Public Affairs Major
Public Affairs Major
The Bachelors of Science in Public Affairs (BSPAF) is a degree program designed to teach students the art and science of public problem solving. The Public Affairs degree prepares students for careers as elected officials, leading civic-minded organizations, or in a variety of policy fields, including law, energy, health, national security, and the environment.
Beyond prerequisites and volunteer core requirements, the major consists of 45 hours, which includes 30 hours of core courses, 12 hours in a concentration, and a minimum of 3 hours in professional development.
What the Baker School Can Offer You
Howard Baker, the Huntsville, Tenn. native, Senate Majority Leader, White House chief of staff and U.S. ambassador to Japan, is our model. Honoring his legacy we teach students to rise above “politics as usual” to effect change.
Admissions Standards and Procedures
Applicants for admission to the program must complete the required prerequisites and pre-major core courses with a 2.5 GPA or higher.
Prerequisites (18 credit hours)
Applicants for admission to the program must complete the required prerequisites and pre-major core courses with a 2.5 GPA or higher.
POLS 101 United States Government and Politics
3 Credit Hours Introduction to fundamental institutions and processes of American national politics including the Constitution, voting, the Presidency, the Congress and the courts.
IAC 101 Engaging Civically
3 Credit Hours Rights and duties of citizenship; modes of citizen engagement in public affairs; the role of civil discourse in democratic debate.
HBS 101 Solving Public Problems
3 Credit Hours Development of the knowledge and skills required to solve public problems, including an overview of the foundational characteristics of public policy.
STAT 201 Introduction to Statistics
3 Credit Hours Graphical and numerical summaries of data. Introduction to probability, simulation, sampling distributions and the normal distribution. Sampling techniques. Inference for a single mean, a single proportion, and difference in independent means using confidence intervals and hypothesis testing. Correlation, simple linear regression, and decision trees. Association between categorical variables. Use of statistical computing and widely used spreadsheet software. Applied course appropriate for a general audience.
ECON 211 Principles of Microeconomics
3 Credit Hours Supply and demand, theory of the firm, consumer theory, performance of markets, game theory.
ECON 213 Principles of Macroeconomics
3 Credit Hours Macroeconomic indicators, money and banking, monetary and fiscal policy, business cycles, economic growth, international trade and finance.
Volunteer Core Requirements (37 credit hours)
Students will complete several volunteer core classes through major requirements but have additional volunteer core hours required for graduation.
Written Communication
9 Hours Total | Students need to fulfill their first-year English requirement and have an additional WC class from this list:
ENGL 255
ENGL 257
ENGL 295
ENGL 355
ENGL 360
.
Natural Science
7–8 Hours Total | Students are required to complete two natural science courses – one of which has to be a lab science; students can choose any from the approved list and do not have to have a sequence.
Quantitative Reasoning
3–4 Hours Total | In addition to STAT 201, students are required to take either:
MATH 123
MATH 141
MATH 148
Oral Communication
3 Hours | Students need to complete:
CMST 210
CMST 217
CMST 240
CMST 247
Applied Oral Communication
3 Hours | JREM 330 is recommended, but students can chose any from the approved Applied Oral Communication list.
Global Citizenship – US
3 Hours | Students need to complete IAC 201
Global Citizenship – International
3 Hours | Students need to complete IAC 202
Arts & Humanities
3 Hours | PHIL 252 is recommended, but students can choose any from the approved Arts & Humanities list.
Engaged Inquiries
3 Hours | In addition to IAC 101 and HBS 101, students will need 3 more hours form the approved Engaged Inquiries list.
Core Courses (30 credit hours)
HBS 201 Leading Effectively
3 Credit Hours Skill acquisition in leadership and approaches to effective management in the public sector.
IAC 203 Constitutional Foundations
3 Credit Hours Examination of how policy challenges are addressed through the American constitutional framework. Emphasis on case studies.
HBS 301 Thinking Analytically
3 Credit Hours Development of analytical thinking based on data collection, analysis, and interpretation, including an overview of basic econometrics frameworks and techniques.
IAC 301 Acting Democratically
3 Credit Hours Examination of how public policy is made in an advanced democratic system.
HBS 302 Visualizing and Communicating Policy Data
3 Credit Hours Skill acquisition in communicating data and data-driven policy insights for non-expert audiences in oral and written formats.
