<p>I want to be a public policy major, or possibly double major in public policy and physics. I have a 31 ACT, 209 SAT, a 3.75 GPA, am Val at my school (5.1806 weighted GPA), and will have taken 17 AP exams by the time I graduate (let's assume I'm going to pass all of them, I have so far with an average of 4). What schools should I be looking at?</p>
<p>What’s your home state? How much can you afford and how likely is your family to get aid? Would you prefer a large, medium, or smaller school? Urban, suburban, or rural? Any other special requests such as greek life, particular religious organization, etc?</p>
<p>In addition to considering your finances and personal preferences (location, etc.), consider your particular areas of interest in public policy. Some programs focus on particular policy areas, e.g., urban policy, environmental policy, etc. </p>
<p>Also, not all schools will be equally strong in both public policy and physics. Since you have an interest in physics, are you also interested in science and technology policy? If so, you might consider schools that offer programs in the history of science and technology since they often cover policy aspects in such programs. Some such programs are listed under different titles, e.g., science, technology, & society. Some international relations/international studies programs offer thematic options in science/technology and international affairs. If you have an interest in environmental policy, you should check programs in environmental studies, which usually offer a subspecialty track in environmental economics and policy. These programs often are found either as specialty tracks in ag/resource economics depts. or as a free-standing interdisciplinary major, minor, or certificate program in colleges of arts and sciences. </p>
<p>For schools that don’t offer a public policy program, you might find public policy coursework in their political science depts. Combined with coursework in economics and appropriate internships, you could still focus on public policy. </p>
<p>Finally, consider that in some respects, a graduate program in public policy might yield more career benefits than an undergrad public policy major.</p>
<p>Here are some undergrad public policy programs:
Syracuse: [Public</a> Affairs Program - Home of the Policy Studies Major](<a href=“http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/paf/]Public”>http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/paf/)
Indiana: [Degrees</a> | SPEA - School of Public and Environmental Affairs | Indiana University Bloomington](<a href=“Indiana University Bloomington”>Indiana University Bloomington)
Georgia: [AB</a> / MPA Joint Degree | Degrees & Programs | Department of Public Administration and Policy](<a href=“http://padp.uga.edu/degrees_programs/ab_mpa_joint_degree/]AB”>http://padp.uga.edu/degrees_programs/ab_mpa_joint_degree/)
USC: [Undergraduate</a> Program - Bachelor of Science BS in Policy, Planning, and Development - USC Price School of Public Policy](<a href=“http://www.usc.edu/schools/price/programs/undergraduate/]Undergraduate”>http://www.usc.edu/schools/price/programs/undergraduate/)
Michigan: [Bachelor</a> of Arts in Public Policy | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy](<a href=“http://fordschool.umich.edu/curriculum/ba/]Bachelor”>http://fordschool.umich.edu/curriculum/ba/)
Arizona State: [— The School of Public Affairs](<a href=“http://spa.asu.edu/programs/undergraduate”>http://spa.asu.edu/programs/undergraduate</a>)
Duke: [Welcome</a> to Public Policy Studies! | Undergraduate Program - Sanford School of Public Policy](<a href=“http://undergraduate.sanford.duke.edu/]Welcome”>http://undergraduate.sanford.duke.edu/)
Chicago: [Public</a> Policy Studies in the College | The University of Chicago](<a href=“Undergraduate Program | The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy”>http://pbpl.uchicago.edu/)
North Carolina: [Undergraduate</a> Program ? Department of Public Policy at the University of North Carolina](<a href=“http://publicpolicy.unc.edu/undergraduates]Undergraduate”>http://publicpolicy.unc.edu/undergraduates)
