The program offers training designed to provide students with the skills to design and conduct surveys, statistically analyze survey results, write reports and make public presentations of survey findings. There are a lot of jobs in this area, making this a very marketable degree. UC is one of only six universities in the nation offering this kind of training. While politics is a prime destination for those with survey skills, the certificate also opens doors in a variety of other fields that involve survey research. Other graduate students who might find the certificate useful, he added, are those from fields such as communications, journalism, sociology, social psychology, marketing research, community planning and public health.
Pollsters hold a variety of responsibilities in the realm of politics.
Public relations firms, private marketing firms and organizations in or affiliated with mass media could all be potential employers. Now some of those positions will require PhDs, but some will be master's. I think, today, a master's degree along with this certificate will open up a lot of opportunities. Curriculum for the certificate is designed to be completed within one academic year. Although the program is oriented to students who are able to take day classes, working professionals are also welcome.