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 US 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.

Visit School Website

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.

Requirements

Courses

Public Policy

Faculty and Instructors

Faculty

Daniel J. Acland, Assistant Adjunct Professor. Benefit-Cost Analysis, Behavioral Economics, Behavior Change, Public Health.
Research Profile

Sarah F. Anzia, Assistant Professor. Elections, Government, Politics, State and Local Politics and Policy, Public Sector Unions, Women in Politics, Public Employee Pensions.
Research Profile

Henry Brady, Professor. Comparative politics, public policy, electoral politics, political participation, survey research, program evaluation, statistical methods in the social sciences, social welfare policy, Soviet Union, inequality in America.
Research Profile

Jennifer L. Bussell, Assistant Professor. Africa, comparative politics, Latin America, public policy & organization, South Asia.
Research Profile

Alain de Janvry, Professor. Agriculture, Poverty & Inequality, Rural Development, Quantitative Analysis of Development Policies, Impact Analysis of Social Programs, Technological Innovations in Agriculture, Management of Common Property Resources.
Research Profile

Sean Farhang, Associate Professor. Law and Political Science, Law and Politics, Courts, Regulation.
Research Profile

Avi Feller, Assistant Professor. Program Evaluation, Quantitative Methods.
Research Profile

Lee Friedman, Professor. Economic Organization, Environmental Markets, School Finance, Utility Regulation, Environment, Regulation, Public Finance.
Research Profile

Alexander Gelber, Assistant Professor. Economic Policy, Labor and Employment, Public Finance, Tax Policy, Social Security, Family Policy.
Research Profile

Jack Glaser, Associate Professor. Political Psychology, Stereotyping, Prejudice & Discrimination, Research Methods, Social Psychology, Hate Crime, Unconscious Social Cognition, Racial Profiling, Policing.
Research Profile

Jennifer M. Granholm, Adjunct Professor. Law, Energy, Renewable and Clean Energy, Labor and Employment, Politics, Economics of Industry, Manufacturing and Job Markets.
Research Profile

Hilary Hoynes, Professor. Tax Policy, Labor and Employment, Youth and Families, Government.
Research Profile

Solomon Hsiang, Associate Professor. Agriculture, Climate Change, Environment, International, Coupled Natural and Human Systems, Political Economy, Development Economics, Applied Econometrics.
Research Profile

Rucker Johnson, Associate Professor. Poverty and Inequality, Social Welfare, Labor and Employment, Urban Economics.
Research Profile

Daniel Kammen, Professor. Climate Change, Engineering, Environment, Energy, Renewable and Clean Energy, Energy Forecasting, Health and Environment, International R&D Policy, Race and Gender, Rural Resource Management.
Research Profile

David Kirp, Professor. Children, Youth and Families, Education, Race & Ethnicity, Law, Politics, Ethics, Early Childhood Education, Higher Education, Community.
Research Profile

Amy E. Lerman, Associate Professor. Politics, Criminal Justice, Privatization, Public Opinion, American Bureaucracy, Political Behavior.
Research Profile

Jane Mauldon, Associate Professor. Demography, Children, Youth and Families, Program Evaluation, Race & Ethnicity, Quantitative Methods, Social Welfare, Health, Poverty.
Research Profile

Stephen M. Maurer, Adjunct Professor. Homeland Security, Innovation Intellectual Property, Open Source, and Innovation, WMD Terrorism, Biosecurity, Phramaceutical Innovation, Database policy.
Research Profile

Michael Nacht, Professor. US National Security Policy and International Relations, Science, Technology and Public Policy, Management Strategies for Complex Organizations.
Research Profile

Janet Napolitano, Professor. Education, Leadership and Management, Politics.
Research Profile

Michael O'Hare, Professor. Arts Policy, Quantitative Methods, Environment, Public Management.
Research Profile

