Bachelor of Science in Public Policy (BSPP)

Bachelor of Science in Public Policy (BSPP) Curriculum

To view course titles and descriptions for the Bachelor of Science in Public Policy curriculum, visit the USC Catalogue here.

Core Curriculum (30 units)

Includes 2-units of internship and 4-units of capstone

PPD 225 – Solving Public Problems – 4-units (fall, spring)
PPD 240 – Citizenship and Public Ethics – 4-units (fall, spring)
PPD 300 – Social Justice Issues in Public Policy and Planning (fall, spring)
PPD 301 – PPD Practices: Internship Seminar – 2-units (fall, spring, summer) (see below page for more information)
PPD 303 – Statistics for Policy, Planning and Development – 4-units (fall, spring) (pre-requisite: Math 117)
PPD 315 – Analytic Foundations for Public Policy – 4-units (spring) (pre-requisite: PPD 225 or equivalent (e.g.
POSC 130, LAW 101, LAW 201, ENST 360))
PPD 373 – Public Policy and Planning Analysis – 4-units (fall) (pre-requisite: PPD 225, PPD 203/ECON 203, PPD 303)

USC Price B.S. Public Policy Tracks

20 units of required track courses, 8 units of track electives

Select one of the following tracks:

Cross-cutting topics courses (required)

Students will be required to take 4 units of a cross-cutting topics course. It is taken preferably junior year after completion of the core curriculum. Students may select a course from the list below. If a student uses a course to satisfy a requirement or elective that has already been taken in the track requirements, it cannot be double-counted as the cross-cutting course. The cross-cutting course must be a different course.

PPD 313 – Finance of the Public Sector (fall)
PPD 314 – Public Policy and Law (fall, spring)
PPD 325 – Fundamentals of Health Policy and Management (fall, spring)
PPD 342 – Crime and Public Policy (fall)
PPD 353 – Philanthropy and Social Change (fall)
PPD 357 – Government and Business (fall, spring)
PPD 371 – The Nonprofit Sector and the Public Interest (fall, spring)
PPD 400 – Topics in Public Policy and Urban Studies (fall, spring)
PPD 404 – Empirical Methods for Public Policy (every other fall; next offering is Fall 2026)

Capstone

Students must have 96 units to pursue the capstone options.

1. PPD 431 Undergraduate Policy, Planning and Development Studio (4-units) — Studio class, four-units, designed to be project based, experiential or service learning, and integrative across multiple tracks.

2. PPD 497a (Fall) and PPD 497b (Spring) Senior Thesis (2-units each) — Students engage in a track-spanning research project, with a professional or academic paper as the final deliverable. Students wishing to enroll in PPD 497a and PPD 497b must have a 3.7 GPA in PPD courses and an overall 3.5 GPA.

Pre-Major Requirements (8 – units)

Math 117 (Introduction to Mathematics for Business and Economics)
PPD 203 (Economic Analysis for Public Policy)

Writing Courses (8 units)

General Education

Students beginning college starting in Fall 2015 or later (32 – 40 units)

Internships

PPD 301 – PPD Practices: Internship Seminar – 2-units (fall, spring, summer)

Public Policy majors are required to complete 140 hours of internship. Students must first secure an internship before they are able to submit the D-clearance form for PPD 301. The internship will then be reviewed and approved by a staff at the Price Office of Career Services before the D-clearance is given for the students to be able to register for PPD 301.

PPD 301 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.

PPD 301 D-clearance form is available here.