Requirements and Electives

Computing Requirement

Students must complete either CS 1315, CS 1301, or a computer programming course approved as satisfying the general education requirements in computer literacy.

Wellness Requirement

All undergraduate students attending Georgia Tech must satisfactorily complete a wellness requirement (HPS 1040 or equivalent).

Designated Courses in the Major

The core curriculum for the major consists of:

POL 1101       Government of the United States
PST 2050       Philosophy and Political Theory
PST 2068       Science and Values in the Policy Process
PUBP 2012    Foundations of Public Policy
PUBP 3010    Organizations and Policy Implementation
PUBP 3110    Research Methods and Problem Solving
PUBP 3201    Introduction to Social Policy
PUBP 3600    Sustainability, Technology, and Policy
PUBP 4113    Statistical Analysis for Public Policy
PUBP 4600    Senior Seminar/Thesis

A C or better is required in all B.S.PP core courses. No core courses may be taken on a pass/fail basis.

Elective Courses in the Major

Students must take an additional fifteen hours of courses in public policy as electives, usually focusing on a concentration in a substantive area of public policy or in policy analytic methods. These courses are selected from among those with PUBP, POL, and PST prefixes, in consultation with an advisor.

Non-major Cluster

Students must take a minimum of twelve hours of courses related to the study of public policy. These courses include HIST 2112, ECON 2105, ECON 2106, and another course chosen in consultation with the student's advisor.

Senior Seminar/Thesis

A capstone course usually taken in the student's last year before graduation, the Senior Seminar and Thesis (PUBP 4600) involves writing an original policy analysis relevant to a public or nonprofit agency.

Mathematics

Previous coursework in calculus is assumed in the core statistics course for majors as well as in economics courses in public policy. To prepare, students are advised to fulfill the mathematics requirement by taking MATH 1501-2, MATH 1711-12, or MATH 1711 with either 1501 or 1502, will also satisfy the requirement. Students cannot receive credit for both MATH 1712 and MATH 1501 or 1502.

Science and Engineering

Public policy majors must take two laboratory science courses and two additional courses in science- or engineering-related fields. These courses must be chosen in consultation with the student's advisor.

Social Sciences

The twelve-hour social sciences requirement may be satisfied by courses in history, economics, international affairs, political science, public policy, sociology, and selected courses in psychology. Public Policy majors must take one of the following: HIST 2111, HIST 2112, POL 1101, or PUBP 3000 (to satisfy state requirements regarding coursework on the history and constitutions of the United States and Georgia.) Public Policy majors are strongly urged to take POL 1101 or PUBP 3000. POL 1101 can be counted both as a designated course for the degree and as a social science requirement. Courses must be chosen in consultation with the student's advisor.

Humanities and Fine Arts

Students are required to complete ENGL 1101-2 and an additional six hours in the humanities and fine arts. Additional courses may be chosen from the list of approved humanities courses in this catalog. Public policy majors may not count PST courses for both their degree requirements and the humanities and fine arts requirements.

Free Electives

To graduate, each student must have accumulated at least 120 semester hours of credit toward the Bachelor of Science in Public Policy degree. Therefore, in addition to the requirements listed previously, the student must take a sufficient number of elective courses either within or outside Public Policy to reach 120 hours. Typically, this will allow the student approximately twenty-six hours of free electives.