HBS 303 National Challenges
3 Credit Hours Exploration of national challenges and public policy solutions.
HBS 304 State and Local Challenges
3 Credit Hours Exploration of state and local challenges and public policy solutions.
ECON 305 Markets, Ethics, and Capitalism
3 Credit Hours Market forces and economic decisions in a broad social context. Consideration of moral and ethical issues raised by capitalist systems. Emphasis on market efficiency v. market failure, corporate responsibility v. regulation, wealth creation v. equity, individual freedom v. social welfare.
HBS 401 Evaluating Performance
3 Credit Hours Knowledge of practices for the evaluation of programmatic and human resource performance in the public sector.
IAC 401 The Art of the Possible
3 Credit Hours Conflict, communication, consensus building, and compromise in public policymaking. Emphasis on case studies.
Concentrations
One concentration is required. Students are encouraged to complete more than one concentration, as their schedule allows. Students must complete the concentration with a 2.5 GPA or higher.
The public affairs degree is designed to be flexible and lends itself to exploration of other academic interests. Some common academic programs students can pair with any public affairs concentration include: Anthropology, Business Administration, Communication Studies, Economics, English, Geography, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology.
Schedule an advising appointment to discuss how you can pair public affairs with these or many other exciting academic opportunities by emailing bakerstudents@utk.edu.
Economic and Community Development
ECON 311 Intermediate Microeconomics
3 Credit Hours | Theories of consumer behavior, of production and costs, of price and behavior of firms in perfectly competitive, monopolistic, and imperfectly competitive markets, input prices, income distribution, welfare, and general equilibrium.
HBS 461 Tools for Economic Development
3 Credit Hours | Policy tools for incentivizing and guiding economic development at the local government level, including tax abatements, tax increment financing, opportunity zones, and public/private partnerships. Special attention will be given to the role of public participation and the evaluation of public benefits.
ECON 471 Public Finance: Expenditure Analysis
3 Credit Hours | Problems of collective consumption, external effects, public investment, social decision making. Writing-emphasis course.
ECON 472 Taxation and Fiscal Federalism
3 Credit Hours |Analysis of federal, state, and local government revenue systems to include individual and corporate income, sales and property taxes, and other tax and non-tax revenue sources. Consideration of current policy issues and relations among various levels of government.
A partnership with the Department of Economics, the Economic and Community Development concentration provides students with the tools to evaluate decisions by local, state, and federal governments in managing economic growth and in providing goods and services for the public interest. Students are well-equipped to work at the intersection of public policy and private industry, helping make public policy more effective and individuals and private entities more successful.
Potential Career Options: Policy Analyst, Chamber of Commerce Representative, Housing Analyst, Real Estate Analyst, Budget Analyst, Government Relations Manager.
Academic Programs to Consider Pairing: Accounting, Child and Family Studies, Data Science, Finance, Geographic Information Science, Natural Resource and Environmental Economics, Public Health, Social Justice, Social Work, Sustainability, Tourism and Hospitality Management
Energy Policy
GEPG 346 Energy, Governance, and Sustainability
3 Credit Hours | Comprehensive survey course to understand the role of energy resources in shaping social, political, and economic change. This course focuses specific attention on the changing geographies and governance of energy in response to climate change and addresses related questions of environmental and energy justice. Writing-emphasis course.
ECON 362 Environmental and Natural Resource Policy
3 Credit Hours | Application of introductory microeconomic principles to contemporary environmental and natural resource policy issues such as air pollution, global climate change, population growth, forest management, and endangered species protection. Writing-emphasis course.
HBS 424 Energy Markets and Economics
3 Credit Hours | Theoretical and empirical perspectives on individual and industrial demand for energy, energy supply, energy markets, and public policies affecting energy markets.
HBS 443 Energy Transitions
3 Credit Hours | Energy technology and policy solutions for a growing population, increasingly industrialized world, expanding quality of life, limits of fossil fuel energy sources, and the increasing realization that renewable energy must be integrated into an energy system built around fossil fuels.
Energy Policy Concentration students are prepared to evaluate the strategies and tradeoffs in energy policy decisions and to understand their impacts. Students are grounded in Baker core coursework on government, economics, and public policy, while the concentration combines the technologies, markets, economics, and real-world considerations of energy policy decisions. Students are prepared to assess how energy policies will impact the environment, energy reliability, energy costs, and various stakeholders in the policy process.
Potential Career Options: Energy Policy Advisor, Government Relations Manager, Energy Policy Analyst, Budget Analyst, Program Manger.
