Bachelor of Arts in Public and Urban Affairs (PUA)

• As the challenges confronting our society become more complex and their consequences more varied and significant, it is the goal of the Public and Urban Affairs program to provide education in understanding the economic, environmental, social, and governmental consequences of growth and change, and in addressing and resolving the problems that emanate from them.
• The BA in Public and Urban Affairs (PUA) is a unique, interdisciplinary social science degree with a professional cast. It aims to educate students broadly in the liberal arts tradition while equipping them with the necessary planning and policy skills, knowledge, and analytical thinking to find meaningful employment or graduate education in today's competitive market.
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Curriculum

Students complete the UAP core curriculum and are able to focus on one of the following five areas of concentration. Four of the five are "SPIA concentrations" as they are also offered by one or more of the other departments in the School of Public and International Affairs (Political Science, Geography, International Studies).

• Urbanization: Planning and Policy
• Public Policy
• Public and Non-Profit Management
• Global Development
• Environmental Affairs
• Minor

PUA Degree Objectives

1. To educate students broadly in the liberal arts tradition; and
2. To equip students with pre-professional skills in planning, policy, analysis, and written and oral communication.

Students can use the program's 30 hours of free electives to broaden further the liberal arts component, to strengthen the pre-professional component, or both.

By the time they graduate, students will have:

• a basic foundation in the social sciences and the liberal arts to prepare them for lifelong learning;
• a broad understanding of the economic, political, social, and ethical theories, approaches, and methods applied to public and urban problems and their solutions;
• applied skills in economic, quantitative, and policy analysis, and the application of computers to such analysis;
• developed skills in oral and written communication and group discourse and decision making;
• gained experience in interdisciplinary problem solving;
• acquired substantive expertise in an area of concentration, including urban planning and policy, public policy, public and non-profit management, global development, or environmental affairs;
• the opportunity to participate in internships and service learning projects that provide valuable experience and contacts for post-graduate employment;
• the preparation for advanced study in professional and academic graduate programs in urban studies and planning, public policy, public administration, law, business, and the social sciences; and
• the preparation for entry level positions in public agencies, non-profit organizations, and private firms dealing with a range of socio-economic issues and public affairs, including health care, housing, land use and development, economic and community development, international development, or environmental affairs.