The Public Administration major is designed for undergraduates interested in studying and understanding the issues of governance and management of the public sector, and more specifically about the link between politics and public policy implementation. It is appropriate for those interested in public service careers in the federal government, state government, and/or local government including: city and county management, public finance administration, public personnel administration, and public policy analysis and program evaluation. This major prepares students for continuation of their education in professional and graduate schools of public administration, public policy analysis, and related fields. It also serves as a course of pre-legal study.
PA majors should begin by taking POL 241 and then POL 261, the introduction to public administration and a prerequisite for upper-level courses in this area. We also encourage PA majors to take ECO 201 (microeconomics) and 202 (macroeconomics) as early as possible in your major program.