Academic Programs to Consider Pairing: Computer Science, Data Science, Environmental Sociology, Environmental Studies, Finance, Geology, Geographic Information Science, Materials Science and Engineering, Mathematics, Natural Resource and Environmental Economics, Nuclear Safety, One Health, Physics, Statistics, Sustainability, Supply Chain Management
Environmental Policy
AREC 314 Environmental Law
3 Credit Hours | Survey of legal topics related to the natural environment, including an overview of the most important federal environmental statutes and the regulatory tools and concepts used to mitigate environmental degradation.
AREC 470 Policy Analysis for Environmental and Natural Resource Management
3 Credit Hours | Application of a policy analysis framework to conflicts and issues associated with natural resource use and related environmental quality impacts. Design of institutional changes to improve economic efficiency and equity, with emphasis on the potential applicability of market-type and incentive-based policy mechanisms.
ECON 362 Environmental and Natural Resource Policy
3 Credit Hours | Application of introductory microeconomic principles to contemporary environmental and natural resource policy issues such as air pollution, global climate change, population growth, forest management, and endangered species protection. Writing-emphasis course.
GEOG 443 Sustainable Cities and Landscapes
3 Credit Hours |We examine the ecology of urban systems. Starting with an overview of basic ecological principles, we study how the emergence of cities has impacted natural systems and how this impact has accelerated. We focus on solutions, most notably the various ways that cities can be designed to reduce human impacts. The ultimate goal is to design cities to meet human needs while reducing the human footprint by increasing ecological functions.
Managing natural resources and the environment in a world of economic growth is a complex challenge. This concentration combines expertise from the Departments of Geography, Economics, and Agricultural and Resource Economics to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the environmental and sustainability considerations in managing land, transportation, population, energy, and other aspects of economic development.
Potential Career Options: Policy Advisor, Government Relations Manager, Environmental Policy Analyst, Sustainability Research Associate, Budget Analyst, Program Manager, Sustainability Coordinator.
Academic Programs to Consider Pairing: Agricultural Leadership, Animal Science, Climate Change, Data Science, Entomology and Plant Pathology, Environmental and Soil Sciences, Environmental Sociology, Environmental Studies, Finance, Forestry, Geographic Information Science, Geology, Global Development, Global Studies, International Agriculture and Natural Resources, Materials Science and Engineering, Natural Resource and Environmental Economics, One Health, Plant Sciences, Statistics, Sustainability, Wildlife and Fisheries Science
Government Relations
CMST 342 Survey of Organizational Communication
3 Credit Hours | Overview of how people in for-profit and non-profit contexts interact both internally and externally.
JREM 366 Media and Democracy
3 Credit Hours | Media and Democracy is a course in media literacy and media effects. We take a fresh look at traditional, social, and digital media, with an emphasis on audience skills in understanding the messages we create, encounter, and evaluate. The course explores the crosscurrents of influence in several areas, including the role of public opinion and the media in the formation of democratic systems. Students will become better global citizens by being able to identify democratic operation differences between the U.S. and other countries. Class work also will address social class, ethnicity, gender, language, race, and religion as related to voting behavior, campaign strategies, and constituent services.
PBRL 430 Crisis Communication
3 Credit Hours | Emphasis on practical and theoretical applications to preparing for and engaging in crisis communication and management, including risk communication and issues management.
CMST 449 Political Persuasion
3 Credit Hours | Study of the communication processes utilized by pollical candidates, office holders, and social movement organizers.
Students in the Government Relations concentration are prepared to serve as liaisons between government and private businesses or between government and the nonprofit sector. The coursework emphasizes persuasion, crisis communication, and media. This concentration is a collaboration with the College of Communication and Information.
Potential Career Options: Government Relations Manager, Public Affairs Specialist, Lobbyist, Advocacy Manager, External Affairs Specialist, Government Affairs Specialist.
Academic Programs to Consider Pairing: Advertising and Public Relations, Digital Media, Entrepreneurship, Event Planning and Design, Journalism and Electronic Media, Management, Marketing, Social Justice, Social Media Analytics, Social Work, Theatre, Tourism and Hospitality Management
Health Policy
ECON 311 Intermediate Microeconomics
3 Credit Hours | Theories of consumer behavior, of production and costs, of price and behavior of firms in perfectly competitive, monopolistic, and imperfectly competitive markets, input prices, income distribution, welfare, and general equilibrium.
PUBH 400 Comparative Health Systems
3 Credit Hours | Healthcare organization and finance. Comparison of U.S. healthcare systems with other healthcare systems from around the world.
