Public Policy Minor

Undergraduates who minor in public policy often describe it as the perfect way to better understand how policy affects all aspects of society—from urban development, international relations, and technological change to health care, education, and the law.

The Public Policy Minor is open to Dartmouth undergraduates from all majors who seek a coherent program of study in the broadly defined field of public policy. This program prepares students for careers in a variety of policy-related fields, including jobs in policy analysis, research and not-for-profit organizations, and as consultants for business and government entities.

Since 2015, The Nelson A. Rockefeller Center has graduated well over 100 Public Policy Minors from across a wide variety of academic disciplines. In this six-year period, students from 18 different majors completed the public policy minor. While Government, Economics, and History majors are represented in each of the six classes since 2015, the public policy minor has attracted students from: Geography, Biology, Environmental Studies, Anthropology, Neuroscience, English, Engineering, Sociology, Quantitative Social Sciences, Philosophy, Psychology, Native American Studies, Latin American, Latino and Caribbean Studies, Theater, and Chemistry (as well as a special major in Health Policy). In each of the six years since 2015, an average of eight different majors were represented in each graduating cohort. Students included in this analysis completed the six-course sequence that constitutes our Public Policy Minor.

Intentionally flexible and broad in scope, the program draws faculty from across the social sciences and interdisciplinary programs. Prominent policy makers and scholars who visit the campus offer an even closer look at policy making not only through lectures and seminars but also during informal dinner discussions with students that provide a chance to examine issues one-to-one.

For more information, contact Professor Ronald Shaiko or Laura Mitchell, program officer, at (603) 646-2229.

You might also be interested in:

• Policy Research Shop
• Engineering Sciences Major Modified with Public Policy

The public policy minor requirements include a research methods prerequisite and six courses.

Courses draw from across the social sciences and interdisciplinary programs.

Your track can concentrate on subjects such as economics, education, the environment, health, law, leadership, or urban studies.

Submit a course selection worksheet along with a one-page proposal to Professor Ronald Shaiko.