Public Opinion and Survey Research (Adv Cert)

The Advanced Certificate in Public Opinion and Survey Research program has been placed on hiatus and will not be accepting applications at this time.

The Political Science department's advanced certificate in public opinion and survey research (ACPOSR) will offer students intense one-year training in how to conduct public opinion polls. In doing so, the program will prepare them for careers in public opinion research. The field of opinion research is a vibrant one with a positive outlook, making it appealing for individuals seeking career training. Vault.com, a professions analytics firm, rates employment prospects in the field of public opinion as good, and one whose prospects for growth are faster than average.

The ACPOSR will take students through the fundamentals of opinion research—from quantitative methods through a practicum in which students will participate in an actual survey—preparing them for a wide variety of careers in public opinion. The survey practicum will set Fordham's program apart from other certificate programs in survey research by allowing students to run the Fordham American Faith survey, an annual survey of the American public on religion, culture, and politics. The program will also be uniquely positioned to train students given the presence of the Political Science department's elections and campaign management (ECM) program, which already offers some of the core courses needed, and which could provide a potential source of students for ACPOSR. Students completing both the ECM degree and the ACPOSR will receive a thorough training in election campaign management and polling.