Public Policy A.B.
Chair, Department of Political Science and Public Policy: Associate Professor Eaves
A Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Public Policy requires the completion of the Elon Core Curriculum as well as the Major Requirements listed below.
Major Requirements
Foundation courses: 24 sh
| ECO1000 | Principles of Economics | 4 sh |
| POL1110 | American Politics | 4 sh |
| PUB1000 | Introduction to Public Policy | 4 sh |
| POL2200 | Research Methods in Political Science and Policy Studies | 4 sh |
| PUB3010 | Policy Analysis | 4 sh |
| PUB4970 | Senior Seminar in Policy Studies | 4 sh |
Select one course from the following: 4 sh
Double-majors in Policy Studies and Public Health Studies may substitute PHS 2020 Research Methods in Public Health for POL 2200. Double-majors in Policy Studies and Anthropology or Sociology may substitute ANT 2150/SOC 2150 Qualitative Research Methods and ANT 2160/SOC 2160 Quantitative Research Methods (both courses) for POL 2200.
The following foundation courses carry prerequisites, and should be taken in the proper sequence; see catalog descriptions for details: PST 2250, PST 3010, PST 4970.
Public Policy elective: 4 sh
Interdisciplinary electives : 16 sh
Choose four courses for interdisciplinary inputs to policy study and applications of policy analysis principles. No more than two courses (8 sh) can be from the same subject prefix. No more than two interdisciplinary electives can be at the 1000 level. A minimum of two interdisciplinary electives must be taken at the 3000/4000 level.
| ANT3250 | Medical Anthropology | 4 sh |
| CJS2550 | Organized Crime | 4 sh |
| CJS2710-2790 | Special Topics in Criminal Justice | 2-4 sh |
| CJS3710-3790 | Special Topics in Criminal Justice | 2-4 sh |
| CSC1100 | Data Science and Visualization | 4 sh |
| CSC3360 | Computer and Network Security | 4 sh |
| ECO2300 | Statistics for Decision Making | 4 sh |
| ECO3120 | Money and Banking | 4 sh |
| ECO3100 | Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory | 4 sh |
| ECO3110 | International Trade and Finance | 4 sh |
| ECO3130 | Federal Reserve Challenge | 2 sh |
| ECO3140 | Monetary Policy - Domestic and Global Perspectives | 4 sh |
| ECO3200 | Intermediate Microeconomic Theory | 4 sh |
| ECO3210 | Health Economics | 4 sh |
| ECO3220 | Labor Economics | 4 sh |
| ECO3230 | Environmental Economics | 4 sh |
| ECO3240 | Industrial Organization and Regulation | 4 sh |
| ECO3410 | Gender and Development | 4 sh |
| ECO4210 | Urban Economics and Planning | 4 sh |
| ECO4220 | Public Finance | 4 sh |
| ECO4400 | Economic Consulting | 4 sh |
| EDU2110 | Education and Society | 4 sh |
| EDU3150 | Educational Assesment | 4 sh |
| EDU4670 | Early Childhood Policy and Advocacy | 4 sh |
| ENS2440 | Natural Resources Management and Sustainability | 4 sh |
| ENS3210 | Urban Ecology | 4 sh |
| ENS3460/BIO3602 | Wetland Ecology and Management | 4 sh |
| FIN3030 | Introduction to Finance | 4 sh |
| GEO3450 | Global Environmental Change | 4 sh |
| HSS3200 | Group Dynamics and Leadership | 4 sh |
| HSS3240 | Perspectives And Issues In Aging | 4 sh |
| HSS3490 | Violence in Families | 4 sh |
| HSS3590 | Criminal Justice | 4 sh |
| HSS3610 | Substance Abuse: Issues in Treatment | 4 sh |
| HSS3690 | Juvenile Justice | 4 sh |
| HSS1110 | The Art and Science of Human Service Studies/ELR | 4 sh |
| HSS4110 | Designing and Assessing Human Services Programs | 4 sh |
| JOU2500 | Journalism in a Free Society | 4 sh |
| MGT3230 | Principles of Management and Organizational Behavior | 4 sh |
| MGT4120 | Advanced Organizational Behavior | 4 sh |
| PCS1210 | Introduction to Conflict Mediation | 2 sh |
| PCS1220 | Communication Across Differences | 2 sh |
| PCS3500 | Foundations of Peace and Conflict Studies | 4 sh |
| PHL2150 | Ethics and Decision Making | 4 sh |
| PHL3200 | Reclaiming Democracy | 4 sh |
| PHL3300 | Economic Justice | 4 sh |
| PHL3410 | Philosophy of Law | 4 sh |
