Program in Public Policy — The Program

Director

Associate Professor Elizabeth Bussiere

The Program

The Program in Public Policy is an interdisciplinary program primarily for but not limited to matriculated undergraduate students. The aim of the program is to provide a foundation in public policy analysis for individuals prospectively involved in the public, not-for-profit, or private sectors. The underlying rationale for this program is the belief that the University and the College can and should play an integral role in improving the quality of public policy making in cities and towns, in the state, and in the nation, and that such an improvement will enhance the quality of life for all citizens. The program provides students with both an understanding of the fundamental elements involved in the public policy process and with the analytical skills—qualitative and quantitative—necessary to make an informed evaluation of stages in the process and of the policies emerging from that process. The program provides students with a disciplined approach to public policy and the policy making process within a framework designed and administered by faculty experts.

The program is open to matriculated and non-matriculated students. For matriculated students, successful completion of the program is recorded on official university transcripts when they have met all graduation requirements. Non-matriculated students receive a certificate of completion.

Requirements

The requirements of the Program in Public Policy provide structure while allowing for flexibility. Some courses are taken by all the students in the program, but others are selected by students in order to meet their own individual needs and interests. A particular student’s choices may sample many broad areas within the field, or may explore a specific area in greater depth.

Required Courses

All students are required to take POLSCI 203 (Public Policy) which provides the essential descriptive and analytical elements of public policy. The program contains a statistics requirement which can be met by successful completion of any one of the following courses: ECON 205 (Statistical Methods), PSYCH Z270 (Statistics), or SOCIOL 350 (Elements of Social Statistics). Students are also required to complete either ECON 101 (Introduction to Microeconomics) or ECON 102 (Introduction to Macroeconomics). The choice will usually depend upon whether the student prefers an emphasis on microeconomics or macroeconomics.

Area Courses

Students must also fulfill area requirements by completing five courses from the list which follows. Since courses offered vary from semester to semester, students should consult with the program director for updated lists. Courses must be drawn from a minimum of three of the following five areas:

Ethics and Public Policy,
Urban and Regional Policy,
Environmental Policy,
Social Welfare Policy, and
Institutional Processes and Public Administration and Management.

One of the areas must be Ethics and Public Policy. In fulfilling the eight-course requirement, students will be expected to avoid concentrating too heavily on offerings from any one department: a maximum of four is allowed. Of the five courses, a minimum of two must be at or beyond the 300 level.

Area 1: Ethics and Public Policy

ANTH 352 (Applied Social Anthropology)*
PHIL 215 (Philosophical Foundations of Public Policy)
PHIL 221 (Business and Management Ethics)
PHIL 222 (Moral Issues in Medicine)
PHIL 307 (Technology and Values)
POLSCI 347 (Politics, Social Choice, and Public Policy (when available)
POLSCI 400 (Leadership)

Area 2: Urban and Regional Policy

ANTH 252 (Urban Anthropology)*
AFRSTY 320 (Problems in Urban Education)
AFRSTY 410 (Black Urban Politics; Political Economy of New England)
E&GSCI 221 (Urban Physical Environment)
E&GSCI 340 (Planning and Land Use Law)*
E&GSCI 375 (Urban Planning)
ECON 318 (Economics of State and Local Government)
POLSCI 340 (Boston: Cooperation and Conflict in the Urban Environment)
POLSCI 341 (Metropolitan Politics)
POLSCI 344 (Problems of Urban Politics)

Area 3: Environmental Policy

E&GSCI 221 (Urban Physical Environment)*
E&GSCI 324 (Coastal Zone Management)
E&GSCI 340 (Planning and Land Use Law)*
E&GSCI 378 (Resource Management)
ECON 345 (Natural Resources & Sustainable Economic Development)
ECON 349 (Economic Approaches to Environmental Problems)
PHIL 220 (Environmental Ethics)
POLSCI L250 (Introduction to Environmental Policy, when available)
POLSCI 348 (Science and Public Policy)

Area 4: Social Welfare Policy

ANTH 252 (Urban Anthropology)*
ANTH L301 (AMST L301) (Childhood in America)
ANTH 352 (Applied Social Anthropology)*
ANTH 670 (Industrial Anthropology and Sociology)
ECON 343 (The Political Economy of Black America)
ECON 350 (The Political Economy of Aging and Retirement)
ECON 380 (Health Economics)
ECON 394 (Sex Segregated Labor Markets)
ECON 395 (The Economics of Social Welfare)
POLSCI 312 (Political Economy I)
POLSCI 313 (Political Economy II)
POLSCI 335 (Law and Public Policy)*
SOCIOL 160 (Social Problems)
SOCIOL 233 (Sociology of Unemployment)
SOCIOL 250 (Social Policy)
WOST 260 (Women’s Health Care)
WOST 330 (Women and Public Policy)

Area 5: Institutional Processes and Public Administration and Management

ANTH 615 (Public Archaeology)
ECON 417 (Public Finance)
ECON 433 (Government Regulation of Private Business)
POLSCI 311 (Political Parties)
POLSCI 318 (Legislative Process)
POLSCI 324 (American Presidency)
POLSCI 325 (Public Administration)
POLSCI 327 (Public Management; when available)
POLSCI 335 (Law and Public Policy)*
POLSCI 356 (Comparative Public Administration; when available)
POLSCI 424 (American Foreign Policy)
POLSCI 488 (Fieldwork in Politics)

*Courses listed in more than one area.

Transfer Credit Policy

Students should consult the program director to request credit for appropriate courses taken at other institutions.