Steven Raphael, Professor. Labor and Employment, Race & Ethnicity, Criminal Justice, Quantitative Methods, Economic Policy, Program Evaluation, Housing & Urban Policy, Immigration, Poverty & Inequality, Discrimination, Employment Discrimination, Labor Economics, Racial Inequality, Urban Economics.
Research Profile

Robert Reich, Professor. Industrial Policy, Labor and Employment, Leadership and Management, Politics, Poverty, Inequality, Leadership and Social Change, Macroeconomic Policy, Social and Economic Policy.
Research Profile

Larry A. Rosenthal, Assistant Adjunct Professor. Housing and Urban Policy, Law, Land Use, Civic Engagement.
Research Profile

Jesse Rothstein, Professor. Tax Policy, Economic Policy, Education, Labor and Employment, Program Evaluation, Public Finance, Quantitative Methods.
Research Profile

Richard M. Scheffler, Professor. Health Policy and Health Economics, Competition and Regulation in Health Insurance Markets, The ACA and Covered California, Accountable Care Organizations and Market Power, Organization and Financing of Mental Health Services, Social Capital and Health, Global Health Workforce, Pay for Performance in the US and Around the Globe.
Research Profile

Janelle Scott, Associate Professor. Advocacy Politics, Educational Equity, Policy Analysis & Evaluation, Politics of Education, Privatization, Qualitative Methods, Education, Race & Policy, Urban Leadership, Urban Schooling.
Research Profile

Jennifer Skeem, Professor. Criminal Justice, Health Policy, Children, Youth and Families, Psychology and Law, Risk Reduction, Mental Health.
Research Profile

Lecturers

Mia Bird, Lecturer. Economic Demography, Criminal Justice Policy, Social Welfare Policy.
Research Profile

Hector Cardenas, Lecturer. US-Mexico Binational Policy, Data Driven Decision Making, Information Technology Strategy, Public Sector Operations, Regulatory Reform, Criminal Justice Reform.
Research Profile

Brent Copen, Lecturer.
Research Profile

Timothy M. Dayonot, Lecturer. Negotiation, Mediation and Conflict Resolution, Legislative Advocacy, Government Management.
Research Profile

John Decker, Lecturer.
Research Profile

Daniel Heimpel, Lecturer. Children, Youth and Families, Journalism and Media.
Research Profile

Saru Jayaraman, Lecturer. Food Policy.
Research Profile

Dan Lindheim, Lecturer. Housing and Urban Policy, Budget, Finance, Labor and Employment, Poverty and Inequality, City Management, Education Finance & Policy, Police and Criminal Justice, Public Employee Pensions, Public Health.
Research Profile

Larry Magid, Lecturer. Politics, Transportation Policy, Energy Policy, Strategic Communications.
Research Profile

Sudha Shetty, Lecturer. International Leadership and International Public Policy, Violence Against Women, International Child Abduction.
Research Profile

Amy Slater, Lecturer. Negotiation, Conflict Resolution.
Research Profile

Steven Weissman, Lecturer. Energy, Renewable and Clean Energy, Law, Environment.
Research Profile

Visiting Faculty

Michael Flaherman, Visiting Scholar. Budget/FinancePublic Employee Pensions.
Research Profile

Peter H. Schuck, Professor. Torts and Compensation Systems, Immigration, Citizenship and Refugee Policy, Administrative Law and Regulatory Policy,.
Research Profile

Emeritus Faculty

Eugene Bardach, Professor Emeritus. Leadership and Management, Implementation, Mental Health, Political Skill, Social Regulation.
Research Profile

Robert M. Berdahl, Professor Emeritus.

John Ellwood, Professor Emeritus. Financial Management, Public Sector Budgeting.
Research Profile

Michael W. Hanemann, Professor Emeritus. Environment, Water Management, Environment and Resource Economics.
Research Profile

Arnold Meltsner, Professor Emeritus.

Allan Sindler, Professor Emeritus.
Research Profile

Eugene Smolensky, Professor Emeritus. Poverty and Inequality, Public Finance, Income Distribution, Public Finance Welfare Reform.
Research Profile