Bachelor of Science in Policy Analysis and Management

In the Policy Analysis and Management major, students and faculty study the effects of government policies on individuals and families, public health, education, crime, product markets, financial markets, and a wide variety of other social impacts. The research tools learned and used—robust theory, rigorous empirical quantitative skills, and practical applications to real-world policy issues—are highly sought after by the best in both industry and government. Federal, state, and local governments have a central impact on all aspects of American life. The federal government alone taxes and spends in excess of 25 percent of gross domestic product. Public policy is ubiquitous, covering almost all aspects of societal and market interaction, from the environment to immigration, banks to farming, and social security to crime. Among current major government legislative initiatives are national health care, financial market regulation, education policy, immigration, and tax policy. Getting legislation right is crucially important to individuals, families, and society at large. Studying, understanding, and learning from the impacts and externalities of government policy are at the heart of Policy Analysis and Management. Making full use of the theories and methods from economics, sociology, psychology, and demography, Policy Analysis and Management majors first seek to understand the theoretical effect of government policy. Using robust data analysis techniques, PAM majors learn how to measure the magnitude of policy effects. Through published findings, Policy Analysis and Management faculty members help to inform the public debate. Current Policy Analysis and Management faculty members have expertise in health care, family/social welfare, demography, regulation of financial markets, transportation policy, social security, FDA regulation of pharmaceutical advertising, education, crime, law, and the economics of obesity, among others. Undergraduate and graduate students take courses from, and conduct research with, experts in the field. In addition to students entering the labor market into management, government, and research positions, PAM attracts large numbers of pre-law and pre-MBA students, students interested in health administration, and students intending to pursue graduate studies in economics, sociology, and public policy. After graduation there is the potential to complete a one-year program resulting in an M.S. in Policy Analysis and Management. In addition, the department offers both a five year BS/MHA and two-year Master of Health Administration through the department’s Sloan Program.