B.S. PUBP: A Multidisciplinary Approach
The Bachelor of Science in Public Policy (B.S. PUBP) 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:
- Georgia Tech core curriculum
- Public Policy core curriculum
- Two, three-course clusters in particular specializations
- Free electives
Public Policy Core Curriculum
All Georgia Tech students fulfill standard core curriculum requirements, including English, math, science, computing, humanities, and social sciences. The core curriculum for the B.S. PUBP 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. Visit the Georgia Tech Course Catalog to review the full curriculum requirements. Core courses include:
- POL 1101 Government of the U.S.
- PUBP 2010 Political Processes
- PHIL 2025 Philosophical Analysis of Policy Choices
- PUBP 2030 Organizations and Policy
- ECON 2106 Microeconomics
- PUBP 3020 Applied Political Economy
- PUBP 3030 Policy Analysis
- PUBP 3120 Statistical Analysis for Public Policy
- PUBP 3130 Research Methods and Problem-Solving
- PUBP 2651 or PUBP 4651 Policy Internship
- PUBP 4010 Policy Task Force I
- PUBP 4020 Policy Task Force II
The Policy Task Force Experience
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 formulate, analyze, and recommend policy options. Projects are provided by a public agency, not-for-profit organization, or private company, and an outside evaluator from the client provides oversight and feedback to project teams and evaluates the final reports. Faculty provide guidance, feedback, and assessments of student and team performance. Students work in subgroups, with each member responsible for a substantive project paper that is to be presented and defended before the group, the instructor, and the outside evaluator, then integrated into a team report. Recent clients include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Georgia, and the Enterprise Innovation Institute.
Policy Clusters
Students also select two policy clusters. These consist of three courses in a particular policy area or relevant discipline, chosen from a variety of available courses. Clusters include:
- Environmental and Energy Policy
- Science and Technology Policy
- Social and Urban (Health) Policy
- Politics and (Leadership) Policy
- Philosophy
Prerequisites
- Prerequisites for PUBP 3020: Applied Political Economy, and PUBP 3030: Policy Analysis
- PUBP 2010: Political Processes
- PUBP 2030: Organizations and Policy
- ECON 2106: Microeconomics
- Prerequisites for PUBP 4010: Policy Task Force I, and PUBP 4020: Policy Task Force II
- PUBP 3030: Policy Analysis
- PUBP 3120: Statistics
- PUBP 3130: Research Methods
Additional Courses and Electives
PUBP majors also take an additional 6 hours of science, computing, or engineering courses, selected in consultation with an advisor. Most students have at least 17 hours of unrestricted electives. View the suggested four-year schedule for more details.
Minors and Certificates
Many students select minors (15 hours) or certificates (12 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 also offers minors and certificates.