Undergraduate Minor in Public Policy

Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

Drive social change with a public policy minor

The Evans School’s Minor in Public Policy offers a relevant and exciting introduction to the field of public policy and the frameworks leaders use to address complex 21st century public challenges. Through this minor, you will learn how to use data and evidence to make sound public decisions, design effective public policy that is responsive to human behavior, and grow your leadership aptitude in order to navigate complex political and policy environments upon graduation. You will also develop your capacity to understand organizations, to lead and negotiate, and to broaden your understanding of the role of the nonprofit and social sectors in building stronger, healthier, and more just communities.

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2024-25 Course Offerings

This list includes the undergraduate courses offered during this academic year. While every effort is made to ensure this information is accurate and up to date, it is subject to change.

Autumn 2024

PUBPOL 201 Introduction to Public Policy and Governance (5)
PUBPOL 403 Leadership in Action (5)
PUBPOL 499A Topics in Public Policy: Health Equity & Policy (5)
PUBPOL 499B Topics in Public Policy: Negotiation (5)
PUBPOL 499C Topics in Public Policy: Legislative Relations (5)
PUBPOL 499D Topics in Public Policy: Data Science for Public Policy (5)

Winter 2025

PUBPOL 201 Introduction to Public Policy and Governance (5)
PUBPOL 303 Methods of Policy Inquiry (5)
PUBPOL 313 Evidence-Based Policy Implementation (5)
PUBPOL 355 Special Topics in Nonprofits (5)
PUBPOL 499A Topics in Public Policy (5)
PUBPOL 499B Topics in Public Policy (5)

Spring 2025

PUBPOL 201 Introduction to Public Policy and Governance (5)
PUBPOL 301 Truth, Evidence, and Analytics (5)
PUBPOL 302 Public Service Leadership (5)
PUBPOL 321 Decision Making, Behavior, and Policy Design (5)
PUBPOL 402 Ethics, Leadership, and Policy Implementation (5)
PUBPOL 403 Leadership in Action (5)
PUBPOL 499A Topics in Public Policy (5)
PUBPOL 499B Topics in Public Policy (5)

Public Policy Minor-at-a-Glance

25 credits

PUBPOL 201 (5 credits)
20 credits from 300- or 400-level PUBPOL courses or other courses approved by the Evans School
Minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA for all courses applied to the minor
Minimum 15 credits taken in residence through the UW-Seattle campus

Additional requirements from UW Undergraduate Advising:

Any undergraduate student with at least sophomore standing (45 credits completed) who is declared in a major may declare a minor. There are no departmental admission requirements for the Public Policy Minor.
Only the adviser in your major department can sign off to declare a minor; this is to ensure you meet university satisfactory progress requirements.
Courses taken S/NS may not be counted toward a minor.

Skills & Proficiencies

Building upon skills developed in students’ majors and other coursework, specific learning outcomes for public policy minor are:

Students will understand the public policy environment;
Students will learn how policies are crafted, adopted, implemented, and evaluated;
Students will learn how to preserve ethics and legitimacy and ensure fairness and equity in policy;
Students will develop scientifically grounded analytical skills to address public policy and governance challenges;
Students will develop the ability to think critically, solve problems, and make decisions in the context of public policy analysis and implementation;
Students will develop their ability to work collaboratively in diverse groups to develop solutions to policy challenges;
Students will learn to communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry; and
Students will develop skills relevant to leading effectively in the public service context.

Declare the Minor

To declare the Public Policy Minor students must have:

Declared a major
Completed at least 45 credits

You can declare the Public Policy Minor with your departmental major adviser.