PUBH 420 Environmental Public Health
3 Credit Hours | Designed to help students understand the Public Health issues related to environment and human activities.
ECON 436 Economics of Health and Health Care
3 Credit Hours | Medical care and health status, demand for medical care and insurance, physician and hospital supplies, government provision of services and insurance, and regulation of health care markets. Writing-emphasis course.
Students in the Health Policy concentration learn about the key issues, institutions, and actors in America’s healthcare system and provides a toolkit for evaluating the system’s performance, efficiency, and equity. This concentration prepares students to work in health policy within the public sector, for nonprofits seeking to affect health policy, or for healthcare companies in the private sector. This concentration is a collaboration with the Haslam College of Business and the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences.
Potential Career Options: Health Policy Advisor, Government Relations Manager, Health Policy Analyst, Budget Analyst, Healthcare Entrepreneur, Program Manager, Hospital Administrator.
Academic Programs to Consider Pairing: Animal Science, Biological Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Biosystems Technology Engineering, Child and Family Studies, Data Science, Finance, Food Science, Geographic Information Science, Global Development, Nutrition, One Health, Pre-Health, Public Health, Religious Studies, Social Justice, Social Work
Law and Policy
IAC 302 American Legal System
3 Credit Hours | An overview of the structure of the legal system and the functions of key institutions and actors within that system.
IAC 303 Legal Research and Writing
3 Credit Hours | An introduction to the methodology of legal research and the practice of writing legal briefs and memoranda.
IAC 404 Crime, Law, and Justice
3 Credit Hours | An overview of substantive and procedural criminal law and the operations of the criminal justice system with emphasis on the courts.
IAC 405 Civil Law and Justice
3 Credit Hours | An introduction to civil law, including torts, contracts, property, and family law, as well as the adjunction of civil cases.
A partnership with the College of Law, this concentration gives students the opportunity to explore the intersection of public policy and law, with a focus on the American legal system. Students in this concentration have a chance to experience courses similar to those in a standard law graduate curriculum, giving them an early indicator on their aptitude for a career in law.
Potential Career Options: Attorney, Prosecutor, Public Defender, General Counsel, Law Enforcement Agent, Criminal Justice Specialist, Regulator, Judge, Elected Public Official, Judicial Advocate.
Academic Programs to Consider Pairing: Global Studies, Pre-Law, Social Justice, Social Work, Statistics, Sustainability, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
National Security
POLS 366 United States Foreign Policy Process
3 Credit Hours | Processes whereby Untied States foreign policies are made and implemented, focusing on interaction within federal bureaucracy and roles of the President, Congress, the press, and public opinion.
PHIL 441 Global Justice and Human Rights
3 Credit Hours | Issues such as justice between distinct and diverse political communities; universal human rights; and moral issues in environment, trade, and development.
IAC 413 The Military in American Democracy
3 Credit Hours | Constitutional and statutory underpinnings of the military establishment, civilian control of the military, the role of military leadership in policy making, changing roles for the military, policies regarding military service, interagency cooperation, military effectiveness, and operational challenges.
HBS 452 U.S. National Security
3 Credit Hours | Overview of national and international security issues and corresponding U.S. national security policies and strategies. Focus on grand strategy, civil-military relations, conflict management, military interventions, conventional and non-conventional warfare, termination of conflict, and peacekeeping.
The National Security concentration focuses on policy decisions surrounding U.S. national security and foreign policy. Students examine the role of the United States in the world through various lenses and can evaluate the impact of national security policy decisions and strategies on domestic priorities and global affairs.
Potential Career Options: National Security Analyst, Foreign Service Officer, Intelligence Operative, Intelligence Analyst, Data Analyst, Policy Analyst, Legislative Coordinator, Research Associate.
Academic Programs to Consider Pairing: Accounting, Asian Studies, Data Science, Classics, Computer Science, Global Development, Global Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Religious Studies, Supply Chain Management, World Languages and Cultures
Policy Analytics
ECON 311 Intermediate Microeconomics
3 Credit Hours | Theories of consumer behavior, of production and costs, of price and behavior of firms in perfectly competitive, monopolistic, and imperfectly competitive markets, input prices, income distribution, welfare, and general equilibrium.
ECON 381 Introduction to Econometrics
3 Credit Hours | Introductory probability, statistics, and econometrics from an economic perspective with emphasis on skills related to gathering, managing, processing, presenting, and interpreting economic data. Includes the use of statistical software in hands-on research projects. Considers common econometric problems such as multicollinearity, heteroscedasticity, and autocorrelation.
