Undergraduate Degrees

Many universities in the U.S. offer undergraduate programs and courses in public policy and administration. These programs provide students with the skills, analytical perspectives, and capacity needed to respond effectively to social, economic and management problems. A typical core curriculum includes courses in economic and political analysis, management, statistics, political science, history and ethics. Elective courses offer a range of courses and seminars addressing complex policy and management issues such as health care, education, technology, social welfare, public finance, economic development, non-profits and leadership. Some of these undergraduate programs require students to participate in a 10-week practical internship to connect classroom learning to real world experience.

The undergraduate programs in public policy and administration provides great background for further training in public policy, public management, economics, law or business. It also prepares you for careers in the public sector, nonprofit organizations, think tanks, consulting firms, and private companies.

Undergraduate students need to take a certain number of courses (around 10 courses) to qualify for a major in public administration / public policy. They have the opportunity to choose a sequence of courses to match their specific policy or management interests. Students may design a concentration around any area relevant to public policy and administration.

Additionally some universities allow their undergraduate students to complement their majors with a certificate in public policy and administration, which usually requires taking less number of courses than those required for a major.

There is no specific admission to undergraduate programs in public administration and public policy programs in the U.S. Usually undergraduate students need to apply for general admission to a university / college of their choice. That is all students need to meet requirements for general admission and need to submit all required documentation. After the first year of their undergraduate studies and taking a set of required classes (e.g. French, History, Literature and etc.), undergraduate students can declare their major as public administration/public policy. Thereafter they can choose to take a sequence of classes to qualify for a major in public administration / public policy with specialization in a policy and management area of their interest.

Procedures for declaring a major, and choosing core and elective courses differ depending on the school you attend and the program you choose. Please consult with undergraduate programs' coordinator or public administration / public policy program staff to find details of procedures and required core and elective courses.

Curriculum of undergraduate programs in public administration / public policy varies from one university to another. Following are sample courses required for majoring in public policy:

• Introduction to Policy Analysis
• Political Analysis for Public Policy
• Policy Choice as Value Conflict
• Microeconomic Policy Tools
• Internship and Policy Paper &
• Four Elective Courses

Consult each undergraduate program to find out required core courses, available elective courses and specialization opportunities.

Students with public policy / public administration major can pursue wide array of career paths in government organizations, non-profits, the business sector and legal services. In the past the students with public administration/public policy major have pursued successful careers in legal services (as lawyers), consulting/professional services, government, education, health care, banking and finance, nonprofit, communications, entertainment/sports, marketing, real estate, etc.

Visit this link to see the list of universities/colleges which offer undergraduate degrees / courses in public administration / public policy.