Joint Program in Public Policy Curriculum

The Bachelor of Arts (AB) in Public Policy is a joint degree program offered by the College of Arts & Sciences and the McCourt School of Public Policy. The Joint Program in Public Policy (JPPP) combines training in the liberal arts and education of the whole person with specialized knowledge and professional skills in public policy. 

First-year students enrolling in Fall 2023 and beyond are eligible for this degree. 

Students who enroll in the JPPP will spend their first two years on the Hilltop where they will complete University and College of Arts & Sciences core requirements, as well as a public policy gateway course. JPPP students will then spend their Junior and Senior years on the Capitol Campus completing course and experiential learning requirements in the McCourt School of Public Policy.

Students who intend to enroll in this degree will be advised to complete their University and College Core requirements in their first two years.

The JPPP degree program features a 3-credit gateway course, How Public Policy Works (PPOL 2000), that introduces students to a range of contemporary public policy problems and the analytical frameworks and methodological tools used to design and evaluate solutions. This course is open to all Georgetown undergraduates and will be offered on the Hilltop only.

In addition to the gateway course, JPPP majors are required to complete ten (10) courses for a total of eleven (11) courses. Degree requirements to be completed on the Capitol Campus include: four core courses, two skills based courses, three electives and one experiential course. 

The core courses that introduce students to the interdisciplinary tools required to define policy problems and design and evaluate solutions are:

• PPOL 3000 Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis
• PPOL 3001 Economics for Public Policy
• PPOL 3002 Political Analysis for Public Policy
• PPOL 3003 Policy Implementation

To build more advanced skills for policy analysis and evaluation, students will be required to complete two (2) Methods & Skills electives (or a total of 6 credits) from a broad set of policy analysis skills-based courses offered at McCourt.  

To cultivate a richer understanding of a policy domain, students will complete 3 electives drawn from the following policy clusters: 

• Environment, Energy and Climate Change
• International Development  
• Political Strategy and Governance 
• Social Policy

Students must select a 3-credit signature course (PPOL 3100/3200/3300/3400) from one of the  policy clusters and 2 additional electives from any of the policy clusters.

To connect learning in the classroom with real world policy, students will be required to enroll in either a (i) 4-credit internship seminar; or, (ii) 3-credit policy lab.  These experiential courses expose students to local, federal, state and/or international agencies as well as non-governmental organizations engaged in designing and/or implementing policy solutions.  

Across core, elective, experiential and skill-based courses, students will practice a variety of policy-oriented research methods and strategic communication skills. Assignments building these skills will include short pieces such as policy memos, blogs, reflections, and op-eds as well as longer pieces such as policy analyses and argumentative essays. Writing is integrated across the curricula, and policy cluster signature courses fulfill the Integrated Writing requirement.