Public Administration and Public Affairs (PAPA track)

Political Science majors may concentrate in Public Administration and Public Affairs (PAPA track). This track is designed for students who may seek a career in government service at the federal, state, or local level.  It develops analytic and quantitative skills, while providing substantive knowledge of a range of public-policy problems, and the management systems designed to implement policy decisions.

Students in this track complete the courses required for the Political Science major:

• PS 120 - (S) U.S. Politics: Principles & Citizenship  
• PS 121 - (S) U.S. Politics: Institutions & Policy  
• PS 212 - (S) International Relations  
• PS 217 - Comparative Government  
• PS 210 - (Q,W,EPW) Political Science Research  

and either

• PS 313 - (D) Classical Political Ideas  or PS 314 - (D) Modern Political Ideas  

as well as

• PS 135 - (S) State and Local Government  
• PS 232 - Public Administration  
• PS 480 - Political Science Internship I  

For their remaining Political Science electives, students choose four courses from the following:

• PS 216 - (D,S) Women’s Rights and Status  
• PS 227 - (D,S) Women, Authority and Power  
• PS 230 - (S) Environmental Laws and Regulations  
• PS 231 - (S) Environmental Policy Process  
• PS 317 - Parties, Elections, and Interest Groups  
• PS 319 - (W) U.S. Foreign Policy Process  
• PS 322 - Public Personnel  
• PS 325 - Politics of the Budgetary Process  
• PS 327 - U.S. Congress  
• PS 329 - The American Presidency  

Students in this track would complete their cognate in one of two ways.

Option One:

Students Complete:

• HIST 110 - (CH) History of the United States to 1877  - HIST 111 - (CH) History of the United States from Reconstruction to the Present  
• HIST 120 - (CH) Europe: 1500 to the Present  - HIST 121 - (CH) Europe: 1815 to Present  
• ECO 153 - (S) Principles of Microeconomics  
• ECO 154 - (S,) Principles of Macroeconomics  
• ACC 253 - Financial Accounting  
• ACC 254 - Managerial Accounting  

Option Two:

Students complete a minor, concentration, or another special program in consultation with Dr. Harris, the track advisor.