Getting Started
College: SBS
How to Declare/ Change into the Major
For Current and Admitted Students:
This major is unrestricted, which means any student may declare the major. Unrestricted majors may still have an entry process such as meeting with an advisor or attending an informational meeting. Please note that Public Policy is a new major and not all of the required courses will be available AY 22-23. Upper-level students may not be able to complete the required courses and graduate on time.
Transfer Students:
Transfer students may transfer up to five courses (20 credits) into the Public Policy major if approved by the Undergraduate Program Director. All transfer students should meet with an advisor once they arrive on campus. Please note that Public Policy is a new major and not all of the required courses will be available AY 22-23. Upper-level students may not be able to complete the required courses and graduate on time.
Summary of Requirements for Major
See the Major Page located in the left menu bar to learn more about the Public Policy major.
The Public Policy is a 44-credit major works well as a double major with other social sciences, the humanities, and natural sciences. As a public policy major, you will explore the big problems facing our world and learn how to take actions to solve them. You will learn about problems from multiple perspectives and how the policy process shapes and reshapes policy solutions and their implementation. At the core of this major is a focus on your ability to be a change agent to actively work on solutions to complex public problems. If you are interested in management, we offer an array of courses on public, nonprofit, and social enterprise management.
Is there a minor? If so, what are the requirements?
There is no minor but the School of Public Policy offers a Certificate in Public Policy. It is a flexible program that requires three courses (microeconomics, statistics, and public policy or management) and a five-course student-designed area of specialization. See the School of Public Policy Undergraduate Programs webpage https://www.umass.edu/spp/academics/undergraduate-certificate/requirements.
For further information, contact:
Brenda Bushouse
Undergraduate Program Director
publicpolicyba@umass.edu