Public Policy and American Institutions

Public Policy and American Institutions focuses on the formation, implementation and evaluation of solutions to social, economic, and political problems in the United States. Among the policy areas covered are education, health care, urban welfare, law, technology, race, and gender. Students may choose to specialize in a specific substantive area of public policy on policymaking and policy analysis more generally. In consultation with the concentration advisor, PPAI concentrators design their individualized concentration plans.


Ten Courses are required of all concentrators.

Core Courses (five required):

  1. Introduction to Public Policy PPAI 0100
  2. Ethics and Public Policy POLS 1050 or PPAI 1700T
  3. Microeconomics ECON 1110 or 1130 or EDUC 1130
  4. Research Methods POLS 1600 or EDUC 1110 or ECON 1620 or 1630 or SOC
  5. Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation PPAI 1200 or EDUC 1160

Elective Courses (five required):

  1. Two courses in American Institutions
  2. One course in global policy
  3. Two courses in policy problems
  4. Two of the five elective courses must have primary listing in Public Policy
  5. One of the five elective courses must be designated as a writing course

Honors: Candidates for honors should apply in the Spring term of their third year. Successful candidates will enroll in the Public Policy Colloquium and prepare a senior honors paper.

Page last updated in February, 2012.

Back to Brown University Registrar's Home Page