The Bachelor of Science in Public Policy program is an interdisciplinary academic program, drawing upon the insights of political science, economics, research methods and statistics and other related fields, to help students tackle the “wicked problems” resistant to resolution in domestic public policy such as climate change, poverty and health care.

The coursework provides the basis to analyze economic and political issues, knowledge of organizations and how to lead them, and the foundations of policymaking and implementation. Students also gain a specialization through a minor of their choice.

Students in the program will learn to:

• Draw upon skills from multiple disciplines to analyze and evaluate contemporary public policy problems.
• Apply their academic skills in an applied setting through an internship or undergraduate research.
• Develop their communication skills through written policy briefs and more in-depth analyses of issues in the academic discipline of public policy studies.
• Conduct public policy research and policy analysis in the capstone class.

Careers in Public Policy

Students seeking a degree in public policy will be equipped with critical skills necessary for positions in public, nonprofit and private sectors. Common placement is in the following areas: policy analysis, education, consulting, government agencies, communications, lobbying, nonprofits/nongovernmental organizations, transportation, public service or financial services. Many public policy graduates also pursue professional and graduate degrees in economics, law, public administration, public policy, public health, education and planning.

The University’s Career Center is an important resource for students pursuing their career. Licensed counselors are available to provide strategies for mastering job interviews, writing professional cover letters and resumes and help students connect with campus recruiters, among other services.

Marketable Skills

Review the marketable skills for this academic program.

Public Policy at UT Dallas

The Bachelor of Science in Public Policy is a degree program intended for individuals who seek to analyze public policy issues and implement solutions based on qualitative and quantitative research. Graduates will be prepared to engage in research for public agencies, nonprofits, the private sector or nongovernmental organizations. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in internships while in the public policy program. This will provide an opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge acquired through coursework in a professional setting, as well as to expand valuable social network connections.

The general BS degree requires 120 hours to graduate: 42 hours from the University’s core curriculum, 30 hours from the major core, 24 hours of public policy courses and 24 hours of free electives. Students must complete a minor within these free elective hours. The School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences offers a 21-hour Public Policy minor and an 18-hour minor in Science, Technology, and Policy.

Fast Track

The Fast Track program enables exceptionally gifted UT Dallas students to include master’s level courses in their undergraduate degree plans. Students who meet the requirements for admission to graduate school and the minimum GPA requirement for their major can take up to 15 hours of graduate level coursework that can apply toward their undergraduate and graduate level coursework. To take graduate courses in the Fast Track program upper-division undergraduates must have completed 90 semester credit hours and petition their associate dean for permission to take graduate courses.

About the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences

Founded in 1975 as the School of Social Sciences, the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences (EPPS) is a compact, focused policy school embedded within a large, Carnegie-recognized Tier One university. EPPS students receive all of the benefits of studying at a major research university while also capitalizing on personalized instruction and close connections with faculty and classmates of a small college.

An EPPS education is interdisciplinary. Our nine discipline areas include:

• Criminology and Criminal Justice
• Cyber and Big Data Analytics
• Economics
• Geospatial Information Sciences
• Political Science
• Public and Nonprofit Management
• Public Policy and Political Economy
• Public Health, and
• Sociology

All nine disciplines are interrelated, and an understanding of one informs a better understanding of the others. For this reason, we encourage our students to explore the various majors and minors within EPPS and to take classes across majors. 

As an undergraduate in EPPS, you will have the opportunity to work with professors who are probing issues that will affect your future. You will develop the vital skills you need to thrive in a rapidly evolving, highly competitive job market. EPPS will prepare you for careers in government, non-profits and the private sector that enable you to make a real difference in the world of today and tomorrow.  The school has six affiliated centers and initiatives:

• Texas Schools Project

• Institute for Urban Policy Research
• Army ROTC – Comet Battalion
• North Texas Quality of Life Initiative
• Taiwan Studies Program
• Initiative for Civil Leadership

Degrees Offered

Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts: Criminology, economics, geospatial information sciences, international political economy, political science, public affairs, public health, public policy, sociology

Master of Science: Applied sociology, criminology, cyber security, technology and policy, economics, geospatial information sciences, international political economy, social data analytics and research

Master of Arts: Political science

Master of Public Affairs: Public affairs

Master of Public Policy: Public policy

Doctor of Philosophy: Criminology, economics, geospatial information sciences, political science, public affairs, public policy and political economy

Undergraduate Certificates

Undergraduate Certificates

EPPS offers the following 12-hour undergraduate certificates, which generally can be completed in one year of part-time evening classes:

• Nonprofit Management: designed to provide an overview of the nature and context of nonprofit organizations and develop competencies needed by nonprofit managers.

Graduate Certificates

EPPS offers the following 15-hour graduate certificates, which generally can be completed in one year of part-time evening classes:

• Arts Management and Leadership: focuses on the knowledge and skills necessary to work in the nonprofit sector professional settings providing visual or performing arts content and services.
• Economic and Demographic Data Analysis: focusing on the understanding and application of quantitative analysis of demographic and economic data.
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS): focusing on the application of GIS in government, private sector and scientific areas.
• Geospatial Intelligence: focusing on the application of geospatial ideas and techniques to national security and other intelligence activity.
• International Banking and Monetary Systems: focusing on applications for monetary economics, forecasting, and macroeconomic aspects of banking
• Local Government Management: designed to broaden knowledge of important issues and approaches employed by professional local public administrators.
• Nonprofit Management: designed to provide an overview of the nature and context of nonprofit organizations and develop competencies needed by nonprofit managers.
• Program Evaluation: designed to provide students the opportunity to gain competencies in the design and implementation of program evaluations in fields such as education, health care, human services, criminal justice and economic development.
• Public Budgeting and Financial Management: designed to enhance students’ understanding and experience in public budgeting and financial management and control, governmental or non-profit accounting, and public expenditure planning, management, and fiscal control.
• Public Human Resources Management: designed to give students a full introduction to the principles, strategies, and techniques of public human resources management.
• Remote Sensing: focusing on remote sensing and digital image processing.
• Spatial Data Science: focusing on big data handling, machine learning, programming skills, and capabilities in geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing/drone, geovisualization, locational intelligence, and spatial pattern analysis.
• Nonprofit Management: designed to broaden knowledge of important issues in the nonprofit sector and learn practical skills of managing people and data that are key to securing managerial positions and being successful in the nonprofit sector.