Minors
Amplify your undergraduate degree by pursuing a minor at the McCourt School of Public Policy.
Georgetown Bulletin
The Georgetown University Bulletin has the most up-to-date list of minors you can pursue towards your undergraduate degree. Browse the full list and discover which minors require an application.
Policy-focused minor
Complement your A.B. in Public Policy and expand your expertise by pursuing a minor designed to amplify your policy tool kit. McCourt’s policy-focused minor allows you to dive deeper into the specialized area of applied data science, equipping you with the tools needed to bridge foundational computational techniques with field-specific applications.
Explore our minors
The Applied Data Science Minor is an interdisciplinary cross-campus program offered by the McCourt School of Public Policy. Designed for undergraduates looking to merge substantive domain knowledge with cutting-edge analytical tools, the program provides core statistical knowledge, algorithmic thinking, and hands-on experience with real-world data science projects. Students learn to manage complex datasets, design compelling visualizations, and critically analyze the ethical dimensions of data science—such as privacy and algorithmic bias—across diverse fields.
By bridging foundational computational techniques with field-specific applications, this minor prepares students to lead with data-driven insights in both academic and professional domains.
Curriculum Overview
The minor consists of a six-course curriculum that requires no prerequisite courses to get started:
PPOL 4601- Applied Data Science Minor Capstone (offered Fall 2027/Spring 2028)
Introduction to Data Science (1 course): A foundational core course focusing on data concepts and basic computational skills, taught on the Hilltop campus.
- PPOL 3602 – World of Data (COSC 1016)
Applied Statistics (1 course): A core requirement focusing on regression methods, satisfied through a variety of existing approved courses across both campuses
- PPOL 3000 – Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis
- GOVT 2201 – Analysis of Political Data
- ECON 2110 – Economic Statistics
- MATH 2140 – Introduction to Math Statistics
- OPAN 2101 – Business Statistics
- INAF 3200 – Quantitative Methods for International Affairs
Machine Learning (1 course): An advanced core requirement introducing data science tools and statistical learning.
- MATH 2620 – Statistical Learning and Data Science
- Note: need to complete MATH 2140/GOV 2201/ECON 2110
- PPOL 5204 – Data Science II – Applied Statistical Learning
Electives (2 Courses): Chosen from an extensive, cross-disciplinary list of classes offered on both the Hilltop and Capitol campuses, covering topics ranging from Data Visualization and Text as Data to AI Ethics and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
Capstone (1 course): A culminating core research course taken on the Capitol Campus, where students apply their accumulated data science skills to a substantive project of personal interest, such as policy evaluation, economic modeling, or biological forecasting.
Subject minors
Georgetown’s subject minors offer a diverse array of academic pursuits designed to complement and enrich your public policy major. These minors provide an opportunity to explore new disciplines, gain interdisciplinary insights and cultivate critical thinking skills across various subjects. Whether your aspirations lie on Capitol Hill, in think tanks, at non-profits or across international arenas, a minor allows you to tailor your education to your interests and career aspirations.
- Anthropology
- Art
- Art history
- Biology
- Black studies
- Catholic studies
- Chemistry
- Classical studies
- Cognitive science
- Computer science
- Creative writing
- Disability studies
- Economics
- Education, inquiry and justice
- English
- Environment and sustainability
- Film and media studies
- Global development studies
- Global health
- Global Medieval studies
- Government
- History
- Jewish civilization
- Journalism
- Justice and peace studies
- Latin American studies
- Linguistics
- Mathematics
- Medical humanities, culture and society
- Music
- Muslim-Christian understanding
- Performing arts
- Philosophy
- Philosophy and bioethics
- Physics
- Psychology
- Public health
- Religion, ethics and world affairs
- Russian literature and culture (in translation)
- Sociology
- Statistics
- Tech, ethics and society
- Theater and performance studies
- Theology and religious studies
- Women’s and gender studies
Language minors
At Georgetown, go beyond fulfilling the foreign language proficiency requirement and expand your policy tool kit by pursuing a language minor and dive deeper into the language, its literature and culture. As a Joint Program in Public Policy student, a language minor can open doors to international policy analysis, non-profit leadership and diplomacy by providing you with the cultural literacy needed to advocate for communities on a global scale.
Amplify your impact
Explore opportunities that make the Joint Program in Public Policy unique with our applied data science minor, accelerated masters and campus experience to build a degree that prepares you for success.
Two Campuses
Public policy students have the unique opportunity to live and study on two campuses. In this sense, public policy students will have the best of both worlds: the residential small college experience and the urban university experience.
Accelerated Masters
Bridge the gap between undergraduate study and professional mastery. Our five-year BA/MPP offers an affordable, seamless path to becoming an expert in policy design and implementation.