About the Program

Minor

The undergraduate minor in Public Policy introduces students from other departments and colleges to the field and practice of policy analysis. Employers and graduate schools recognize a completed minor as indicative of broader preparation than a single degree, not to mention curiosity and willingness to do extra work. The Public Policy minor also certifies interest and background in public affairs.

Over the years, the Department has realized that the underlying model of policy analysis enriches and complements a variety of undergraduate specializations and that public policy training can be valuable not only as a “pre-MPP” experience but also to students whose graduate training won’t include the Masters in Public Policy degree. Lawyers, doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs, and others need to understand government choices as citizens, as participants in government, and on behalf of their organizations, many of which are profoundly affected by public policy.

Registration for the minor (which does not obligate one to complete it) makes students eligible for various Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP) undergraduate programs and activities and gets them on a mailing list for GSPP events of interest to anyone concerned with public affairs.

Course of Study Overview

The undergraduate courses in public policy deal with the substance of public policy, how it is made, how its effects can be gauged, and what the purposes of policy should be. The courses consider both the policy process and particular policy issues. By examining different policy problems in their political and social contexts, students gain a greater sensitivity to the forces which shape and carry out public policies and to the impact of social, political, economic, and legal power.

Courses are designed for students in diverse disciplines and professional schools. There are no prerequisites for enrollment in the undergraduate courses unless specifically noted otherwise in the course descriptions. The training provided by the courses is useful to those interested in combining the substantive perspectives of the social sciences with the immediacy of contemporary problems, to those considering professional study, and to the informed and politically aware citizen.

Declaring the Minor

All UC Berkeley undergraduate students are eligible for enrollment in the Public Policy minor. Students should pick up a Minor Enrollment Form at the Goldman School of Public Policy, 2607 Hearst Avenue, Room 245, or download a copy and return it to the School as early in their academic career as possible. Declaration of the Public Policy minor is possible even before enrolling in public policy courses.

Please note that early declaration of the minor does not obligate students to this program should it become unfeasible later in their academic pursuits.

All Public Policy minor students must complete a Completion of Public Policy Minor  form the semester they are scheduled to graduate in order to receive credit for the Minor. The Minor will not be listed on the diploma. Students who complete the requirements for the Public Policy Minor will receive a certificate of completion in the U.S. mail. Within six weeks after receiving the certificate, a notation will appear at the bottom of the transcript that will state "Minor Program in Public Policy Completed" with the semester and year.

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Minor Requirements

Students who have a strong interest in an area of study outside their major often decide to complete a minor program. These programs have set requirements and are noted officially on the transcript in the memoranda section, but they are not noted on diplomas.

General Guidelines

1. All courses used to fulfill minor requirements must be completed with a grade of C- or higher, and must be at least 3 units each.
2. All courses must be taken for a letter grade, except PUB POL 199, and PUB POL 98/PUB POL 198, both of which are offered on a Pass/No Pass basis only.
3. Two 2-unit PUB POL 98/PUB POL 198 courses or other 2-unit Public Policy courses may count as one course toward the minor; however, only one of these can be PUB POL 98.
4. Students may count graduate level Public Policy electives to complete their minor requirements. Generally, undergraduates require an instructor consent form  to enroll in graduate courses.
5. No more than two non-Public Policy courses may be used to fulfill minor requirements.
6. College of Letters and Science students must complete at least four courses that are not also used to fulfill major or another minor requirements.

Requirements

Courses

Public Policy

Faculty

Professors

Lee Friedman, Professor. Climate change, public policy, economic organization, environmental markets, school finance, utility regulation, criminal justice.
Research Profile

Hilary Williamson Hoynes, PhD, Professor.

David Kirp, Professor. Public policy, law, social policy, higher education policy, politics and policy, primary and secondary education policy, race and ethnicity, early childhood policy.
Research Profile

Robert J. Maccoun, Professor. Jury decision making, alternative dispute resolution, illicit drug dealing, alternative drug laws, harm reduction, gays and lesbians in the military, media biases, and bias in the use and interpretation of research evidence.
Research Profile

Michael Nacht, Professor. Public policy, international relations, national security policy, public management.
Research Profile

Michael H. O'Hare, Professor. Public policy, quantitative methods, environmental policy, public management, arts policy.
Research Profile

Steve Raphael, Professor. Crime, public policy, employment discrimination, labor economics, racial inequality, urban economics, and criminal justice policy.
Research Profile

Robert B. Reich, Professor. Economic inequality, industrial policy, macroeconomic policy, public management and leadership.
Research Profile

Peter H Schuck, Professor.

Robert Stern, Professor.

Associate Professors

Sean Farhang, Associate Professor.

Jack (John) Glaser, PhD, Associate Professor. Research methods, public policy, experimental social psychology, hate crime, political psychology, stereotyping, racial profiling, prejudice & discrimination, nonconscious social cognition.
Research Profile

Rucker Charles Johnson, Associate Professor.

Jane Mauldon, Associate Professor. Demography, public policy, quantitative methods, health policy and economics, poverty and public policy, the teen-parent component of California’s welfare reforms.
Research Profile

Jesse Rothstein, Associate Professor. Inequality, unemployment, tax policy, local public finance, value added, teacher quality, black-white gap, segregation, economics of education, labor market.
Research Profile

Assistant Professors

Sarah Anzia, PhD, Assistant Professor.

Alexander Michael Gelber, Assistant Professor.

Solomon Hsiang, Assistant Professor.

Amy E. Lerman, Assistant Professor.

Adjunct Faculty

Daniel Acland, Adjunct Faculty.

Blas Perez Henriquez, PhD, Adjunct Faculty.

Larry Rosenthal, Adjunct Faculty.