Talk Elections

So, this fall I will be a freshman at Mississippi State University majoring in Environmental Economics and Management.  The EEM major is included in the Department of Agricultural Economics within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). 

I'm pretty happy about my major choice; the EEM curriculum is a lot like a traditional agricultural economics program except with greater emphasis on issues relating to sustainability and  environmental policy.  The EEM major hopes to prepare students to understand the complex intricacies and connections between the economy, environment and public policy. 

What I hope to do with this major is prepare for a position working within the federal government or government contracting/consulting.  Since I'm only a freshman, I'm still want to keep as many opportunities open a possible.  I have enough scholarship money to take a semester off to intern in D.C. or spend a semester abroad.  I think that my ideal trajectory would be to graduate from college having spent a a semester or two in D.C., then move up to D.C. in order to work in a more permanent position on the Hill before moving onto graduate school  or law school.  D.C. internships relating to agriculture (especially the two Congressional committees on Agriculture) would be ideal, but I'd be willing to settle for just about anything.  Positions with the Foreign Agricultural Service, with international governments/NPOs, or private business are also on the table.   

I'm thinking about pursuing these possible minors.  If my scheduling permits, I may try to turn one of these minors into a double major.  The ones I am considering are...

1) Geosciences with a GIS concentration      
This is my father's primary academic background, so I've been exposed to it enough to know that I have a legitimate interest in it.  I think a GIS minor would be beneficial because it would give me expertise in a rather technical field that could be useful down the road.  Environmental economics often seeks to synthesize data about the environment and the economy, and spatial representations of these syntheses can be made through GIS technology.  Additionally, the GIS curriculum is pretty lax and I could be in the position to get my GIS-P (GIS Professionals Certificate) by the time I graduate if I play my cards right.  Having a GISP is just about as good as having a second degree in GIS, and would qualify me for a lot of positions that a traditional economics student wouldn't.  Numerous GIS professionals are needed in the federal government (where I would like to work), and a combination of a economics degree with GIS I think is ideal for the kind of federal employment I am looking for. 

2) Geosciences with a Geography concentration
This is my mother's primary academic background, so (once again) I think I've been exposed to it enough to know that my interest in it is quite legitimate.  Ever since I was a kid, I've been thumbing through atlases and the like.  The main part of geography that I'm interested in would be is geographic theory, particularly land-use theories relating to agriculture that I think would be useful in my chosen main academic concentration.  However, a lot of the geography courses taken to obtain a minor focus on rudimentary regional geography with very limited discussion of theory.  In order to get the necessary amount of theory that I would like, I would probably need to consider going post-graduate in the field of geography.  In all honesty, this is probably the minor that I would learn the least from but it lines up very well with my interests and capabilities.


3) Political Science with a Public Policy Concentration
This minor would basically entail a lot of lower-level political science/history courses with a few higher level courses in public policy and public administration (basically training for city managers).  However, I'm interested in pursuing this minor because I think a background in PoliSci would come in handy working in D.C., it lines up pretty well with my interests, and could come in handy if I decide to go to graduate school in order to obtain a MPP or MPA.  Could also come in handy in law school.  I've considered becoming a city planner/manager a few times, and I think that a academic background in this.  The downside is that the political science faculty at MSU are just about the most pretentious bunch one'll ever encounter, and painfully liberal too.       

4) Political Science with a International Relations Concentration
A background in international relations could possibly put me in a better position to obtain positions working with foreign governments or for private corporations/firms that do business overseas.  I've kind of always wanted to go abroad to be part of the Foreign Agricultural Service, and I would love to put my expertise in environmental economics to work promoting sustainable agriculture in places like Africa or the Near East.  I would probably want to become proficient in a foreign language if a chose this minor--probably Russian or German. 

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Sorry for the wall of text and the attention whoring.  But y'all's votes (with their reasoning) would be greatly appreciated.

I know that I am asking y'all to do a lot, but what I am basically looking for in a minor is something that will complement the EEM curriculum in a way that lines up with my interests while making be a better candidate for employment in government. 

Any insights would be appreciated.

I'm an International Studies major, so I'm partial to option 4. When I was applying for internships this summer, even for domestic agencies/firms, it was still a pretty flexible and marketable major.

That's true.  In an increasingly globalized world, candidate who can at least wrap their heads around the current geopolitical realities of the world are valuable to agencies and firms who must deal internationally. 

Political science isn't even a real thing.

This. It's pretty hokey-pokey. Do you want to learn about Max Weber, or actual issues? Go with option two. From my experience, geography is easier to do well in and far more interesting.

I've actually often wondered this - is there any difference between Political 'science' and Good-Old Fashioned Politics studies as we get in Ireland and the UK (although Political science is taught here in Leiden and certain British universities too)? My impression going round some web blogs is that while Political Science is more likely to use statistics it also uses rationalist woo like Game theory and being completely ahistorical-except-when-it-backs-up-my-thesis. In that regard, I would choose Max Weber.

Seriously I would choose #2 in your position however I will ask does your university have an economic anthropology program? (Probably not)

The GIS concentration could make you a more attractive candidate for a job in environmental economics, or for graduate study in geography or a related field.  Be aware though that for a primarily GIS job you'll often need additional specialized computer knowledge such as CAD and programming.