Step 1 - Earn your BA in Public Policy Step 2 - Create a better future

All UK students must complete the UK Core, which is a list of different categories of courses across all disciplines. Students have options within each category, and many public policy pre-major courses also fulfill UK Core areas. Often AP or dual credit can fulfill UK Core areas.

• Arts & Creativity
• Humanities
• Social Sciences
  • PPL 201 Introduction to Public Policy*
• Natural, Physical, and Mathematical Sciences
• Composition and Communication I
  • CIS/WRD 110 Composition and Communication I*
• Composition and Communication II
  • CIS/WRD 111 Composition and Communication II*
• Quantitative Foundations
  • MA 123 Elementary Calculus*
• Statistical Inferential Reasoning
  • STA 296 Statistical Methods and Motivations*
• Community, Culture, and Citizenship in the USA
  • PS 101 American Government*
• Global Dynamics

*also a pre-major requirement

All public policy majors start as pre-majors (pre-public policy). Upon completion of the pre-major requirements (and with a minimum GPA of 2.75), students move into the full major. This usually takes place in fall of the second year.

• PPL 201 Introduction to Public Policy
• CIS/WRD 110 Composition and Communication I
  • Honors students take CIS/WRD 112 - Accelerated Comp and Comm.
• CIS/WRD 111 Composition and Communication II
• MA 123 Elementary Calculus and its Applications
• STA 296 Statistical Methods and Motivations
• PS 101 American Government
• ECO 201 Principles of Economics I
• ECO 202 Principles of Economics II

In the second year, students begin completing the required major core classes. Each of these courses is taught by Martin School faculty and focuses on a specific skill or area of public policy. 

• PPL 251 Equity in Public 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
  • During the final year in the program, students research, write, and present a policy brief on an issue or policy of their choice. Past examples can be found here.

In the second half of the program, students take more focused courses centered around policy areas or specific skills. Students choose three of the five options, or works with the Director of Undergraduate Studies to choose graduate-level Martin School classes to substitute.

• PPL 307 Diplomacy and Leadership*
• PPL 421 Cross Cultural Negotiations*
• PPL 575 Education Finance and Policy
• PPL 583 Tax Policy
• PPL 584 Environmental Policy

*taught by faculty from the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce

Every public policy student has different interests and career goals, so guided electives give students room to customize their degree. Throughout their time in the program, students can take classes from departments across campus, including from history, political science, economics, public health, agricultural economics, sociology, and more. 

Students can also earn academic credit for internship and research experiences, which both count towards the guided elective requirement.

There are 20 hours of free electives built into the public policy major. Free elective hours are often used for a minor, second major, language courses, study abroad, or honors requirements.