Alumni Spotlight: Nathan Christie

Alumni Spotlight:

Nathan Christie

Nathan graduated from Wayne State in 2016 with a Bachelor of Public Affairs (BPA), and he just finished up his first year at the University of Michigan where he is completing dual masters' degrees in Information (School of Information Science) and Public Policy (Ford Policy School). Nathan focused on his Public Policy degree for his first year, and most of his classes covered the writing and quantitative aspects of a Public Policy (MPP) degree. He has also been able to take exciting electives that focused on Detroit and the Michigan Senate. Over the next few years he will start to mix in courses for his MS in Information, and have more opportunities to take electives for his Public Policy degree. Beyond the classroom, the University of Michigan has helped Nathan to get jobs with non-profits in the Detroit area.

While the MPP program has been challenging for Nathan so far, he does feel that his BPA degree did a great job of preparing him for his graduate classes. The economics, policy, and statistics courses that are apart of the BPA program helped him to develop skills essential to courses he completed over the past year. Furthermore, he also used the skills from his undergraduate degree to secure job opportunities before starting the MPP program at the University of Michigan. Nathan feels as though the communication, quantitative, and critical thinking skills developed through the program give all graduates great opportunities to be successful in government, non-profit, and private sector jobs.

Nathan started his graduate studies soon after finishing his undergraduate degree, but he advises students to think about taking time between their undergraduate and graduate studies. He now believes that students should delay their graduate studies, because it will give them more time to gain professional experience and build a resume. All of which will make students more prepared and competitive in their graduate program. Nathan stressed that it is important for students to have experiences in various sectors to gain knowledge of the different types of policy as well. Lastly, Nathan advises all students to take advantage of the resources at Wayne State. He encourages all students to work closely with faculty on research projects, and to get involved with the local community through non-profit and volunteer work.