Oregon State’s 20-credit online certificate program offers students the opportunity to understand the complexities involved with serving rural populations
Rural communities are diverse, complicated, idealized, and disparaged; they are sometimes healthy and sometimes struggling. Whether they are isolated geographically or sit just outside sprawling urban boundaries, complex issues affecting rural livelihoods require passionate problem solvers who appreciate the resilience and vulnerabilities of these places. Rural communities are a frequent topic of discussion, particularly during election years, but the discourse has rarely substantively addressed the systemic challenges facing residents in these communities.
Rural policy is understood as those policies specifically targeted at small, nonmetropolitan areas. While some communities benefit from new investments that open up economic opportunities, others struggle with the loss of industry, out-migration of youth, and an increasing reliance on tourism. Such communities can benefit from trained policy professionals who are informed on the needs, advantages, options, and opportunities in rural places.
Oregon State University’s School of Public Policy employs OSU’s long-standing reputation as a leader in research and connection with rural communities to offer a unique online rural policy graduate certificate, focused on addressing the socioeconomic and political challenges facing provincial populations.
“Very few universities around the country offer the possibility of focusing strictly on rural public policy, that’s not a subset of agriculture policy,” said Mark Edwards, professor of sociology and director of the rural policy graduate certificate program. “This program looks to help students understand rural populations’ own sense of efficacy. These communities are often marginalized and have their own distinct socioeconomic challenges from urban population centers.”
Now in its sixth year, the rural policy graduate certificate program is rooted in social science and open for anyone who has successfully completed their undergraduate studies. Students nationwide and in diverse careers gain valuable interdisciplinary insights into complex challenges facing rural places. The curriculum touches on topics such as rural economic development, housing policy, amenity migration, service delivery and more.
“With the certificate program, I could design the experience based on my personal and professional needs.”
“These are extraordinary questions specific to rural communities, where a policy solution from an urban or suburban landscape would not have the same effect,” explained Edwards. “How can public policy help young people find work, stimulate housing production, and administer SNAP programs? In addition to more contemporary problems, like how do these communities adapt to displacement or gentrification?”
A program ready for whenever you are
Amy Jester is a mid-career professional who was looking for a program to help provide a greater understanding of the federal policy landscape, as well as a class schedule that fit into her busy day. Jester is the director of policy at a regional community foundation in Northern California who works with local, state, federal and tribal partners to create policy changes to help her region thrive.
“First, from a historical perspective, the program gave me a better understanding of how federal policy has been shaped over time to divest from rural communities,” explained Jester. “Then, it helped me dig deeper into environmental law and policy and allow for me to develop my own point of view and critical analysis.”
Jester also appreciated the ability to complete the 20 credits on her own time, able to pick up and pause classes depending on her workload and personal obligations.
“I was looking for flexibility in the learning environment,” explained Jester. “With my schedule, I couldn’t make an in-person class work and could only really fit in one class a week. With the certificate program, I could design the experience based on my personal and professional needs. I also like the potential pathway into the master’s of public policy (MPP) program, in case I decide to continue in the future.”
The transition from the rural policy graduate certificate program into the master’s program is something that Keith Lindblom is taking advantage of. Lindblom, who works for a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit focused on policy, long wanted to work towards a master’s degree. With some starts and stops along the way, he completed the certificate program and is now a master’s student in the public policy program.
“Now, working at a policy-focused nonprofit, I can bring together my personal experience and education from the certificate program to benefit my organization’s work on rural topics.”
Initially enrolling in the certificate program to gain a better understanding of the complexities of rural policymaking, Lindblom’s transition into the MPP program complements his rural policy studies and positions him to work more directly on rural policy issues.
“Growing up in a small South Dakota community, I understand rural places and the challenges they face,” said Lindblom. “Now, working at a policy-focused nonprofit, I can bring together my personal experience and education from the certificate program to benefit my organization’s work on rural topics. If you don’t have rural voices or perspectives involved in the process, you can’t expect an outcome that addresses their needs.”
Understanding rural communities
In the College of Liberal Arts, scholars from the School of Public Policy examine the economic, sociological and political issues to offer comprehensive paths to potential solutions. Each scholar brings their individual expertise to the multidisciplinary rural policy graduate certificate program.
“The program has been particularly enlightening,” said Katey McIntosh, ’06. “The online aspect brings in students from all fields of policy with most people working simultaneously. Then, you have this multidisciplinary mix of instructors who bring their own knowledge. It’s great to see the variation of how policy works across sectors, which makes the learning environment and conversations much better and more engaging.”
McIntosh, a rural education specialist in Texas, enjoyed how the instructors brought the impacts of good or bad policy down to a personal level, showcasing the need for effective data gathering and preliminary research.
“From a social services standpoint,” explained McIntosh, “Mark [Edwards] and the other instructors put so much effort into humanizing policy and what it looks like on the ground; it forever changed the way I look at policymaking.”
One class that stood out for Lindblom was Rural Sociology (SOC 575) with Professor Lori Cramer, which looked at the challenges and opportunities that are unique to rural communities. The course only reinforced to Lindblom the importance of incorporating various perspectives into policymaking to reduce divisiveness and design better-informed and more equitable solutions.
“People who live in rural communities have a different sense of community and service than people from cities, and a heightened consciousness of what’s going on immediately around them,” explained Lindblom. “From a policymaking perspective, it’s important to understand rural communities in order to better serve their needs. The courses that are part of the certificate program highlighted these and other aspects of rural places that matter to policy design.”
Added McIntosh: “The program was well structured to allow for students to explore their interests. For me that was critically examining education systems and social service delivery in rural settings. How can we build structures that allow for a sense of agency, while also counteracting initial policy decisions that put people in disadvantaged circumstances.”
Gather more information about Oregon State’s online rural policy graduate certificate program, and learn how you can develop an awareness of rural communities and their environments to create a productive impact in these spaces.
