Getting Started

College: SBS

How to Explore the Major

Suggested General Education Courses

All Undergraduates are required to satisfy the General Education Requirements. Guidelines for students are available at www.umass.edu/gened. Students should choose a wide variety of Gen Ed courses, providing breadth of experience.

Depending upon the student’s math placement score on the algebra section, math courses may be needed to prepare for SPP203 Economics for Public Policy and SPP204 Statistical Models for Public Policy. Common pathways are below, but additional options can be found in the description of each course in SPIRE:

Math placement 0 - 10: Algebra prep course in summer or winter, MATH 101, MATH 102
Math placement 11 - 15: MATH 101, MATH 102
Math placement 16 - 19: MATH 104 or STATISTICS 111*
Math placement 20+: R1 exemption exam

*Students planning to take STATISTICS 240 or RES-ECON 212 rather than SPP 204 to fulfill the statistics requirement are encouraged to take MATH 104 as their preparatory class.

Suggested Major and Pre-requisite Courses

Suggested for First Year Students

Any one of the following courses:

SPP181 Controversies in Public Policy (SB, DU)
SPP111 Policy in an Age of Precarity (SB, DU)
SPP105 Introduction to Political Economy (SB, DU)
SPP151 Water, Oil, and Blood: The Middle East in Global Policy (SB, DG)

All of the following courses:

SPP203 Economics for Public Policy (SB) [ECON103 or RES-ECON102 may substitute]
SPP280 Public Policy (SB)
SPP200-level elective

Suggested for Second Year Students

Any of the above courses that are not yet complete
SPP204 Statistical Methods in Public Policy (R2) [STATISTC240, RES-ECON212, PSYCH240, ANTHRO281, PUBHLTH 223 may substitute]
SPP200+ electives

How to Declare/ Change into the Major

For current and admitted students: This major is unrestricted, which means any student may declare the major. To declare the major or to learn more about it, make an appointment on Navigate at this link. For Advising Care Unit, choose “Explore How to Declare or Change Majors” and then select “Explore Public Policy Major” as the Service.

Transfer Students:

Transfer students may transfer up to 20 credits with a maximum of 12 upper division credits inclusive of study abroad credits into the Public Policy major if approved by the Undergraduate Program Director. All transfer students should meet with the Director of Undergraduate Advising once they arrive on campus.

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 that 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?

Yes. Reach out to publicpolicyba@umass.edu to learn the details.

For further information, contact:

Faith Nussbaum, Director of Undergraduate Advising
publicpolicyba@umass.edu