The Bachelor of Science in Public Policy is comprised of core and elective classes that provide a mixture of substantive policy knowledge with reflective and practitioners' skills. As Georgia Tech graduates, our alumni have a unique perspective on problem-solving, combining ethics, technical competence, critical thinking, communications, research techniques, and analytical and leadership abilities.

The curriculum consists of (1) the Georgia Tech core, (2) the Public Policy core, (3) two three-course clusters in particular specializations, and (4) free electives. 

Public Policy Core

All Georgia Tech students fulfill standard core curriculum requirements, including english, math, science, computing, humanities, and social sciences. The core curriculum for the BSPP major provides an additional multidisciplinary set of tools and perspectives, including logic and ethics, organizational behavior, research techniques, political processes, and integrative and analytical skills:

• POL 1101Government of the U.S.
• PUBP 2010Political Processes
• PST 2020Philosophical Analysis of Policy Choices
• PUBP 2030Organizations and Policy
• ECON 2106Microeconomics
• PUBP 3020Applied Political Economy
• PUBP 3030Policy Analysis
• PUBP 3120Statistical Analysis for Public Policy
• PUBP 3130Research Methods and Problem Solving
• PUBP 2651 or 4651Policy Internship
• PUBP 4010/4020Policy Task Force (6 hours)

The two-semester capstone Policy Task Force sequence is a Georgia Tech innovation for undergraduate policy programs. To integrate their learning in an experiential project, student teams will formulate, analyze, and recommend policy options. Projects will be provided by a public agency, not-for-profit organization, or private company, and an outside evaluator from the client will provide oversight and feedback to project teams and evaluate the final reports. Faculty will provide guidance, feedback, and assessments of student and team performance. Students will work in subgroups with each member responsible for a substantive project paper that will be presented and defended before the group, the instructor, and the outside evaluator, then integrated into a team report.

Students also select two policy clusters. These consist of three courses in a particular policy area or relevant discipline, chosen from a wide menu of available courses. Currently students may choose clusters in:

• Environment/energy policy
• Science and technology policy
• Social and urban policy
• Philosophy
• Politics and policy

Note that the four core courses at the 2000-level are prerequisites for PUBP 3020 and PUBP 3030. Similarly, the four core courses at the 3000-level are prerequisites for PUBP 4010 and PUBP 4020:

Public policy majors also take an additional six hours of science, computing, or engineering courses, selected in consultation with advisor. Most students have at least 17 hours of unrestricted electives.

Many students select minors (fifteen hours) or certificates (twelve hours) in an area of particular interest. The Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts offers more than 40 certificate and minor programs in areas such as language, area studies, humanities, or disciplines such as Economics, History, International Affairs, or Sociology. They also may choose minors or certificates in management, the sciences, and other programs at Georgia Tech. The School of Public Policy offers minors and certificates in Political Science, Public Policy, Pre-Law, and Philosophy.