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Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and Policy

College of Arts and Sciences

This is your opportunity to gain knowledge and understanding of the processes of policy development and implementation through direct government action.
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Government and the public sector have increasingly become major players in nearly every facet of society. Gaining the knowledge of and skills in government process, policy, procedure, and the law could be essential for success in a wide variety of jobs.* The Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and Policy focuses on the study of organization, structure, and processes of government through an interdisciplinary lens, and is designed to help students develop an understanding of the issues and challenges confronting society locally, nationally, and globally.

Program Highlights

Kaplan University’s Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and Policy offers students an opportunity to gain knowledge and understanding of the processes of policy development and implementation through direct government action as well as public and private interaction. The curriculum focuses on:

  • Structure and processes of the government
  • Economics of public administration
  • Evolution of law and policy
  • Tools used to implement policy
  • Processes by which public policy is formulated and implemented
  • Goals of public policy
  • Methods and tools used to evaluate and design policy

A Fast Track to a Master’s Degree

Eligible students in this bachelor's degree program who want to continue on to pursue one of the master's degrees listed below may be interested in the accelerated master's degree option. Students complete graduate-level courses within this undergraduate plan of study. Once accepted to the master’s degree program, students transfer in the graduate courses and matriculate into a shortened degree plan. This accelerated option allows students to complete both their bachelor's degree and master's degree in less time and at a lower cost than completing both programs separately. Accelerated options are offered for the following programs. Qualification for accelerated options is subject to eligibility requirements. 

What are the Career Opportunities?

The Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and Policy could give degree holders the opportunity to pursue careers that support public service agencies including: coordinator of government relations, contract administrator, legislative assistant, research and policy associate, program administrator, court or government clerk, political party staffer, or manager of volunteer services.*

Curriculum for the Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and Policy

Course # Course Title Credits
100/200-level 100/200-LEVEL: COMMUNICATION COURSE 5
100/200-LEVEL: COMMUNICATION COURSE
100/200-LEVEL: MATHEMATICS COURSE 5
100/200-LEVEL: MATHEMATICS COURSE
200-LEVEL: COMMUNICATION COURSE 5
200-LEVEL: COMMUNICATION COURSE
300/400-level 300/400-LEVEL: ARTS AND HUMANITIES COURSE 6
300/400-LEVEL: ARTS AND HUMANITIES COURSE
300/400-level 300/400-LEVEL: PHYSICAL SCIENCE COURSE 6
300/400-LEVEL: PHYSICAL SCIENCE COURSE
300/400-level 300/400-LEVEL: SOCIAL SCIENCE COURSE 6
300/400-LEVEL: SOCIAL SCIENCE COURSE
Course # Course Title Credits
LS 100 EIGHT SKILLS OF THE EFFECTIVE LEGAL STUDIES STUDENT 5
EIGHT SKILLS OF THE EFFECTIVE LEGAL STUDIES STUDENT
This course is an important component of the new student experience in the School of Legal Studies' legal studies program at Kaplan University. It is designed to ensure legal studies students' successful social and academic transition into and pursuit of academic excellence within the Kaplan University community and provide a foundation for success within the profession. Students will be introduced to eight key skills (reading, writing, research, planning, thinking, organizing, interviewing, and communicating) through dynamic and engaging interactions and presentations by practicing professionals. "Real-life" examples and interactions with practicing professionals will provide students with a sense of the culture and nuances of the field. The goal of this course is for students to become academically, personally, and socially successful within and beyond this intellectual community.
AB 204 MACROECONOMICS 5
MACROECONOMICS
This course includes analysis and study of macroeconomic theory, principles, and practice. Students examine topics such as national income determination, monetary and fiscal policy, and global economics.
MM 207 STATISTICS 5
STATISTICS

This course serves as an introduction to collecting, organizing and summarizing, and analyzing data using statistical software. Topics include basic terminology, measurement, sampling procedures, graphical and numerical descriptions of data, basic probability, and making inferences from a sample to the population. Statistical software is provided in the course and extensive use of that software is required. The course focuses on “thinking with” statistics rather than “computing” statistics.

