Students who major in Public Policy at the Martin School aspire to a wide range of meaningful career paths. They benefit from an engaging and flexible curriculum, small classes and expert faculty, and hands-on internship experiences. A dedicated advisor ensures they have personalized support for their academic success and personal health and well-being. With a tight-knit community, Public Policy majors also have a lot of fun and help each other learn and grow.
BA in Public Policy
Explore the BA in Public Policy Program
Admission
- High school students and transfer students apply to UK as Pre-Public Policy majors. Current UK students declare a Pre-Public Policy major.
- Students apply for admission to the full Public Policy major after completing pre-major course requirements with a 2.75 minimum cumulative GPA.
Curriculum
Download BA in Public Policy Major Sheet
Pre-Major and UK Core Course Requirements
- PPL 201 Introduction to Public Policy
- PS 101 American Government
- ECO 201 Principles of Economics I
- CIS/WRD Comp 110 and 111
- MA 109 College Algebra or MA 123 Elementary Calculus
- STA 210 Intro to Statistical Reasoning or STA 296 Statistical Methods and Motivations
- UK Core requirements in Arts and Creativity, Humanities, Natural/ Physical/ Mathematical Sciences, and Global Dynamics
Major Core Requirements
- PPL 251 Social Policy
- PPL 301 Economics of Public Policy
- PPL 302 Political Context of Public Policy
- PPL 303 Public Service Organizations
- PPL 304 Public and Nonprofit Financial Management
- PPL 306 Ethics and Civic Leadership
- PPL 401 Data and Evidence in Public Policy
- PPL 405 Program Evaluation for Public and Nonprofit Organizations
- PPL 434 Public Policy Capstone
Core Electives
Students must take three courses on specific policy skills or areas.
- PPL 307 Diplomacy and Leadership
- PPL 421 Cross-Cultural Negotiations
- PPL 380 Special Topics in Public Policy
- PPL 575 Education Finance and Policy
- PPL 583 Tax Policy
- PPL 584 Environmental Policy
- With prior approval, students can take Martin School graduate courses as core electives
Guided electives
Students must take 27 hours of electives relevant to public policy
- PPL 380 Special Topics in Public Policy
- PPL 395 Independent Research in Public Policy
- PPL 399 Internship in Public Policy
- An array of courses in agricultural economics, community and leadership development, public health, economics, geography, history, management, political science, sociology, and beyond.
Students take additional courses to reach 120 credit hours for the degree. They may be for a minor, a second major, language courses, Honors College requirements, education abroad, or simply for fun!
