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Bachelor of Arts

Politics and public policy strongly influence the public, private, and nonprofit sectors of the economy. They determine everything from the amount of tax dollars allocated to the National Park Service and national defense, to the minimum wage companies must pay employees, to the permissible political activities of nonprofits, to the licensing requirements professionals (e.g., accountants, educators, and nurses) must satisfy before they are legally eligible to work in their discipline. No industry or social element is immune to the effects of politics and public policy. 

The Aurora University political science and public policy program couples content area instruction in government, economics, and domestic and foreign policymaking with practical experience in electoral campaigns, public opinion polling, political communication, policy analysis, and advocacy to provide students with a versatile skillset that can be marketed to a diverse array of employers. Students might spend one semester producing a political advertisement that could be used by a political party or interest group to swing public opinion in its favor, or they might work with a team to design and implement a survey that could be used by a government agency to gauge popular support for a proposed policy. In another semester, students might craft a grassroots lobbying campaign or analyze data to develop solutions to a pressing social problem. 

Upon completion of the political science and public policy program, students will be prepared for careers in public policy and administration, government service, advocacy, and other fields. The program is also an ideal second major for students studying business, criminal justice, education, marketing, psychology, or social work. For students who are considering graduate or law school, the program is very effective in preparing them for the highly competitive Graduate Record Examination and the Law School Admissions Test. Our graduates have successfully competed for admission at the national level. Aurora University political science and public policy graduates have been accepted to outstanding graduate and law schools across the United States.  

Program Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Required Foundational Courses
PSC-1050	Introduction to Public Policy	4
PSC-2160	Economics for Public Policy	4
PSC-2700	Research Methods for Public Policy	4
Required Methods Courses
PSC-2550	Political Advocacy: From the Grassroots to K Street	4
PSC-2600	Designing Political Campaigns	4
PSC-3130	Gauging Public Opinion	4
PSC-3410	Pressing the Agenda: Politics of Media	4
Required Issues-Based Course
Select 4 semester hours of the following:		4
PSC-3300	Comparative Public Policy
PSC-3340	U.S. Domestic Policy
PSC-3380	U.S. Foreign Policy
Required Capstone Courses
PSC-4700	Capstone in Political Science and Public Policy	4
PSC-4940	Internship in Political Science and Public Policy	4
Total Credits		40

Undergraduate Degree Requirements

A student who graduates from Aurora University with a baccalaureate degree will have met the following requirements:

1. Completion of all requirements for an approved major (with no grades lower than “C”).
2. Overall completion of at least 120 semester hours of coursework with a GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale (a course may be utilized only once in application toward a degree requirement, unless otherwise noted in the academic regulations). The 120 semester hours of coursework must include:
   • At least 52 semester hours completed at a senior college.
   • Residency Requirement - At least 30 semester hours completed at Aurora University, including the last 24 semester hours in the degree, and including at least 18 semester hours in the major. (Portfolio assessment credit, life and vocational experience credit, off-campus experience credit, examination credit, participation credit, and block credit, shall not count toward the residency requirement).
   • Upper-Division Requirement - A minimum of 30 semester hours numbered 3000 or above. Of these 30 semester hours, 15 semester hours must lie within the major and 15 semester hours must be completed at Aurora University.
3. Completion of all General Education requirements (with no grades lower than “C”), as follows:
   • Quantitative and Formal Reasoning competency requirement
   • ENG-1000 Introduction to Academic Writing
   • IDS-1200 Discover What Matters or IDS-3040 Global Justice
   • IDS-1150 First Year Experience - Not required for Transfer or AU Online students)
   • Satisfactory participation in the junior-year mentoring and assessment process designed to guide students to successful completion of their degree and to encourage planning for next steps beyond graduation. (IDS-3500 Junior Mentoring Program I and IDS-3550 Junior Mentoring Program II - Not required for ADC or AU Online students but may be designated electives for AU Online students admitted with fewer than 15 hours of transfer credit.)
   • Distribution Requirements
     Students will complete one approved course¹ from each of the following categories:
     • Artistic Literacy
     • Cultural Literacy
     • Human Inquiry
     • Scientific Inquiry

In addition to the above, ADC and Online students will also complete one approved course¹ from the following category:

• Discovery and Reflection

¹

Only courses that are approved to meet the distribution requirement can be used toward this requirement. See the list of approved courses  for available options. Courses taken to meet distribution requirements are 4 semester hours apiece, with the following exceptions:

• An approved transfer course of at least 2.50 semester hours can be used to satisfy a distribution requirement.
• Courses with co-requisite laboratory components may be used to satisfy a distribution requirement, provided that the student successfully complete both the three-credit-hour course and the single-credit-hour lab component.

Learning Outcomes