How hard is public policy as a major at Duke?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
1

I was wondering what the grading system is like for public policy majors–how hard is it to get straight As and come out of college with a 4.0 gpa? What is the work load like and what are the teachers like?

I want to go into business school so would this be a good major for that?

I was also thinking of doing the certificate program in Innovation & Entrepreneurship? Thoughts on that?

2

Its not hard from what I’ve heard. People who drop econ go into pub pol

3

It may not be as hard as econ, but coming out of Duke with a 4.0 GPA IS extremely rare, no matter what your major. This isn’t high school…Pub pol is not considered a joke of a major, you’ll have to work hard. A 4.0 GPA is not a realistic goal for the vast majority of students, to be honest. It’s perhaps considered easier than something like econ because it’s not as math-intensive. I can’t speak to the workload or professors as I never took a pub policy course. Yes, it’d be a fine major to prepare for business school.

4

There’s a lot of people who drop Econ who end up being PubPol majors. Definitely considered one of the easier majors at Duke, but its still Duke and not easy.

5

Thanks all of you!
To bluedog: I know it’s not a joke of a major, I’m actually really interested in policy. I’m considering maybe a double major in public policy + compsci with a certificate in I&E, but of course things may (probably) change in college :slight_smile:
I just want to make sure the workload is manageable and that I can keep up good grades (of course I may not get a 4.0 but I think setting that as a goal is a motivation at least)

6

@bluedog’s post is exactly right. May I offer one additional thought to our ‘19 Dukies, who have raised this – and many similar – questions. A primary goal for your next four years is LEARNING, in and beyond Duke’s classes, capitalizing on tremendous investments of time, talent and treasury – some yours and your parents’ but others the faculty’s, Duke benefactors’ and leaders,’ and so forth. It just might be wise to focus more on learning than on grades. GPA will follow successful learning, but the reverse is not universally true. Furthermore, in life’s long haul, learning is what really counts.