The Thomas Jefferson Program in Public Policy (MPP)

Undergraduate Curriculum: Electives

Students may choose a minimum of any four courses to fulfill the electives portion of their major.   While there are several topic areas represented, students are free to choose any courses on the list to fulfill the requirements.   In addition, students may petition to have a course that is not listed be approved for major elective credit.

  • Business 440 - International Business Management
  • Business 442 - The Psychology of Decision Making (Cross listed with PSYC 375)
  • Economics 304 - Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory
  • Economics 308 - Econometrics (if not taken for core)
  • Economics 311 - Money and Banking
  • Economics 322 - Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
  • Economics 341 - American Economic History
  • Economics 355 - Seminar in Population Economics
  • Economics 362 - Government Regulation of Business
  • Economics 382 - Comparative Economics
  • Economics 383 - Survey of Development Economics
  • Economics 408 - Time Series Econometrics
  • Economics 412 - Stabilization Policy
  • Economics 420 - Economics of Information
  • Economics 422 - Applied Environmental Economics
  • Economics 451 - Labor Market Analysis
  • Economics 452 - Income Distribution and Human Resources
  • Economics 456 - Economics of Health Care 
  • Economics 460 - Economic Analysis of the Law
  • Economics 461 - Industrial Organization: Theory, Evidence, and Cases
  • Economics 475 - International Trade Theory and Policy
  • Economics 476 - International Finance and Open Economy Macroeconomics
  • Government 307 - Political Polling and Survey Analysis (if not taken for core)
  • Government 324 - U.S. Foreign Policy (will count toward concentration elective credit only if History 445 not selected)
  • Government 328 - International Political Economy
  • Government 353 - The Politics of States and Localities
  • Government 360 - American Welfare State
  • Government 370 - The Legislative Process
  • Government 371 - The Presidency
  • Government 372 - American Legal Process 
  • Government 373 - Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
  • Government 435 - Seminar: Political Economy of the Newly Industrializing Countries
  • Government 454 - Seminar: The Politics of Metropolitan Areas
  • Government 465 - Seminar: Public Opinion and Voting Behavior
  • Government 470 - Seminar: Congress and the President
  • History 436 - History of American Foreign Policy in the Cold War Era (major elective credit only if Government 324 not selected)
  • History 443 - The Rise of Urban America
  • Mathematics 323 - Operations Research I – Deterministic Models
  • Mathematics 424 - Operations Research II – Stochastic Models
  • Psychology 320 - Community Psychology and Prevention
  • Psychology 375 - Psychology of Decision Making (Cross listed with BUAD 442)
  • Psychology 450 - Social Psychology and the Law
  • Religious Studies 322 - Medicine and Ethics
  • Sociology 302 - Criminology
  • Sociology 306 - Urban Sociology
  • Sociology 307 - Sociology of Education
  • Sociology 308 - Environmental Sociology
  • Sociology 311 - Birth, Sex, Death: Population & Society
  • Sociology 352 - Methods of Social Research (if not taken for core) 
  • Sociology 362 - Medical Sociology
  • Sociology 405 - Sociology of Aging
  • Sociology 426 - Sociology of Mental Illness
  • Sociology 427 - Globalization and the Environment
  • Sociology 429 - Deviance and Social Control
  • Public Policy 390 - Topics in Public Policy (as well as 300 and 400 level Topics courses in Economics, Government, History, Psychology and Sociology, provided that the course has a strong public policy focus) 
  • Public Policy 490 -Independent Study (as well as independent study in Economics, Government, History, Psychology, and Sociology, provided that the project has a strong public policy focus)
  • Public Policy 495, 496 - Public Policy Honors

Description of Courses

275W. University Seminar.
Fall and Spring (4) Staff.
A reading-, writing-, and discussion-intensive seminar. Topics vary by semester and by instructor. Restricted to transfer students and co-enrolled students. Students receiving a grade of “C-” or better in the seminar will have satisfied the lower-division writing requirement.

*390. Topics in Public Policy.
Fall and Spring (3,3) Staff.
Selected topics in public policy. The topic to be considered will be announced prior to the beginning of the semester. This course may be repeated for credit.

*391. Seminar-Short Course in Public Policy.
Fall and Spring (1,1) Staff.
Selected topics in public policy. The topic to be considered will be announced prior to the beginning of the semester. This course may be repeated for credit.

†490. Independent Study.
Fall and Spring (3,3) McBeth.
Directed readings/research course conducted on individual or group basis on various topics in public policy. The course may not be taken more than twice.

†495-496. Honors.
Fall, Spring (3,3) McBeth.
Students admitted to the Public Policy Honors program will be enrolled in this course during both semesters of their senior year. Students are responsible for (a) reading a selected bibliography; (b) satisfactory completion by April 15th of an original scholarly essay; and (c) satisfactory performance on a comprehensive oral examination. A student who completes the Honors essay but does not achieve Honors may be given credit for Public Policy 490. For College provisions governing the Admission to Honors, see catalog section titled Honors and Special Programs.

†498. Internship.
Fall and Spring (3,3) McBeth.
This course may be repeated for credit.