Public Policy Minor

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The minor in Public Policy, though housed within the Department of Political Science, is a joint program between Political Science and Economics that provides a concrete, tractable skill set for students to both understand the policymaking process and to evaluate public policy. This minor draws upon a number of fields that faculty at USD are trained in, including political science, public economics, and public affairs/policy.

18-27 Credit Hours Required

Departmental Requirements (9 hours)

ECON 201 - Principles of Microeconomics (C) [SGR #3, HSDC]
POLS 226 - Introduction to Public Policy
Choose one of the following:
STAT 281 - Introduction to Statistics (C) [SGR #5, HSDC]
BADM 220 - Business Statistics (C)

Electives (9-18** hours)

Choose 3 to 6 credits from the following ECON courses:
ECON 410 - Economic Growth & Development
ECON 441 - International Trade (C)
ECON 472 - Resource & Environmental Economics (C)
ECON 301 - Intermediate Microeconomics (C) *
ECON 433 - Public Finance (C) *
ECON 445 - International Macroeconomics *
ECON 450 - Industrial Organization (C) *
ECON 482 - Labor Economics (C) *
Choose 3 to 6credits from the following POLS courses:
POLS 407 - Environmental Law & Policy (C)
POLS 421 - The Nonprofit Sector
POLS 426 - Public Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation
POLS 438 - The Legislative Process
POLS 442 - National Security Policy
POLS 452 - Globalization and Development
POLS 467 - Analytic Techniques in Public Policy
POLS 404 - Local Government Administration and Politics *

Note:

*Prerequisite course required
**Students may complete the minor with 18 credits (9 required+9 elective) if they do not choose electives that require a prerequisite but may take up to 27 credit hours (9 required +18 elective) to complete if they choose courses with prerequisites.

Note: Electives: 10 of the 16 electives for this minor do not have a prerequisite. This allows the minor to be completed in 18 credit hours.