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The program of study for the BA degree in Public Policy is designed to train visionary, inspired leaders in policy analysis and implementation; equip them with quantitative, theoretical, and critical-thinking tools; enhance their communication skills; and provide them with a thorough grounding in one or more specific policy areas.
Students pursuing the Public Policy major complete various curricular essentials. All courses counting toward the Public Policy major must be taken for quality grades.
The core courses bring perspectives from political science, economics, and sociology to bear in developing a foundation for the critical analysis of public policies. With the exception of PBPL 20000, the courses can be taken in any order over multiple academic years. Most foundational courses are offered once per academic year and students should plan in advance to be able to complete all the requirements in time for graduation.
Three related courses form a Specialization with respect to a policy domain. Students can use advanced courses from multiple disciplines for their specialization.
Learn more about declaring your specialization.
The two-course practicum requirement is designed to help students learn research methods (e.g., demography, interviewing, GIS mapping, survey design) and then apply their methodological skills in a “real world” context, opening a “window” from the ivory tower to the outside world.
Learn more about declaring your practicum.
Students can choose between two ways of completing this requirement:
Learn more about choosing your capstone experience.
Students who choose to double-major in Economics and Public Policy can use some of their 200-level (or above) Economics courses to fulfill requirements for their Public Policy Studies major.
The Economics Major offers a Standard Track, which itself comes in two varieties, Track A and Track B, along with two Specialization Tracks, one in Business Economics, and one in Data Science. The course requirements differ among the various Economics tracks, and these differences also affect the opportunities for Economics double majors to fulfill Public Policy requirements with their Economics courses.
Public Policy Studies requires either STAT 22000 Statistical Methods and Applications or STAT 23400 Statistical Models and Methods.
An adequate substitute for PBPL 20000 Economics for Public Policy is ECON 20000 The Elements of Economic Analysis I (or ECON 20010). The Public Policy requirement of PBPL 22200 Public Policy Analysis can be met with a combination of two courses, ECON 20100 The Elements of Economic Analysis II (or ECON 20110), and a Public Policy (PBPL) elective at the 200-level or above. Most students in the Business Economics track do not take ECON 20100; these double-majoring students should take PBPL 22200.
The Methods course requirement for Public Policy can be met with ECON 21020 Econometrics (or ECON 21030). Generally 100-level courses (such as ECON 11700 Introduction to Behavioral and Experimental Economics or ECON 10700 Introductory Game Theory or ECON 11020 Introduction to Econometrics) cannot be used to satisfy Public Policy major requirements. ECON 23950 Economic Policy Analysis also cannot be used to satisfy the Public Policy Methods requirement.
Public Policy generally does not accept course substitutions for the core courses PBPL 22100 Politics and Policy, PBPL 22300 Policy Implementation, or PBPL 26400 Quantitative Methods in Public Policy.
Public Policy requires that at least one of the three courses in an acceptable Area of Specialization be a PBPL-listed course. Many 200-level (and above) Economics courses can form part of an acceptable Area of Specialization. ECON 23950 Economic Policy Analysis generally cannot be used for a Public Policy Area of Specialization, and courses that are used to fulfill the Foundations of Business Economics requirement within the Business Economics track also cannot be double counted as Public Policy Area of Specialization courses.
Undergraduate students can use UChicago graduate level courses toward specializations or practicum requirements. Click here for additional registration and waitlist guidance specific to Harris School courses.
Fourth-year students are eligible for honors within the Public Policy major if their overall GPA is 3.4 or higher. Students with qualifying GPAs are recommended for honors only if they completed the BA Thesis Seminar and their thesis is judged to be of superior quality.
Each year, the program awards three graduating students with the Richard P. Taub Thesis Prize in Public Policy for exceptional thesis research.
The Albert C. Svoboda Fellowship provides summer research fellowships for rising fourth-year College students majoring in Public Policy to engage in faculty-guided research in the Chicago area on Chicago-based topics.
Awards are for various amounts, typically between $1,000 and $4,000, based on the research proposal and proposed budget. Svoboda Fellows are responsible for submitting a post-research report at the end of the summer.
Students can receive course credit for independent research conducted under the supervision of a faculty member:
Students must discuss their interest in pursuing an independent study with the Public Policy program and their college advisor prior to submitting the College Reading & Research Course Form for approval to enroll in any independent study courses.
The University of Chicago offers two options to earn a bachelor of arts degree and a master's degree in public policy while enrolled in the College:
The Five Year Master in Public Policy with the College (BA/MPP) program offers undergraduate students at the University of Chicago an opportunity to begin their professional training in public policy while still in the College, leading to the award of a four-year undergraduate degree in their declared major and a two-year Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree after five years of studies at the University of Chicago.
Interested students should submit their formal application to the program by April 15 of their third year in the College.
Learn more about the BA/MPP degree program.
Harris Public Policy, in conjunction with the Department of Computer Science, offers University of Chicago undergraduate students an opportunity to begin their professional training in the growing field of data science in public policy while still in the College. In the Five Year MS in Computational Analysis and Public Policy with the College (BA/MSCAPP), students earn a four-year undergraduate degree in their declared major and a two-year MS in Computational Analysis and Public Policy (MSCAPP) after five years of study at the University of Chicago.
Interested students should submit their formal application to the program by April 15 of their third year in the College. Please note that BA/MSCAPP program applicants are exempt from the application fee.
Learn more about the BA/MSCAPP degree program.
Review the College Catalog for details about every requirement and an overview of selected courses.
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