Breadcrumb
Undergraduate Minor in Public Policy
The public policy minor is intended for University of Iowa undergraduate students who seek to understand how and why public policies are adopted; how they impact the economy, society and communities; and how innovative public policies are developed to improve economic prosperity, social justice and wellbeing, and environmental sustainability at the local, state, national and global levels.
The minor in public policy is well-suited for students majoring in economics, political science, education, sociology, criminology, pre-law, human rights, social justice, social work, geography, sustainability, environmental policy and planning, civil and environmental engineering, health and public health, business, anthropology, history, journalism and mass communication, African American studies, and Native American and Indigenous studies among other areas.
Students completing the public policy minor will be able to analyze the impact of past and current public policies, understand the institutions and process of policy making, and develop new public policies to tackle pressing challenges faced by our society. They will be prepared to enter policy-making fields in their areas of interest, and to make communities, states and nations more resilient, inclusive and prosperous.
The Graduate College is the curricular college for the undergraduate public policy minor, and the minor is awarded by the University College.
Requirements
The undergraduate minor in public policy requires 15 s.h. of coursework taken at the University of Iowa. Students must maintain a GPA of at least 3.00 in work for the minor. Coursework in the minor may not be taken pass/non-pass.
Students must take at least 2 core courses and 3 electives from the lists below (at least 1 of those electives should be in Group A). The core courses provide generally applicable knowledge and methods. The electives allow students to explore policy areas of interest to them. The minor may be earned by any student admitted to the University of Iowa who is not concurrently enrolled in a UI graduate or professional degree program.
Curriculum
2 Core Courses (6 s.h.)
PBAF:3117 | Bureaucratic Politics and Public Administration |
PBAF:3560 | Public Policy and Persuasion Prerequisites: RHET:1030 or RHET:1040 or RHET:1060. Same as POLI:3560, RHET:3560, SJUS:3560 |
PBAF:4205 | Economics for Policy Analysis No prerequisite, but instructor's approval required |
PBAF:4233 | Public Finance and Budgeting |
PBAF:4340 | Public Policy Analysis |
POLI:3111 | American Public Policy |
Electives
Students must select at least three electives (9 s.h.) with at least one Group A elective from the lists below.(All core courses above can count as Group A electives if they are not taken to meet core requirements.)
Group A (at least one of these)
PBAF:3570 | Poverty Policy |
URP:1030 | Climate Leadership and Justice |
PBAF:2020 | Environment and Society: Sustainability, Policy, and Politics |
PBAF:2056 | The Splendor of Cities |
URP:4225 | Applied GIS for Planning and Policy Making |
URP:4256 | Environmental Policy |
URP:4260 | Transportation Policy and Planning |
URP:4271 | Housing Policy |
URP:4280 | Planning for Disaster Mitigation and Recovery |
URP:4295 | Economic Development Policy |
Group B |
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PBAF:3580 | Native American Public Policy |
CRIM:2210 | Iowa Criminal Justice Policy and Reform |
CRIM:3600 | Crime and Public Policy Prerequisite: CRIM:1410 |
CRIM:4120 | Environmental Criminology Prerequisite: CRIM:1410 |
GEOG:3780 | U.S. Energy Policy in Global Context |
GEOG:3800 | Environmental Economics and Policy |
HHP:4030 | Policy, Environmental, and Social Health Prerequisites: HHP:2200 and HHP:2310 |
POLI:1501 | Introduction to American Foreign Policy |
POL:2417 | Comparative Environmental Policy |
POLI:3104 | Immigration Politics |
POLI:3114 | Women and Politics in the United States |
POLI:3123 | State Politics in Iowa |
POLI:3127 | Legislative Policy Seminar |
POLI:3160 | Solving Policy Problems Through Research |
SOC:2810 | Social Inequality |
Declaring the Minor and Minor Advising
Students may declare the minor in MyUI as soon as they are enrolled in any of the public policy minor courses above.
Those interested in pursuing the minor must meet with the minor advisor, be briefed on the minor expectations for performance, and complete a Plan of Study that must be approved by the minor advisor.
Please contact Carrie Schuettpelz, Director of Undergraduate Studies at the School of Planning and Public Affairs.