| PHL3480/REL3480 | Environmental Ethics | 4 sh |
| PHL3560 | Restorative Justice | 4 sh |
| PHS2010 | Introduction to Public Health | 4 sh |
| PHS3010 | Introduction to Epidemiology | 4 sh |
| PHS3020 | Global Health | 4 sh |
| POL3250 | The Presidency | 4 sh |
| POL3260 | Congress | 4 sh |
| POL3270 | The Supreme Court | 4 sh |
| POL3290 | Political Behavior | 4 sh |
| POL3410 | International Organizations | 4 sh |
| POL3430 | International Law | 4 sh |
| POL3490 | Global Political Economy | 4 sh |
| POL3590 | Political Communication | 4 sh |
| PUB2310 | Public Administration | 4 sh |
| PUB3100 | Philanthropy and Social Change | 4 sh |
| PUB3110 | Nonprofits | 4 sh |
| PUB3200 | Food Policy | 4 sh |
| PUB3240 | Environmental Policy | 4 sh |
| PUB3250 | Health Policy | 4 sh |
| PUB3320 | Comparative Public Policy | 4 sh |
| PUB3350 | Ethics in the Public Sector | 4 sh |
| PUB3420 | U.S. Foreign Policy | 4 sh |
| PUB3440 | International Environmental Policy | 4 sh |
| PUB3470 | Comparative Foreign Policy | 4 sh |
| PUB4985 | Internship in Policy Studies | 1-8 sh |
| PUB4986 | Washington Internship in Policy Studies | 1-8 sh |
| PUB4991 | Independent Study | 1-4 sh |
| PUB4999 | Independent Research | 1-4 sh |
| PSY2200 | Social Psychology | 4 sh |
| PSY3210 | The Psychology of Leadership | 4 sh |
| PSY3860 | Industrial and Organizational Psychology | 4 sh |
| PWR2110 | Professional Writing and Rhetoric | 4 sh |
| PWR3230 | Writing Civic Action | 4 sh |
| SOC2430 | Sociology of Education | 4 sh |
| SOC3150 | Drugs and Society | 4 sh |
| SOC3330 | Social Stratification | 4 sh |
| SOC3340 | Environmental Sociology | 4 sh |
| SOC3410 | Racism and Race in the United States | 4 sh |
| SOC3550 | Criminology | 4 sh |
| SOC3560 | Gender and Crime | 4 sh |
| STS2120 | Statistics in Application | 4 sh |
| STS2130 | Survey Sampling Methods | 4 sh |
| STS2320 | Statistical Modeling | 4 sh |
| STS3270 | Statistical Computing for Data Management | 4 sh |
| WGS1100 | Sex and Gender | 4 sh |
Some courses in the Electives list carry prerequisites or other registration restrictions; see Catalog course descriptions for details. If these courses are selected as electives, their prerequisites increase the number of hours for the major. Such courses may be most appropriate for students double-majoring in Public Policy and the subject areas for these courses.
It is recommended that Public Policy majors, in consultation with their advisors, select electives around an informal, interdisciplinary concentration to develop a depth of policy-relevant knowledge in a particular area.
Up to eight PUB internship hours may be applied to the major.
Program Outcomes
Writing and Communication Competency
Public Policy students should be able to effectively communicate complex ideas through various media formats which must include written, and could include oral, electronic, and other creative communication strategies.
Critical Reasoning and Policy Analysis Competency
Public Policy students should demonstrate the ability to engage in systematic and impartial analysis of social problems and their potential policy solutions. Such analysis should reinforce and demonstrate students’ critical and analytical reasoning, which are skills necessary for informed participation in our communities and civic life.
Information and Data Literacy
As fully enlightened citizens, and as future practitioners in public service, Public Policy students must be able to access, understand, and evaluate various types of information currently available to them.
Application
Public Policy students should demonstrate an ability to apply the practical skills, analytical tools, and substantive policy area knowledge for their studies to real-world challenges in communities, regions, governments, and global contexts. Application should be evident in coursework and/or experiential learning opportunities.
Total Credit Hours: 48-52