USC
University of Southern California
black horizontal bar for print styles

Undergraduate Degrees

Bachelor of Science in Public Policy, Management and Planning

The Bachelor of Science in Public Policy, Management and Planning provides a broad interdisciplinary and preprofessional education for students interested in the analysis of and solutions to society's contemporary political, social and economic problems. It includes a set of core courses designed to introduce students to:

  • The fields of public policy, public management, health, urban planning and real estate development.
  • Analytic and research tools, including economics for public policy and planning, public policy and planning analysis, statistics, urban design and applied field research.
  • Key foundational themes cutting across the fields including: the role of citizenship; issues in public ethics; the relationship between government, business and the nonprofit sector; the role of urban place; and strategies of urban problem solving.
  • Professional careers and roles through an internship.

Students have the opportunity to pursue greater specialization and depth by completing five courses in one of five tracks that represent the academic strengths of the School of Policy, Planning, and Development, including:

  • public policy areas and issues
  • public management
  • health policy and management
  • urban planning
  • real estate development

Students are able to complete their study of policy, management and planning while having sufficient opportunity through electives to pursue other interests, including a minor, a second bachelor's degree or further specialization in their major.

Students with an overall GPA of 3.0 and a major GPA of 3.5 by the end of the junior year are eligible to enroll in a senior honors seminar.

Careers in Public Policy, Management and Planning

Graduates receive preparation for a variety of entry level professional positions in the public sector, in not-for-profit agencies and for-profit companies involved with public policy concerns or urban planning and development. Graduates are also prepared for law school and related careers in law, as well as for graduate work in such fields as policy analysis, business and public administration, urban planning, real estate development, health services administration, gerontology and social work.

General Education Requirements

The university's general education program provides a coherent, integrated introduction to the breadth of knowledge you will need to consider yourself (and to be considered by other people) a generally well-educated person. This program requires six courses in different categories, plus writing and diversity requirements, which together comprise the USC Core. See here and here for more information.

Pre-major Requirements (12 units)

Math/Computer Languages
MATH 108 or MATH 116 or higher (4)

Economics
ECON 203 Microeconomics (4) and ECON 205 Macroeconomics (4)

General Electives (34 units*)

Public Policy, Management and Planning Core Courses

core Courses (30 units)Units
PPD 225Public Policy and Management (gateway course)4
PPD 227Urban Planning and Development (gateway course)4
PPD 240Citizenship and Public Ethics4
PPD 245The Urban Context for Policy and Planning4
PPD 357Government and Business4
PPD 401Public Policy, Management and Planning Practices: Internship Seminar2
PPD 404xStatistics for Policy, Planning and Development4
PPD 473Public Policy and Planning Analysis4

Tracks

Students select one track for degree emphasis; they take 20 units* (five courses) from the track selected.

Public Policy Areas and IssuesUnits
PPD 313Finance of the Public Sector4
PPD 342Crime and Public Policy4
PPD 343Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Public Policy4
PPD 350Urban Institutions and Policies4
PPD 352Los Angeles Mini Semester4
PPD 360Urban Transportation Planning and Policy4
PPD 371The Nonprofit Sector and the Public Interest 4
PPD 372Public Service in an Urban Setting4
PPD 382International Development4
PPD 439Housing and Community Development4
PPD 461Sustainability Planning4
PPD 476Politics and Administration4
PPD 485U.S. Immigration Policy4

PUBLIC MANAGEMENTUNITS
Students take required course plus four electives (20 units)

Required course:
PPD 402Management of Public and Nonprofit Organizations4

Electives (choose four):
PPD 313Finance of the Public Sector4
PPD 316Human Resource Management for Public Organizations4
PPD 318Financial Accounting in Public and Nonprofit Organizations4
PPD 320Organizational Behavior in Public Administration4
PPD 343Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Public Policy4
PPD 382International Development4
PPD 403Management Analysis4
PPD 407Financial Management of Public and Nonprofit Organizations4
PPD 409Training and the Applied Behavioral Science4
PPD 476Politics and Administration4

Health Policy and ManagementUnits
PPD 230Introduction to Health Policy and Management4
PPD 318Financial Accounting in Public and Nonprofit Organizations4
PPD 330Introduction to Health Care Systems4
PPD 407Financial Management of Public and Nonprofit Organizations4
PPD 413Administration of Health Care Organizations4

Urban PlanningUnits
Required courses:
PPD 306Visual Methods in Policy, Management, Planning, and Development4
PPD 358Urban and Regional Economics4
PPD 417History of Planning and Development4
PPD 461Sustainability Planning4

Electives (select one):
PPD 343Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Public Policy4
PPD 360Urban Transportation Planning and Policy 4
PPD 362Real Estate Fundamentals for Planning and Development4
PPD 382International Development4
PPD 425Designing Livable Communities4
PPD 435Analyzing Real Estate Markets for Planning and Development4
PPD 439Housing and Community Development4

Real estate developmentunits
Required courses:
PPD 362Real Estate Fundamentals for Planning and Development4
PPD 417History of Planning and Development4
PPD 435Analyzing Real Estate Markets for Planning and Development4
PPD 437 Advanced Finance and Investment for Planning and Development4

Electives (select one):
CE 460*Construction Engineering3
FBE 427Real Estate Law4
PPD 358Urban and Regional Economics4
PPD 425Designing Livable Communities4
PPD 431LDesign and Development Laboratory4
PPD 439Housing and Community Development4
PPD 461Sustainability Planning4

*Students in the real estate track who select CE 460 as an elective will earn 19 units rather than 20 in the track and will require 35 units of general electives rather than 34 to reach 128 units total.

The faculty director of the undergraduate program may approve students' petitions to substitute or mix track classes if based on an appropriate academic/career rationale.

PPD 498 Senior Honors Seminar (4 units) may substitute for a track course.

Students taking the Washington semester may fulfill their internship requirements in lieu of PPD 401 and 8 units of their track requirement.

Internships

Public Policy, Management and Planning majors are required to complete at least one internship by enrolling in PPD 401 Public Policy, Management and Planning Practices: Internship Seminar or the Washington, D.C., Semester internship. Internships are matched as closely as possible to the student's interests and skills.

PPD 401 and the internship in a position provide numerous opportunities to develop and formulate future career goals, as well as to gain personal and professional experience while completing the undergraduate degree.

Semester Programs

The 8-unit and 16-unit semester programs allow the student to benefit from both traditional and experiential learning modes and to become involved in a particular area of professional activity.

Los Angeles Mini Semester
The Los Angeles Mini Semester program provides opportunities to study and experience metropolitan Los Angeles, its many diverse communities, and its centers of power, influence and tradition.

The Los Angeles Mini Semester is offered as an 8-unit program and consists of the urban foundation and the seminar.

The urban foundation provides an orientation to the study of urban affairs and serves as a conceptual framework for all other Los Angeles Mini Semester activities. Students may fulfill the university diversity requirement by completing the urban foundation.

The seminar offers an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at a specific urban issue. Typical seminar topics are housing, transportation, health care, education, or a particular neighborhood in Los Angeles.

Washington, D.C., Semester
The Washington, D.C., Semester program provides an intensive semester of confrontation with the political center of the nation and its complex components. The program offers opportunities for behind-the-scenes work in national government agencies and related organizations, combined with an academic environment and the chance to explore, share and learn with a group of fellow students.

Sacramento Semester
The Sacramento Semester is offered occasionally as a 16-unit program and, in the summer only, as an 8-unit program. The 16-unit program has four components -- seminar, field experiences, independent study and an internship; the 8-unit program consists of the seminar and the internship.