HBS 481 Policy Lab I
3 Credit Hours | First of two-course sequence in applied public problem solving. Using real problems identified by public sector partner(s), students work in teams to design an original research project. Students demonstrate competencies in sampling, survey design, econometric models, and statistical analysis software. Emphasis on skills in professional writing, communicating with data, and project management.
HBS 482 Policy Lab II
Second of a two-course sequence in applied public problem solving. Using real problems identified by public sector partner(s), students translate their research into a policy report to share with stakeholders. Students will demonstrate competencies in database management, data visualization, basic computer programming, and research ethics. Emphasis on skills in professional writing, communicating with data, and project management.
Policy Analytics Students learn how to use data to provide insights and solutions to public problems. With intense additional training in economics and in data analysis and visualization, these students are prepared to analyze public policy problems using cutting edge techniques and to communicate their insights to a broad audience.
Potential Career Options: Data Analyst, Policy Analyst, Legislative Coordinator, Research Associate.
Academic Programs to Consider Pairing: Business Analytics, Biological Sciences, Computer Science, Data Science, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Studies, Finance, Geographic Information Science, Mathematics, Natural Resource and Environmental Economics, One Health, Public Health, Statistics, Sustainability
Political Communication
JREM 200 Multimedia Writing
3 Credit Hours | Students will be introduced to basic storytelling structures and approaches across media platforms. The writing intensive course also emphasizes instruction in grammar, structure, AP style, and media practices.
CMST 342 Survey of Organizational Communication
3 Credit Hours | Overview of how people in for-profit and non-profit contexts interact both internally and externally.
PBRL 400 Ethical and Legal Issues in Public Relations
3 Credit Hours | Exploring legal and ethical issues that affect the practice of public relations.
CMST 449 Political Persuasion
3 Credit Hours | Study of the communication processes utilized by pollical candidates, office holders, and social movement organizers.
This concentration, which is a collaboration with the College of Communication and Information, is for students interested in the communications side of public policy. Grounded in the Baker School core curriculum on economics, politics, public policy, and civics, political communication concentration students are prepared to communicate policy decisions, political positions, or to drive campaigns for public office.
Potential Career Options: Campaign Manager, Policy Advisor, Policy Communications Manager, Data Visualization Manager, Public Relations Specialist, Political Media Relations
Academic Programs to Consider Pairing: Advertising and Public Relations, Digital Media, Event Planning and Design, Graphic Design Studies, Information Sciences, Journalism and Electronic Media, Marketing, Social Media Analytics, Theatre, World Languages and Cultures
Public Management
ACT 200 Foundations of Accounting
3 Credit Hours |Survey of accounting with emphasis on the use of financial statement information in business decision making.
FIN 300 Fundamentals of Finance
3 Credit Hours | Survey of the basic principles of finance.
HBS 434 Public Organization, Theory, and Behavior
3 Credit Hours | Examination of organizational theory and behavior with emphasis on implications for public management. Includes theories of decision-making, leadership, communications, and group dynamics.
HBS 437 Leading Across Difference
3 Credit Hours | Leading and managing diverse teams to achieve collective goals.
With a toolkit consisting of financial, accounting, and human resources management, along with coursework on navigating difference in the workplace, this concentration prepares students to take leadership roles in public organizations or in nonprofit organizations. Students leave this set of courses prepared to lead effective and efficient governmental and nonprofit organizations. This concentration is in partnership with the Haslam College of Business.
Potential Career Options: City Manager, Nonprofit Leader, Budget Analyst, Program Manager, Public Finance Analyst, Economic Development Manager.
Academic Programs to Consider Pairing: Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Geographic Information Science, Human Resources Management, Information Sciences, Leadership Studies, Management, Social Entrepreneurship
Professional Development (3 credit hours minimum)
HBS 485 Beyond Baker
1 Credit Hour Reflection and assessment of major curriculum, career preparation, professional development, and networking opportunities. Team building and civic engagement through service learning.
PLUS Select One Course:
HBS 484 Master Class in Public Affairs
2 Credit Hours An immersive and experiential capstone learning experience that provides an opportunity to learn from and be mentored by experts in public policy.
HBS 494 Internship
0–9 Credit Hours Approved internships and other professional opportunities.
IAC 494 Internship
0–9 Credit Hours Approved internships and other professional opportunities.