Our 30-credit undergraduate major in public policy will start accepting students in fall 2026. It will be the first of its kind in Wisconsin.
About the major
Studying public policy at UW–Madison means going beyond headlines and soundbites. Through interdisciplinary coursework and hands-on learning, you will develop skills in policy analysis, strategic communication, civil discourse, and evidence-based decision-making. You’ll learn to analyze tradeoffs, anticipate unintended consequences, and communicate across differences.
A Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science in public policy will prepare you for a career in government, nonprofits, consulting, advocacy, or business. The 30-credit program will be distinct from other public policy undergraduate programs with courses focused on working across differences.
Course requirements
Take one of the core courses to declare the major. All core courses are required to complete the major.
- Public Affairs 200: Contemporary Public Policy Issues
- Public Affairs 230: Advancing Public Policy in a Divided America
- Public Affairs 335: Policy Actors, Institutions, and the Policy Process
- Choose one:
- Public Affairs 240: Evidence-Based Policymaking
- Public Affairs 340: Intermediate Evidence-Based Policymaking and Communication
- Public Affairs 380: Analytic Tools for Public Policy
Complete at least three credits of internship or workshop courses:
- Public Affairs 327: Administrative Internship
- Public Affairs 369: Workshop in Public Policy
- Public Affairs 360: Workshop in Health Policy
- Interdisciplinary Courses 260: Internship in the Liberal Arts and Sciences
- International Studies 523: International Internship
- Political Science 315: Legislative Internship
- Wisconsin in Washington study abroad
Students will complete 12 credits of intermediate or advanced policy-related coursework as part of the major.
Choose from the following courses:
- Public Affairs 285: Strategic Public Management
- Public Affairs 366: U.S. Environmental Politics and Public Policy
- Public Affairs/Political Science 419: Administrative Law
- Public Affairs 520: Inequality, Race, and Public Policy
- Public Affairs 523: Policy, Privacy, and Personal Identity in the Postgenomics Era
- Civil Society & Community Studies/American Indian Studies 330: American Indian Communities: Sovereignty, Struggles, and Successes
- Civil Society & Community Studies 460: Civil Society and Community Leadership
- Civil Society & Community Studies 470: The Human Rights of Children and Youth: Global and Local Perspectives
- Civil Society & Community Studies 510: Design & Write Grant Proposals
- Consumer Science 579: Consumer Policy Analysis
- Economics 370: Economics of Poverty and Inequality
- Economics/Real Estate & Urban Land Econ/Urban & Regional Planning 420 Urban and Regional Economics
- Economics 435: The Financial System
- Economics 455: Behavioral Economics
- Economics/Risk Management & Insurance 530: Insuring Life’s Risks: Health, Aging, and Policy
- Economics/Population Health Sciences/Public Affairs 548: The Economics of Health Care
- Economics 661: Issues in International Macroeconomics
- Educational Policy Studies 300: School and Society
- Educational Policy Studies 320: Climate Change, Sustainability, and Education
- Educational Policy Studies/History 412: History of American Education
- Educational Policy Studies 435: Education in Emergencies
- Educational Policy Studies 460: Immigration, Education, and Equity
- Educational Policy Studies 510: Urban School Policy
- Educational Policy Studies 518: Introduction to Debates in Higher Education Policy
- Educational Policy Studies/Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis /Legal Studies 542: Law and Public Education
- Educational Policy Studies/Gender & Women’s Studies 560: Gender and Education
- Educational Policy Studies 575: Education Policy and Practice
- Educational Policy Studies 595: Language Politics and Education
- Environmental Studies/English 305: Rhetoric, Science, and Public Engagement
- Environmental Studies 349: Climate Change Governance
- Environmental Studies/Geography 439: US Environmental Policy and Regulation
- Environmental Studies 417: Sustainability Science, Technology, and Policy
- Environmental Studies/Economics/Political Science/Urban & Regional Planning 449: Government and Natural Resources
- Environmental Studies/Forest & Wildlife Ecology 515: Natural Resources Policy
- French/International Business 314: Contemporary Issues in Business, Government, and NGOs
- Geography 307: International Migration, Health, and Human Rights
- Human Development & Family Studies 535: A Family Perspective in Policymaking
- History 434: American Foreign Relations, 1901 to the Present
- Library & Information Studies 407: Data Storytelling with Visualization
- Library & Information Studies 461: Data and Algorithms: Ethics and Policy
- Library & Information Studies 510: Human Factors in Information Security
- Library & Information Studies/Nursing 517: Digital Health: Information and Technologies Supporting Consumers and Patients
- Library & Information Studies/Legal Studies 663: Introduction to Cyberlaw
- Political Science 324: Chinese Politics
- Political Science 340: The European Union: Politics and Political Economy
- Political Science 343: Theories of International Security
- Political Science 359: American Foreign Policy
- Political Science 405: State Government and Public Policy
- Political Science/Gender & Women’s Studies 435: Politics of Gender and Women’s Rights in the Middle East
- Psychology 401: Psychology, Law, and Social Policy
- Social Work 420: Poverty and Social Welfare
Advising
Quick questionsPromoting civil dialogue
Learn about initiatives we are involved in to help foster civil dialogue.
On campus
The Wisconsin Exchange: Pluralism in Practice aims to help students, faculty, and staff engage, live, and lead in a polarized world and ensure UW–Madison is flourishing, pluralistic campus.
Across Wisconsin
We collaborate with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on the Main Street Agenda, highlighting issues important to Wisconsin voters through statewide events and opinion articles.