A day in this work
You research what works in health, education, cities or climate, and help governments, foundations and companies act on it.
Ways in
- BA in economics, political science or sociology
- Master's in public policy, development studies or economics
- Fellowships with governments and NGOs
After Class 10
Humanities and arts or Commerce or Any stream
Entrance exams to know
- CUET-UG
- CUET-PG
- Institute tests (TISS, Azim Premji University and others)
Years, cost and pay
- Years of study
- 3 to 5
- Whole-course cost, government or aided
- under ₹2 lakh
- Whole-course cost, private
- ₹8 to 25 lakh
- Typical starting pay
- ₹3 to 6 lakh a year
Indicative bands from the pilot dataset (0.1 (pilot), 19 September 2026). Real fees and pay vary a lot by college, city and year. Check the official sites below.
No college, coaching institute, lender or study-abroad agent pays to appear on these pages. Pathways takes no money from them.
Outlook, and how AI is changing this work
Outlook: Growing. AI changes some of the daily work.
Data skills plus field understanding are the winning mix.
Try this week
Find one problem in your neighbourhood, interview three people about it and write a one-page proposal.
Check the facts yourself
These are official sites. Exam names, dates, fees and rules change every year, so confirm them there. Each link opens in a new tab.
Careers close to this one
See how well this fits you
Discovery in the app takes about eight minutes and gives each of these 52 careers a fit score from your own answers. It is free during the pilot, and nobody is asked for an email address or a phone number. Students under 18 need a parent or guardian to agree first, and children under 13 cannot join yet.