Ohio State: [John</a> Glenn School of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University | Bachelor of Arts in Public Affairs](<a href=“http://glennschool.osu.edu/undergraduate/index.html]John”>http://glennschool.osu.edu/undergraduate/index.html)
Cornell: [Policy</a> Analysis and Management](<a href=“http://www.human.cornell.edu/pam/]Policy”>Cornell Brooks Public Policy)
Arizona: [Undergraduate</a> Programs | School of Government & Public Policy](<a href=“http://sgpp.arizona.edu/content/undergraduate-programs-0]Undergraduate”>http://sgpp.arizona.edu/content/undergraduate-programs-0)
Johns Hopkins: [Master</a> of Arts in Public Policy Joint Programs - Johns Hopkins University](<a href=“http://ips.jhu.edu/pub/Joint-Programs]Master”>http://ips.jhu.edu/pub/Joint-Programs)
Virginia: [BA</a> in Public Policy and Leadership | Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, U.Va.](<a href=“http://www.batten.virginia.edu/content/degree-programs/ba-public-policy-and-leadership]BA”>http://www.batten.virginia.edu/content/degree-programs/ba-public-policy-and-leadership)
Georgia Tech: [Bachelor</a> Why Do It? | School of Public Policy at Georgia Institute of Technology](<a href=“http://www.spp.gatech.edu/bachelor/whydoit]Bachelor”>http://www.spp.gatech.edu/bachelor/whydoit)
William & Mary: [William</a> & Mary - Undergraduate Program](<a href=“http://www.wm.edu/as/publicpolicy/undergrad/index.php]William”>Undergraduate Program | William & Mary)</p>
<p>Krawfy, zapfino has laid it out nicely for you. Assuming you maintain your GPA and Valedictorian status at school, most of the schools in his post will likely accept you. Chicago, Cornell and Michigan have the strongest combination of Physics and Public Policy. UC-Berkeley also offers a program, although in their case, it is a minor, not a major. This may be more realistic for a student intent on majoring in Physics. Princeton also offers an interesting program in Public Policy as the Woodrow Wilson School, and their Physics department is second to none.</p>
<p>All of the schools on zapfino’s list (besides Syracause and W&M) are strong research universities so their Physics offerings should be adequate for you to get exposure to the basic tenets of the subject and provide preparation for graduate school if that is your goal.</p>
<p>I’ve ranked these from most selective to least selective:</p>
<p>TIER 1
Chicago
Duke
Cornell
Johns Hopkins</p>
<p>TIER 2
Virginia
UNC
Michigan
W&M
USC</p>
<p>TIER 3
Georgia Tech</p>
<p>TIER 4
Syracuse
Indiana
Georgia
Arizona State
Ohio State</p>
<p>Good luck with your college search!</p>
<p>A couple of months ago, I calculated the number of graduating public policy majors at each college that offers the major. I’m not sure the numbers are helpful, but at the very least they show which colleges offer public policy at the undergraduate level. </p>
<p>172 Duke
141 USC
85 Princeton
76 UNC Chapel Hill
70 Cornell
58 Michigan
46 Georgia State
41 Chicago
31 Northwestern
29 Virginia Tech
28 Trinity (CT)
28 William & Mary
26 Stanford
25 Brown
20 Georgia Tech
20 Hobart & William Smith
19 Ole Miss
17 UC Riverside
17 Vanderbilt
16 Washington State
15 Carnegie Mellon
15 DePaul
14 Hamilton
13 RIT
13 SMU
12 Penn
11 Pomona
7 Denver
6 Dickinson
6 St. Mary’s College of Maryland
4 Rice
2 Pitzer
1 ASU
1 Scripps
0 Gettysburg
0 Swarthmore
0 URI</p>
<p>As I noted in that thread, not all of these programs are created equal. For example, Princeton’s public policy is an undergraduate program within the school of policy, so students are taking courses with dedicated public policy faculty. Chicago, on the other hand, limits its public policy school to graduate students, and the public policy program in the undergraduate college is instead a mishmash of offerings from econ and sociology professors – a very different beast. </p>
<p>Some of these programs are in consortiums and therefore offer many more courses and resources than one would otherwise get at that college; these include the Claremonts, Penn/Swarthmore, and Duke/UNC.</p>
<p>It’s perhaps worth noting that some public policy programs (e.g. Ford at Michigan) are selective, and admission to the major is not guaranteed.</p>