Undergraduate minor in public policy | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Undergraduate minor in public policy

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Our minor in public policy is a competitive-admissions program designed to make the critical thinking and analytical skills taught at the Ford School available to more Michigan undergraduates.

Students enrolled in the minor will learn to design and analyze public policies using a range of social science perspectives; think critically, and write and communicate clearly about policy issues; engage on social issues with people from diverse backgrounds and design policy solutions from diverse perspectives; and productively participate in debates about social problems and potential policy solutions.

The application for Fall 2026 is now closed. Admissions decisions will be released by the end of May.

 

Who should apply?

The ideal student for the Ford School minor will be committed to some other important discipline—engineering, sociology, business, or organizational studies, for example—and seeking to layer their education with perspectives from the lens of public policy.

Students in LSA, the College of Engineering, the Ross School of Businesses, the School of Information, the School of Public Health, Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning, School of Kinesiology, the Marsal Family School of Education, the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, the School of Nursing, and the Stamps School of Art & Design are eligible to apply to the minor.

Learn more about the application process.

Curriculum requirements

There are no course prerequisites to apply to the minor. 

Students admitted for Fall 2026 (17 credits):

  • PUBPOL 201: Systematic Thinking: Problems of the Day (4 credits) or PUBPOL 240: Introduction to Technology Policy (3 credits)
  • PUBPOL 320: Politics, Political Institutions, and Public Policy (4 credits) or POLISCI 310: The Politics of Public Policy (4 credits)
  • ECON 101: Principles of Economics I (4 credits)
  • 5-6 credits of elective courses

Students admitted for Fall 2025 (15 credits):

  • PUBPOL 201: Systematic Thinking: Problems of the Day (4 credits) or **PUBPOL 240: Introduction to Technology Policy (3 credits)
  • PUBPOL 320: Politics, Political Institutions, and Public Policy (4 credits) or POLISCI 310: The Politics of Public Policy (4 credits)
  • PUBPOL 310: Understanding Public Policy Using an Economics Framework (4 credits). (This course is designed for those students who have not taken ECON 101. If a student has taken ECON 101, they can substitute another Ford School elective in place of PUBPOL 310.**)
  • 3 credits of elective courses

**If you elect to take PUBPOL 240, or if you substitute another Ford School elective in place of PUBPOL 310, you'll need to complete 4 credits of elective courses. If you take both PUBPOL 240 and a Ford School elective in place of PUBPOL 310, you'll need to complete 5 credits of elective courses.

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Learn more about our faculty experts

Alongside their critical work as teachers and mentors, Ford School faculty members are nationally and internationally recognized experts in vitally important policy areas. And they're deeply engaged in the world of practice. They include senior government advisors, current and former members of the Council of Economic Advisers, leaders of international nonprofits, and more.
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More information

For prospective students, email the admissions team at [email protected].

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