Public Policy / Bachelor of Science
Total Credit Hours: 128
Major Credit Hours: 39
The Public Policy major is offered through the Political Science Department. This is an interdisciplinary major in which students take a core of mostly Political Science courses and select electives based on their career interests: Environmental Policy; Gender, Sexuality, and the Family; International and Foreign Policy; Society and the Legal System; and Transportation Policy. Students preparing for careers in government, law, non-profits, or business learn about how the public policy-making process works at the local, state, national, and international levels of government. All Public Policy majors take an internship in their senior year.
Majors in Public Policy may not double major or minor in Political Science.
Degree Requirements
I. Core Courses (21)
| 18-200 | American National Government | 3 |
| 18-250 | Research Methods | 3 |
| 18-342 | Public Finance | 3 |
| 18-381 | Public Policy Formation and Analysis | 3 |
| 18-382 | Issues in Public Policy | 3 |
| 18-398 | Internship in Political Science | 1-3 |
| 26-303 | Statistics for the Social Sciences | 3 |
II. Program Electives (6)
Choose 2 courses from the following:
Please note:
04-330 Government and Business has a prerequisite.
III. Electives (12)
Students may select any courses from any policy area. Nonetheless, students are encouraged to select an area of study appropriate for their career paths.
A. Environmental Policy
| 02-233 | Principles of Environmental Science | 4 |
| 02-375 | Issues in Environmental Science | 3 |
| 18-384 | Environmental Politics | 3 |
| 20-106 | Topics in Sociology | 3 |
| 81-270 | Environmental Protection Enforcement | 3 |
Please note:
02-233 Principles of Environmental Science and
02-375 Issues in Environmental Science have prerequisites.
B. Gender, Sexuality, and the Family
| 18-365 | Women and Politics | 3 |
| 18-366 | The Politics of Life and Death | 3 |
| 18-367 | The Politics of Reproductive Technologies | 3 |
| 20-108 | Introduction to Women's Studies | 3 |
| 20-220 | Marriage and the Family | 3 |
| 20-370 | Sociology of Gender | 3 |
| 78-209 | Social Welfare Policy | 3 |
| 78-314 | Social Services for Children and Adolescents | 3 |
| 78-317 | Social Services for the Elderly | 3 |
| 81-yyy | Topics in JLPSS (81-351): Gender and Crime | 3 |
C. International and Foreign Policy
| 04-346 | Business-Government Relations in the Global Economy | 3 |
| 18-331 | International Relations | 3 |
| 18-333 | International Human Rights | 3 |
| 18-334 | Political Violence | 3 |
| 18-336 | American Foreign Policy | 3 |
| 18-338 | International Political Economy | 3 |
Please note:
04-346 Business-Government Relations in a Global Economy has a prerequisite.
D. Society and the Legal System
E. Transportation Policy
| 47-155 | Introduction to Aviation Security | 3 |
| 47-321 | Transportation Legislation | 3 |
| 47-353 | Air Transportation | 3 |
| 47-397 | Topics in Aviation and Transportation | 3 |
| 47-455 | Airport Security | 3 |
Please note:
47-321 Transportation Legislation,
47-353 Air Transportation, and
47-397 Topics in Aviation and Transportation have prerequisites.
IV. The Advanced Writing Requirement is satisfied by successful completion of 18-382 Issues in Public Policy.