For Students
Public Policy Analytics Minor
The Baker Center is excited to announce UTK’s first Public Policy Analytics Minor. The Center offers this minor for students pursuing majors in all colleges. Public policy research and the growing importance of dealing with large amounts of data in all fields requires advanced analytical tools and applied data-driven experiences. This Public Policy Analytics Minor will benefit students majoring in many fields and in preparation for graduate school. Learn more about the PPA Minor and see if it is what you need to further your future career.
Requirements
Students must successfully complete the following 18 hours of requirements:
- ECON 311 – Intermediate Microeconomics (3 hours)
- ECON 381 – Econometrics (3 hours)
- BCPP 480 – Policy Process and Program Evaluation (3 hours) – team taught by faculty from economics and political science/public administration
- BCPP 490 – Capstone (3 hours) Research policy project – Offered beginning in Spring 2018
Students must additionally take 2 courses in one of the following tracks from the approved list (or customize your own):
- Economic and Community Development
- Energy, Mobility, and Environment
- Global Security and Foreign Affairs
- Tools for Policy Analysis
Timeline
The minor will be capped at 15 students per year, admitted as a cohort each spring semester, to provide focused support for students. The cohort will take BCPP 480 in the fall followed by BCPP 490 in the spring. Applications will be accepted until the cohort is at capacity. Applications will be reviewed and interviews conducted on a rolling basis.
Admission Pre-Requisites
Students must have completed 45 hours with a minimum 3.25 GPA, including these pre-requisite courses:
- BCPP 101 (Intro to Public Policy) OR POLS 240 (Intro to Public Admin.) OR POLS 311 (Contemporary Issues in American Public Policy)
- CMST 210/217 (Public Speaking) OR CMST 240/247 (Business & Professional Communications)
- STATS 201/207 (Statistics – pre-requisite of Math 125, 141 or 152)
- ECON 201/207 (Economics) OR ECON 211 (Microeconomics)
Rationale
The minor was developed with input from faculty from law, economics, political science and university honors following an internal review of other programs at the University of Tennessee and universities elsewhere.
Students will be exposed to the foundations of public policy and the policymaking process, analytical tools from economics and political science, quantitative methods and program evaluation techniques, subject matter from a student’s selected public policy field and a capstone experience that requires hands-on applications in conducting public policy research.
