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 | 29-33 | |
| Core Program Requirements | 49 | |
| Electives | 38-42 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
Basic and General Education Requirementsa
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| UPA 120 | Urban and Public Affairs Seminar I b | 1 |
| UPA 121 | Urban and Public Affairs Seminar II b | 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 | College Algebra | 4 |
| 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 | 29-33 | |
| 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 a | 3 |
| PPOL 105 | Programming and Data Analysis for Public Policy I | 3 |
| POLS 101 | Introduction to American Government and Politics a,b | 3 |
| ECON 220 | Microeconomics: Theory and Applications c | 3 |
| or US 301 | Political Economy of Urban Development | |
| PPOL 205 | Programming and Data Analysis for Public Policy II | 3 |
| PPOL 210 | Introduction to Public Policy | 3 |
| PPOL 230 | Nonprofit Organizations and Civil Society b | 3 |
| PPOL 300 | Urban Policy and Metropolitan Governance | 3 |
| PPOL 303 | Bureaucracy and Public Policy | 3 |
| PPOL 307 | Policy Analysis III: Identifying and Developing Alternatives | 3 |
| PPOL 309 | Public Budgeting and Financial Management | 3 |
| PPOL 405 | 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 d | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 49 | |
| a | 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. |
| b | 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. |
| c | Students completing the BA in Public Policy who have not completed MATH 121 or an equivalent course should consult with their academic advisor. |
| d | 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 | 38-42 | |
| Total Hours | 38-42 | |
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 in conjunction with the appropriate departments (e.g., Criminology, Law, and Justice; Urban Planning and Policy; Communication) with consultation and approval of their advisor. All specializations must be approved by the undergraduate advisor 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 XE Registration 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 | ||
| Economic Development | ||
| Regional Economics | ||
| Introduction to Urban Real Estate | ||
| Evidence-Based Public Policy | ||
| International Development Policy | ||
| Social Justice and the City | ||
| Urban and Community Economics | ||
| Political Economy of Urban Development | ||
| Education Policy | ||
| Economics of Education | ||
| 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 | ||
| Environmental Policy | ||
| Energy for Future Decision-Makers | ||
| Topics in Energy | ||
| Special Topics in Public Administration | ||
| Environmental Policy | ||
| Practices for Sustainable Cities | ||
| Planning Practices for Great Cities | ||
| Fiscal Policy | ||
| Principles of Macroeconomics | ||
| Macroeconomics in the World Economy: Theory and Applications | ||
| Public Finance | ||
| Personal Finance | ||
| Introduction to Finance | ||
| State and Local Public Finance | ||
| Chicago's Future | ||
| State Government | ||
| U.S. Congress | ||
| History of American Capitalism | ||
| Special Topics in Public Policy (section needs to be chosen in consultation with the student's advisor) | ||
| Health Policy | ||
| Health Economics | ||
| Public Health and Global Citizenship | ||
| Health Equity and Health Disparities | ||
| Health Systems, Health Policy | ||
| Health and Medicine | ||
| Foreign and Global Policy | ||
| Introduction to United States Military History | ||
| United States Foreign Policy | ||
| International Security | ||
| International Law | ||
| International Relations Theory | ||
| International Development Policy | ||
| Social Policy | ||
| Race and the Politics of Incarceration a | ||
| Social Policy and Inequality in the U.S. | ||
| International Development Policy | ||
| Theories and Practices of Social Justice | ||
| Racial and Ethnic Groups a | ||
| Social Inequalities a | ||
| Sociology of Politics a | ||
| A | 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 |
| PPOL 105 | Programming and Data Analysis for Public Policy I | 3 |
| 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 | 17 | |
| Sophomore Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| PPOL 210 | Introduction to Public Policy | 3 |
| PPOL 230 | Nonprofit Organizations and Civil Society | 3 |
| ECON 220 or US 301 |
Microeconomics: Theory and Applications or Political Economy of Urban Development |
3 |
| General Education course | 3 | |
| General Education course | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| PPOL 307 | Policy Analysis III: Identifying and Developing Alternatives | 3 |
| PPOL 205 | Programming and Data Analysis for Public Policy II | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Junior Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| PPOL 300 | Urban Policy and Metropolitan Governance | 3 |
| PPOL 303 | Bureaucracy and Public Policy | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| PPOL 309 | Public Budgeting and Financial Management | 3 |
| Policy Specialization course | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Senior Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| PPOL 405 | 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 Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |