Public Policy Studies Major

The major in public policy studies provides students with rigorous, interdisciplinary training in analyzing, evaluating, and developing effective policies that address critical issues facing society. Graduates are prepared for careers in government, law, nonprofit organizations, consulting, and advocacy, and are equipped with the skills to participate in decision-making at local, state, and national levels.

The PPS curriculum is interdisciplinary and includes rigorous coursework drawn from political science, economics, sociology, anthropology, and history. PPS students benefit from training by faculty experts in the politics, economics, methods, social contexts, history, and ethics of public policy.

Note that students who declare the major in Fall 2026 or later have a different set of requirements than students who declared the major before Fall 2026.

Major (before Fall 2026) | Major (After Fall 2026) | FAQ | Declaring a Major

Major in Public Policy Studies (prior to Fall 2026)

Prerequisites

PPS majors must have earned credit for MATH 1201 or 1301 or higher; basic statistics (ECON 1500 or 1510, both MATH 2820L and either 2810 or 2820, or DS 2100); and introductory courses in political science and economics (PSCI 1100, ECON 1010, and ECON 1020). Those with AP credit may be varied out of some of these requirements. Many classes required for the PPS major also require these courses as prerequisites. However, it is not necessary to complete all the prerequisites before starting on other courses in the foundation, electives, or area of concentration.

Foundation

Foundation Curriculum (5 courses, 15 credit hours)

• Politics of Public Policy: PSCI 2256 or PPS 2100 (3 credit hours)
• Intermediate Micro or Macroeconomics: ECON 3010, 3012, 3020, or 3022 (3 credit hours)
• Methods: ECON 3032, 3035 or 3050; SOC 2102; or HOD 2500 (3 credit hours)
• PSCI 2255: Public Policy Problems and PPS 2250: History and Ethics of Public Policy (6 credit hours)

If a student cannot take both PSCI 2255 and PPS 2250, they may substitute one course from ANTH 3122, 3133, 4152; HIST 2722; PSCI 3253; or SOC 3315, 3604, 3605, 3613, 3614.

Electives and Areas of Concentration

PPS majors must take at least five elective courses: two general electives and three in a single area of concentration. The program strongly recommends that students spread their electives across at least two disciplines.

General Electives

The two required general electives may come from any of the courses listed in the areas of concentration below (once an area of concentration is competed with three courses those courses listed in other areas of concentration move to the general electives category of the degree audit), or they may come from the following list:

• PSCI 2240: Political Parties
• PSCI 2241: U.S. State Governments
• PSCI 2245: The American Presidency
• PSCI 2253: Public Administration
• PSCI 3241: American Public Opinion/Voter Behavior
• PSCI 3244: The Legislative Process
• PPS 3160: Public Advocacy
• PPS 3100: Cities in the 21st Century

Other courses may be approved as general electives with the permission of the director of undergraduate studies. The two general electives do not count toward the three electives (9 credit hours) that must be taken within a single area of concentration.

See the full list of public policy studies courses offered.

Areas of Concentration

In addition to developing foundational skills, PPS majors complete more intensive training within areas of concentration. The boundaries of these areas are not mutually exclusive, and together they span a wide range of policy concerns and disciplinary perspectives. Note: students pursuing the economic policy concentration must take at least two upper-division (numbered above 3000) economics electives from the list.

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Major in Public Policy Studies (after Fall 2026)

Beginning in Fall 2026, the requirements for the PPS major are changing. The new requirements allow for greater specialization and incorporate a new required two-course sequence covering U.S. policy process, policy analysis, and ethics. These two courses develop the skill set required for success in the policy world—writing policy memos, legislative testimony, comments on draft rules, and op-eds, and developing briefing skills.

The major requires 30 total credit hours. This does not include 12 credit hours of pre-requisite courses.

Prerequisites

12 total credit hours

• MATH 1200: Single Variable Calculus I, MATH 1201: Single Variable Calculus II, MATH 1300: Accelerated Single Variable Calculus I OR MATH 1301: Accelerated Single Variable Calculus II
• PSCI 1100: Introduction to American Government and Politics OR AP government credit
• ECON 1010: Principles of Macroeconomics AND ECON 1020: Principles of Microeconomics

Methods of Public Policy

6 total credit hours

• ECON 1500: Economic Statistics, PSCI 1104: Introduction to Quantitative Political Science, PSCI 2300: Quantitative Political Science I: Computing, PPS 3200: Research Methods for Public Policy Analysis, SOC 2100: Statistics for Social Scientists, PSY-PC 2110: Introduction to Statistical Analysis OR SOC 2102: Introduction to Social Research
• ECON 3032: Applied Econometrics, ECON 3035: Econometric Methods, PSCI 2301: Quantitative Political Science II: Statistics, PPS 3250: Advanced Quantitative Methods for Public Policy

Foundations of Public Policy

6 total credit hours

• PPS 2101: Introduction to Public Policy (formerly PSCI 2256: Politics of Public Policy) – prerequisite is PSCI 1100
• PPS 2102: Advanced Public Policy (formerly PSCI 2255: Public Policy Problems)

Public Policy Electives

6 total credit hours, students choose any two:

• PPS 2250: History and Ethics of Public Policy
• PPS 3160: Public Advocacy
• PPS 3100: Cities in the 21st Century
• PSCI 2241: U.S. State Governments
• PSCI 2253: Public Administration
• PSCI 3253: Ethics and Public Policy
• PSCI 3244: The Legislative Process
• ECON 3200: Public Finance

Public Policy Area of Concentration

12 total credit hours

Students design a policy concentration in consultation with the PPS DUS. Concentrations will typically be comprised of four classes. Classes must be taken in at least two departments.

FAQs

Below are answers to some of the most common questions about Public Policy Studies.

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Declaring a Major

Complete the Declaration of Major/Minor Form. You can access the student user guide here. When you turn in your form, you will be assigned an adviser who will help you plan out your major or minor.

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