PP 101 INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 5
INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
This course examines the history of public administration and the basic issues that confront it, including administrative responsibility and ethics, and the formulation and implementation of public policy. The course examines, from a multidisciplinary perspective, those essential competencies, values, and issues important to public service organizations and the importance of public policy at the local, state, and national levels.
PP 105 INTRODUCTION TO STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT 5
INTRODUCTION TO STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
This course will introduce students to the institutional structures and processes of state and local government within the context of the American federal system. Students will study the operational and administrative aspects including design and structure, governing laws, administrative organization, political systems, and intergovernmental relations.
PP 110 ETHICS AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 5
ETHICS AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
This course will introduce students to the basic concepts, principles, and theories of ethics and demonstrate the role that these might play in the formation of public policy. The course will also survey various social issues, explore current policies that deal with them, and subject these policies to an ethics analysis. The overall aim of the course is to assist students in developing their critical thinking skills and to persuasively argue their position on the ethics of individual public policy programs.
PP 201 INTRODUCTION TO POLICY MAKING 5
INTRODUCTION TO POLICY MAKING
This course will focus on legislative policy making and all the components that dictate whether a particular proposal becomes law. Students will examine how the elected official's desires, both political and otherwise, interact with the goals of colleagues, special interest groups, staff members, the media, and the legislative process to create legislation.
PP 205 INTRODUCTION TO ADMINISTRATIVE LAW 5
INTRODUCTION TO ADMINISTRATIVE LAW
Administrative law is the body of law that defines and describes the behavior of agencies. Students will study the legal relationship of government agencies to the legislatures, the courts, and private parties. This course is designed through the public policy lens and will probe into the legislative, legal, and political aspects of regulating in the public interest.
PP 220 SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE LEADERSHIP 5
SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE LEADERSHIP
This course is intended to enable participants to understand, evaluate, and reflect on leadership as well as develop their own leadership skills through experiential exercises. It will examine the nature and varieties of leadership by elected and appointed officials in government, officials and volunteers in nonprofit organizations, leaders of political movements, and community groups.
LS 305 CONSTITUTIONAL LAW 6
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
This course provides students with a view of constitutional law's historical development of legal principles as well as the philosophical foundations of American legal principles. Significant trends in constitutional law as well as current issues in development of law and the balance between bureaucracy and democracy in a free society are presented.
PP 301 PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS 6
PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS
This course explores the evaluation and assessment of public policy. Students will examine the interaction of policy and politics, explore why some policies are enacted and others are not, and examine factors that influence the administration of policy once it is enacted.
PP 310 FINANCE AND BUDGETING IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR 6
FINANCE AND BUDGETING IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
This course examines the public budgetary process and related financial management techniques. It reviews the rationale for government intervention in the marketplace and rationale for sources of public revenue. The course will equip students with the knowledge, vocabulary, skills, and practical tools needed to participate skillfully and ethically in public finance decision making, and to assume a leadership role in guiding dialogue about resource acquisition and allocation choices.
PP 410 THE OVERSIGHT AND ADMINISTRATION OF PUBLIC FUNDS 6
THE OVERSIGHT AND ADMINISTRATION OF PUBLIC FUNDS
This course focuses on financial administration, oversight, budgetary procedures, and controls for funds received from public sources. Areas of public funds oversight include control and monitoring systems, cash management, capital projects management, debt administration, disbursement, funds management, and auditing.
PP 420 PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS 6
PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS
Public-private partnerships provide a unique way for the government and private developers to work together to create sustainable and profitable urban infill developments. This course explores the structure of private and public sector partnerships and their unique interrelationship in support of government and municipal projects.
PP 430 PLANNING FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT 6
PLANNING FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
This course explores the context, theory, process, and practice of economic development planning and policy. Topics covered include: differing theories and conceptual explanations of the economic development process; international, national, and regional factors affecting economic development; contrasting economic development approaches and methods; and the impact of international agencies and initiatives on economic outcomes.
PP 499 BACHELOR'S CAPSTONE IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND POLICY 6
BACHELOR'S CAPSTONE IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND POLICY
This capstone course is the culminating experience for the Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and Policy. This course builds on the concepts of all the courses students have taken within the program of study. The capstone course provides students with the opportunity to integrate and synthesize the knowledge and skills required throughout their coursework in an original comprehensive project, and to assess their level of mastery of the stated outcomes of their degree program. Students will conduct an approved research project under the supervision of a program chair or full-time faculty member in the school.
Choose one of the following courses:
PP 450 PROGRAM EVALUATION 6
PROGRAM EVALUATION
Students will study the methods and techniques used to assess effectiveness and monitor the performance of programs. Specific attention is given to theories, research, and practice related to program evaluation. The skills learned in this course will assist the practitioner in determining the effectiveness of new or existing programs in public organizations.
PP 460 GRANT WRITING 6
GRANT WRITING
This course covers the essentials of writing to acquire grants for private, public, or government use. Students will learn how to interpret the RFP, shape proposal concepts, and create needs statements, goals, objectives, strategies, and program budgets. Topics include writing, researching, and obtaining and maintaining operations and strategies within the grant system.
Course # Course Title Credits
100/200-LEVEL: OPEN ELECTIVES 30
100/200-LEVEL: OPEN ELECTIVES
300/400-LEVEL: OPEN ELECTIVES 24
300/400-LEVEL: OPEN ELECTIVES
Eligible students who choose to complete the accelerated master's degree option will take four graduate-level courses in addition to selected undergraduate electives.
Total Program Requirements 180
Total Program Requirements

You Could Save Time and Money on Your Kaplan University Degree

Credit for Prior Learning

Our undergraduate degree programs feature large pools of open electives designed to offer greater flexibility when applying transfer credits toward program requirements. In addition, you can enroll in our portfolio development course, which helps you document your work and life experience in a portfolio you can submit for consideration for college credits. Qualifying transfer credit may reduce your total costs for undergraduate programs. Refer to the University Catalog for our transfer of credit policy.

Continuing Students

Students who earn their bachelor’s degree at Kaplan University and enroll in a master’s degree program may be eligible for an alumni tuition reduction. For more information, contact your Admissions Advisor.

Students in the Military

Kaplan University is proud to support our military and veterans in their educational pursuits by offering significantly reduced tuition. Undergraduate program tuition is reduced up to 55 percent for active-duty servicemembers and up to 38 percent for veterans. In addition, Kaplan University participates in the Yellow Ribbon program for all of our graduate programs, and both active-duty servicemembers and veterans are eligible for special tuition rates for these programs. A 10 percent tuition reduction is also available to spouses of active-duty servicemembers. For more information, call 866.583.4412 (Toll Free) to speak to a military Admissions Advisor or visit the Kaplan University military site.


Tuition and Fees

Cost per credit hour $371.00
Total program requirements Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and Policy 180
Total cost of tuition $66,780.00
This program requires a $100 technology fee per term (online students only). A nonrefundable application fee, depending on your program and as described in the Tuition and Fees Supplement, may be required at the time of enrollment. We encourage you to explore the availability of financial aid and scholarships. 
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*Kaplan University's programs are designed to prepare graduates to pursue employment in their field of study, or in related fields. However, the University does not guarantee that graduates will be placed in any particular job, eligible for job advancement opportunities, or employed at all. Additional training or certification may be required.