahul V. Karad, the Executive President of MIT World Peace University. His vision is to create an ethical, spirited and committed political leadership for the country from the grassroots and from all walks of life.

India’s First School for Academic Training in Political Leadership

Established in 2005, MIT School of Government is India’s first school that is committed to imparting academic training and education for a career in political leadership, government and administration. The school today boasts of an alumni base of over 450 serving in important mainstream party offices.
Some of the niche degrees that can help a student to build a career in political leadership, government and public policy include:

1. The 3-year BA (Hons) in Government & Administration (BAGA) offered at MIT-WPU
2. The 2-year MA in Political Leadership & Government (MA MPLG) offered at MIT-WPU
3. The 2-year M.Sc. in Public Policy offered at MIT-WPU

Let’s explore why and how these nationally-acclaimed, niche academic degrees can help you enter the field of political leadership and governance and give you the academic credentials, skill-set and a wide network that you will need to enter and build your career in this sector.

Must-Degrees for Civil Service Aspirants in India

1. BA (Hons) in Government & Administration (BAGA)
Program Brief: The BA in Government & Administration (Hons) program is a three-year undergraduate full-time degree designed with the intention to impart multi-disciplinary academic learning. With subjects like Ethics in Public Administration, Dynamics of Indian Politics & Internal Security, Contemporary Global Concerns & Regionalism and Changing International Political Order, the program is an in-depth and exhaustive curriculum.

Career Prospects in Civil Services: It provides comprehensive preparation for UPSC Civil Services Examination aspirants for the Prelims, Mains and Personality test stage of UPSC Civil Services Examination. Apart from UPSC-CSE, students also find themselves prepared for Combined Defence Services (CDS), Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and various State Services Examination like MPSC, UPPSC, MPPSC, etc.

The multi-disciplinary exposure to students in the classroom and on the field makes them future-ready for emerging career prospects, like those in the areas of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Public Policy advocacy, etc. The nature of these job profiles ranges from creating proposals for entrepreneurial ventures on employing CSR funds for social value creation to working as a policy research associate in CM & PM Fellowship programs with governments, etc.

Higher education is also an area where students can take up their career, specializing in subjects like, Public Policy, Sustainable Development, International Relations, Disaster Management, etc. where students can work as subject matter experts.

Students of this program can also explore careers in:
● Higher education and research
● Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
● A career in civil services as the course syllabus is helpful in student’s preparation for the competitive examinations
● Entry to armed services through Combined Defense Services (CDS) and Central Para Military Forces (CAPF)
● Areas of policy research and policymaking
Interested in preparing for civil service examinations while earning a full-time, academically-acclaimed, Honours degree at the undergraduate level? MIT School of Government is currently accepting online applications for its BA in Government & Administration (Hons) program, apply here.
2. MA in Political Leadership & Government
Program Brief: The MIT School of Government also offers the 2-year Master’s degree in Political Leadership and Government, which offers career prospects in politics. This program helps students take a deep-dive into the field of government functioning and has been designed by Hon’ble Late Shri. T. N Seshan, Former Election Commissioner and other noted advisory panel, which makes the program a comprehensive ‘Leadership Development Program’ for all aspiring youth leaders.
Here are some key highlights of this niche degree:

● The first year of the program comprises of on-campus learning which includes – classroom lectures by core and visiting faculty interactive sessions with national-level eminent leaders from Politics, Social Sector, Bureaucracy, Judiciary, Media and the Corporate Sector
● For a hands-on experience, local field visits are organized to Gram Panchayat, Zilla Parishad, Municipal Corporation, State Assembly, Cooperatives and NGOs
● Study Tours related to constituency management and campaign & elections management are conducted
● A ten-day National Study Tour to Delhi is organized to give first-hand exposure on Politics
● The academic learning in the first year is focused on the following crucial aspects of politics:
➢ Political Management which deals with verbal & written communication, advertising & branding, social media management, public relations
➢ Constituency Management which deals with Development and Management of a constituency – may be of an MP, MLA, Corporator, Zilla Parishad member or member of a Gram Panchayat. It prepares them to effectively manage one’s constituency, which is core to the development of the concerned region.
➢ Campaign & Elections management is an important focus area as it involves planning w.r.t preparation for an election – may be Lok Sabha or State Assembly Elections or Municipal Corporation Council Elections, Zilla Parishad or Gram Panchayat Elections. This aspect also covers the crucial part of campaign planning utilizing Media, Research, Data mining, Data analysis, Psephology.
➢ Public Policy and International Relations are very important to focus areas for the study of this program
● The second year of the program comprises of Off-campus Internships & Training which includes:
➢ Constituency-based internship
➢ Issue-based internship
➢ Internship with NGOs
➢ Internships with Media and
➢ Last & final Internship with offices of political parties and/or with political leaders which helps the students establish themselves firmly in the Political Sector
➢ Internships provide the necessary wherewithal w.r.t ground realities of Politics and day-to-day challenges which these young postgraduates need to be ready to face while carving out niche careers, either in Electoral Politics or Functional Politics

Career Prospects After the Program
Students pursuing this program can explore plenty of opportunities in the offices of Members of Parliament, Speakers, Chief Ministers & Members of Legislative Assemblies. They also get opportunities in functional politics such as:
▪ Research Associate
▪ Political Analyst
▪ Policy Associate
▪ Political Strategist
▪ Political Consultant
▪ Election Manager
▪ Election Research & Campaign Managers
▪ Social Media Analyst
▪ Constituency Manager
▪ Associate Assistants in Parliamentary Affairs

Interested in learning to manage Election Campaigns or Constituency Management while earning a full-time, academically-acclaimed degree at the PG level? MIT School of Government is currently accepting online applications for its Master’s degree in Political Leadership and Government program, apply here.

3. M.Sc. in Public Policy
Program Brief: MIT World Peace University is committed to creating skilful and future-ready policymakers with its M.Sc. in Public Policy program. The program offers not only economic and socio-political understanding but also inculcates scientific inquiry in the public domain, thus, fostering a diverse, inclusive and respectful community.

This is the first School of Public Policy in India to award a Master’s in Science (M.Sc.) degree in Public Policy, focused on developing scientific enquiry in policymaking while emphasizing on skill-development, research and knowledge management activities. The program aims to provide students with experiential learning, on-field data collection, strengthening research skills, the publication of journals and research papers for good governance.

With this degree, students can explore careers in:

▪ Government Organizations: Central/State government ministries and associated departments, various bodies like RBI, SEBI, CCI, TRAI, NCSC, NCST, Election Commission, Finance Commission, NHRC, National Law Commission, National Green Tribunal, NITI Aayog, etc.
▪ Corporates/Consultancy Agencies: Pricewaterhouse Cooper (PwC), KPMG, McKinsey, Ernst & Young (E&Y), Deloitte are a few examples of corporates where careers can be explored
▪ National & International NGOs
▪ Academic Institutes: Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), IISc, IITs, IIM’s, Private/State/Central Universities are some examples
▪ International Organizations: United Nations (UN), World Bank (WB) and its sister institutions, International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Health Organization (WHO), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), International Labour Organization (ILO) are some relevant examples
Interested in steering your career and entering into the above-mentioned exciting careers while earning a full-time, academically-acclaimed degree at the PG level? MIT School of Government is currently accepting online applications for its M.Sc. in Public Policy program, apply here.