Undergraduate Program in Public Policy
Program Options

For academic advising, call Chloé Gable at 303.871.2468 or email cgable@du.edu

The Undergraduate Program in Public Policy offers three options for ambitious students:

• Major in public policy
• Minor in public policy
• 4+1 Program (BA and Master of Public Policy (MPP) in just 5 years)

The public policy major requires:

• Completion of at least 50 hours of approved courses offered by the Undergraduate Program in Public Policy, including the five core courses
• Completion of a second undergraduate major (BA major) offered by the University of Denver
• Completion of a public policy internship (optional)
• Completion of a public policy independent study (optional)
  

Public policy majors may choose their required second major from among those they deem the most relevant, useful, and interesting. Popular choices include political science, economics, history, sociology, international studies, and communications/journalism studies, but students may combine their public policy major with any other BA major at DU.

There is no cross-credit between the second major and the public policy program; a course carrying public policy credit does not count simultaneously for credit in public policy and the second major department.

The public policy minor requires:

• Completion of at least 25 hours of approved courses offered by the Undergraduate Program in Public Policy. Public policy minors are required to take the five core courses and one elective course or internship or indepdent study.

Admission Requirements:

• Must be a current public policy major in your junior year (the second BA major requirement also applies to 4+1 students)
• Minimum GPA of 3.5 (overall and in the major)
• GRE general test (Quantitative, Verbal and Analytical Writing sections)
• Application form
• $50 Application fee
• 3 letters of recommendation from faculty outside of the public policy program
• Personal statement of professional objectives
• Official transcripts (from schools other than DU, if applicable)

Curriculum Structure:

Fifty (50) hours of coursework must be completed to earn an undergraduate major in public policy. Sixty (60) hours of coursework must be completed to earn a Master of Public Policy.

Outside the 4+1 Program, a total of 110 hours of BA and MPP coursework must be completed. Inside the 4+1 Program, 14 hours of coursework completed during the Transition Year (Fourth/Senior Year) are "double-counted" as 28 hours - reducing the total coursework to 96 hours.