BA Public Policy at University of Wisconsin-Madison

Programme overview

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, students majoring in Public Policy study how governments, institutions, and communities identify problems, weigh evidence, and make decisions that affect lives. They ask questions like: What makes a policy effective? Who benefits and who doesn’t?

Faculty: College of Letters & Science | Department: Lafollette School Public Affairs | Duration: 120 credits | Study mode: full-time | Location: Madison, WI, United States

What you will study

The degree requires 120 credits in total. Courses listed in the requirements include PUB AFFR 200 Contemporary Public Policy Issues; PUB AFFR 230 Advancing Public Policy in a Divided America; PUB AFFR 335 Policy Actors, Institutions, and the Policy Process; PUB AFFR 340 Intermediate Evidence-Based Policymaking and Communication; PUB AFFR 380 Analytic Tools for Public Policy; PUB AFFR 327 Administrative Internship.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Applies to College of Letters & Science, not specific to this major: No application required. All students who meet the requirements listed below are eligible to declare. For information on how to declare, visit Advising & Careers. Courses required to get in Complete one Core Course: PUB AFFR 200 PUB AFFR 230 PUB AFFR 335 PUB AFFR 340 or PUB AFFR 240 PUB AFFR 380 GPA requirements to get in Earn a 2.000 GPA on all coursework counting in the major, plus any of the following preparatory courses completed prior to declaration: ECON 101 or A A E 101 POLI SCI 104 , POLI SCI 120 , or POLI SCI 140 STAT 240 , ECON 310 , POLI SCI 270 , PSYCH 210 , SOC/C&E SOC 360 , STAT 301 , STAT 324 , or STAT 371 Earn a 2.000 GPA on any upper-level coursework in the major completed prior to declaration. Credits required to get in None. Other None.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

First-year entry terms: Fall (Early Action and Regular Decision) and Spring. Transfer entry terms: Fall (Priority and Regular Decision) and Spring.

First-year Fall Early Action: application deadline November 1, materials deadline November 9, decision on or before January 31. Fall Regular Decision: application deadline January 15, materials deadline January 22, decision on or before March 31. Spring Regular Decision: application deadline October 1, materials deadline October 15, decision on or before December 31. First-year fall and spring applications open August 1. Early Action is non-binding.

Transfer Fall Priority: application deadline February 1, materials deadline February 16, decision on or before March 31. Fall Regular: application deadline March 1, materials deadline March 15, decision on or before April 30. Spring Regular: application deadline October 1, materials deadline October 15, decision on or before December 31. Fall transfer applications open December 1; spring transfer applications open August 1.

Apply via the Common Application or the Universities of Wisconsin Application. The application fee is $80 US and is non-refundable; fee waivers are available for applicants with financial hardship. ACT and SAT scores are optional for students applying for admission through the spring 2028 term (application deadline October 1, 2027).

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