BA in Public Policy
Degree Requirements
To earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from UIC, students must complete university, college, and department degree requirements. The Department of Public Administration degree requirements are outlined below. Students should consult the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs section for additional degree requirements and college academic policies. Elective courses may have prerequisites.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Summary of Requirements | ||
| General and Basic Education Requirements | 33-37 | |
| Core Program Requirements | 46 | |
| Electives | 37-40 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
Basic and General Education Requirementsa
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| UPA 120 | Urban and Public Affairs Seminar I | 1 |
| UPA 121 | Urban and Public Affairs Seminar II | 1 |
| ENGL 160 & ENGL 161 | Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts and Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research | 6 |
| MATH 110 & STAT 101 | College Algebra and Introduction to Statistics | 8 |
| ECON 120 | Principles of Microeconomics c | 4 |
| Understanding the Past course d | 3 | |
| Understanding the Creative Arts course d | 3 | |
| Exploring World Cultures course d | 3 | |
| Analyzing the Natural World course d | 3-5 | |
| One elective course from any General Education Core category d | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 33-37 | |
| a | The University General Education requirement is a total of 24 hours distributed across the six categories. Two required courses in the major are approved for General Education and count toward the student’s 24 hours of General Education courses, including the Understanding U.S. Society category. |
| b | Required for new freshmen only. |
| c | This course meets the General Education course requirements for Understanding the Individual and Society. |
| d | Consult the General Education section for lists of approved courses in each of these General Education categories. |
Core Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| PPOL 100 | Individual Action and Democratic Citizenship b | 3 |
| POLS 101 | Introduction to American Government and Politics a,b | 3 |
| ECON 220 | Microeconomics: Theory and Applications | 3 |
| PPOL 210 | Introduction to Public Policy | 3 |
| PPOL 230 | Nonprofit Organizations and Civil Society a | 3 |
| PPOL 300 | Urban Policy and Process | 3 |
| PPOL 303 | Bureaucracy and Public Policy | 3 |
| PPOL 305 | Managing Government Partnerships | 3 |
| PPOL 307 | Policy Analysis III: Identifying and Developing Alternatives | 3 |
| PPOL 309 | Public Budgeting and Financial Management | 3 |
| PPOL 405 | Advanced Topics in Policy Analysis: Evaluating Public Policies and Programs | 3 |
| PPOL 490 | Field Experience in Public Policy and Administration | 4 |
| Three Policy Specialization courses at the 200-level and above c | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 46 | |
| a | This course is approved for the Understanding U.S. Society General Education category. Two courses from the major will count toward the university requirement of a total of 24 hours of General Education courses. One must be a course from the Understanding U.S. Society category. |
| b | This course is approved for the Understanding the Individual and Society General Education category. Two courses from the major will count toward the university requirement of a total of 24 hours of General Education courses. |
| c | Options for three-course specializations are listed below. Students may choose from these lists or customize their own three-course specializations. All specializations must be approved by the undergraduate program coordinator in the Department of Public Administration. |
Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses | ||
| Electives required outside the Basic and General Education and Core Program Requirements | 38-40 | |
| Total Hours | 38-40 | |
If any of the three-course specialization classes have prerequisites that are not already covered in the Basic and General Education Requirements, students should choose electives that also serve as prerequisites for their specialization courses. For example, students interested in a Health Policy specialization must take PUBH 100, PUBH 110, and PUBH 120 as prerequisites for PUBH 310, PUBH 330, and PUBH 350. PUBH 100 is a U.S. Society course and PUBH 110 is a World Cultures course, so each one can fulfill General Education requirements as well. Check the Course Descriptions for prerequisite requirements for all courses.
Course Options for Public Policy Specializations
Students may choose any 200-, 300-, and 400-level courses for the 9 hours in specialization requirement. The following groups of courses are offered as guidance to students who may have an interest in any of the educational paths shown below. Students may choose a specialization from the list or customize their own (e.g. communication policy) with consultation and approval of their advisor. All specializations must be approved by the undergraduate program coordinator in the Department of Public Administration, who will seek endorsement from the appropriate department(s) offering the advanced course work. Students interested in pursuing a minor in any of these areas should refer to the Undergraduate Catalog for further requirements not listed here. Consult the Schedule of Classes for terms during which courses are offered. The Department of Public Administration does not determine course offerings in other departments. Military Science courses (200-, 300-, and 400-level) may be applicable to a specialization with approval of the advisor or director of undergraduate studies.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Specialization Course Options | ||
| Economic Development Policy | ||
| Evidence-Based Public Policy | ||
| International Development Policy | ||
| Social Justice and the City | ||
| Political Economy of Urban Development | ||
| Economic Development | ||
| Regional Economics | ||
| Introduction to Urban Real Estate | ||
| Education Policy | ||
| Education Policy Foundations | ||
| Contemporary Controversies in U.S. Schools | ||
| Philosophy of Education and Urban School Policy | ||
| Policy Issues in the History of American Education | ||
| Politics of Urban Education | ||
| Economics of Education | ||
| Environmental Policy | ||
| Environmental Policy | ||
| Topics in Sustainability and Energy | ||
| Energy for Future Decision-Makers | ||
| Practices for Sustainable Cities | ||
| Environmental Chemistry a | ||
| Health Policy | ||
| Public Health and Global Citizenship | ||
| Health Equity and Health Disparities | ||
| Health Systems, Health Policy | ||
| Health Economics | ||
| Health and Medicine | ||
| Foreign and Global Policy | ||
| International Development Policy | ||
| Introduction to United States Military History | ||
| United States Foreign Policy | ||
| International Security | ||
| International Law | ||
| International Relations Theory | ||
| Social Welfare Policy | ||
| Social Welfare State: Policies and Process | ||
| International Development Policy | ||
| Racial and Ethnic Groups b | ||
| Social Inequalities b | ||
| Sociology of Politics b | ||
| African Americans and the Politics of Incarceration b | ||
| a | Prerequisite is CHEM 232. |
| b | Has prerequisite of SOC 100 or SOC 105; both courses meet the Understanding the U.S. Society General Education requirement. |
Sample Course Schedule
| Freshman Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | |
| UPA 120 | Urban and Public Affairs Seminar I | 1 |
| MATH 110 | College Algebra | 4 |
| ENGL 160 | Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts | 3 |
| PPOL 100 | Individual Action and Democratic Citizenship | 3 |
| POLS 101 | Introduction to American Government and Politics | 3 |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| UPA 121 | Urban and Public Affairs Seminar II | 1 |
| STAT 101 | Introduction to Statistics | 4 |
| ENGL 161 | Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research | 3 |
| ECON 120 | Principles of Microeconomics | 4 |
| General Education course | 3 | |
| General Education course | 3 | |
| Hours | 18 | |
| Sophomore Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| PPOL 210 | Introduction to Public Policy | 3 |
| PPOL 230 | Nonprofit Organizations and Civil Society | 3 |
| ECON 220 | Microeconomics: Theory and Applications | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | |
| General Education course | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| PPOL 307 | Policy Analysis III: Identifying and Developing Alternatives | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Junior Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| PPOL 300 | Urban Policy and Process | 3 |
| PPOL 303 | Bureaucracy and Public Policy | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| PPOL 305 | Managing Government Partnerships | 3 |
| PPOL 309 | Public Budgeting and Financial Management | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Senior Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| PPOL 405 | Advanced Topics in Policy Analysis: Evaluating Public Policies and Programs | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Policy Specialization course | 3 | |
| Policy Specialization course | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| PPOL 490 | Field Experience in Public Policy and Administration | 4 |
| Policy Specialization course | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |