Public Policy Studies in the College
The Public Policy Studies Area of Specialization
The public policy specialization is a selection of three courses making up a sequence that represents a sub field in public policy. These courses can be any of the 200-level courses (or higher) offered in the University (in Political Science, Economics, Sociology, Human Rights, International Studies, etc.) in various combinations that have substantive or disciplinary links. Public Policy majors are strongly encouraged to link their area of specialization with the Public Policy BA thesis. Those students who elect to participate in the winter quarter Paris Program can pursue a specialization in Comparative Political Economy using any of the Social Sciences courses offered there. Students interested in quantitative public policy may choose among various higher level methods courses in statistics, economics, sociology and public policy.
Students may satisfy their specialization requirement in a number of ways.
- by taking three 200-level (or higher) courses in any discipline that have some substantive or disciplinary connection
- by taking three courses beyond the introductory course in a discipline other than public policy
How to declare your specialization sequence
Public Policy Form for the Declaration of Specialization Courses (PDF format)
Public Policy Form for the Declaration of Specialization Courses (MS Word format)
Print out form, complete it, and submit to the public policy offices in Gates-Blake.
Sample Specialization Sequences
A specialization in Quantitative Public Policy might include these courses:
SOCI 20111 (Survey Analysis)
SOCI 20118 (Survey Research Overview)
PBPL 26400 (Quantitative Methods in Public Policy)
Human Rights specialization might look like this:
HMRT 20100 (Human Rights I: Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights) &
HMRT 20200 (Human Rights II: History and Theory of Human Rights) &
HMRT 20300 (Human Rights III: Contemporary Issues in Human Rights)
or this
HMRT 20500 (Human Rights and International Relations)
HMRT 21300 (Human Rights in Latin America)
HMRT 20300 (Human Rights III: Contemporary Issues in Human Rights)
An Economics specialization might look like this:
ECON 20100 (Elements of Economic Analysis II) &
ECON 20200 (Elements of Economic Analysis III)
ECON 20300 (Elements of Economic Analysis IV)
PLEASE NOTE: With the exception of Econ 20000, which is required of all public policy majors, all Economics courses may serve as specialization courses in the Public Policy degree program.
Courses offered in a variety of disciplines (Sociology, Political Science, Statistics, Geography, etc.) may be used in any combination as public policy specialization courses.
A specialization in Education may include these courses:
SOCI 20105 (Educational Organization and Social Inequality) &
SOCI 20108 (Institution of Education) &
SOCI 20128 (Sociology of Education)
And a specialization in Sociology - Work and Family might look like this:
SOCI 20123 (Sociology of the Family) &
SOCI 20128 (Sociology of Education) &
SOCI 20147 (Work, Organization & Society)
These courses can make up a specialization in Politics:
PLSC 22100 (African-American Politics) &
PLSC 21105 (Political Participation & Democracy in the United States) &
SOCI 20116 (Global-Local Politics)
as will these:
PLSC 21105 (Political Participation & Democracy in the United States)
PLSC 25300 (American Political Parties)
SOCI 20102 (Social Change)
A specialization in Organizations may consist of these courses:
SOCI 20105 (Educational Organization and Social Inequality)
SOCI 20101 (Organizational Analysis) &
PLSC 27500 (Organizational Decision Making)
while Urban Studies specialization might look like this:
SOCI 20120 (Urban Policy Analysis) &
SOCI 20104 (Urban Structure and Process) &
SOCI 30303 (Urban Landscapes as Social Text)
or something like this:
SOCI 28016 (Race, Politics and Neighborhood Revitalization) &
PBPL 24600 (Inner City Economic Development) &
SOCI 20104 (Urban Structure and Process)
