Princeton School of Public and International Affairs

The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs offers a multidisciplinary liberal arts major for students who are interested in public service and becoming leaders in the world of public and international affairs. To enable students to acquire the tools, understanding, and habits of mind necessary to pursue policy problems of their choosing, the major is largely self-designed but with the structure and guidance needed for an education that is both broad and deep.

Program of Study

The curriculum consists of a wide range of courses offered through the, School and through our partner departments, that are relevant to the study of policymaking, policy analysis, and policy evaluation. Students take courses in economics, politics, and either psychology or sociology. One course in ethics and one in science policy are also required. Students enroll in policy seminars in the junior year and write a policy thesis in the senior year.

Majors are required to take statistics and must be able to use the basics of single-variable calculus in order to take economics courses and some of the courses in science policy. Students who are concerned about their preparation should consider taking a course that provides instruction in single-variable calculus. Students are also required to complete one language course beyond the University requirement. In addition, the Undergraduate Program requires that students either study abroad, or engage in some other cross-cultural experience, or policy-relevant field experience (overseas or domestic).

When they designate SPIA as their major in the spring of their sophomore year, students will be required to describe their primary policy interests and how their plans for coursework are related to those interests. In particular, students will be asked to select among a list of policy areas designated by SPIA or, in the event their interests do not match one of the designated areas, to describe their own area of interest and the coursework that would accompany it. Students will also be asked to describe how they have or plan to meet departmental requirements for additional language study and for cross-cultural or field experience. Each student will then be assigned a faculty course adviser appropriate to their interests and program of study.

For the most updated information on the department plan of study check the Undergraduate Program website.

Prerequisites

Students must complete four prerequisites prior to the fall term of their junior year:

  One course in statistics
  One course in microeconomics
  One course in history
  One  course in politics, sociology or psychology

All courses taken to meet these prerequisites must be taken on a graded basis (with the exception of prerequisites completed during spring 2020, we do not accept courses taken P/D/F). AP courses or freshman seminars may not be used to fulfill prerequisites. Students must earn a grade of C or higher in all courses used as prerequisites. A course may not be used to fulfill more than one prerequisite.

The following courses may be used to satisfy the prerequisites:

One course in statistics

• SPI 200 Statistics for Social Science
• ECO 302 Econometrics
• ECO 312 Econometrics: A Mathematical Approach
• POL 345 Introduction to Quantitative Social Science
• POL 346 Applied Quantitative Analysis

One course in microeconomics

• ECO 100 Introduction to Microeconomics
• ECO 300 Microeconomic Theory
• ECO 310 Microeconomic Theory: A Mathematical Approach
• SPI 300 Microeconomics for Public Policy

One course in history (a course at any level, (designated HIS)

A cross-listed course with a HIS designation may also be used. Courses in the HA distribution area do not qualify unless they are designated HIS.  For example, courses in NES or SOC that are in the HA distribution area do not fulfill this requirement unless they are cross-listed with HIS.

One course in politics, sociology or psychology (a course at any level (designated POL, SOC, or PSY)

Cross-listed courses with these designations can also be used. A course taken to meet the statistics requirement cannot be used to meet this requirement.

All courses that meet prerequisites must be taken before September of the junior year. A summer course or a course taken abroad may be used to meet a department prerequisite if the course is certified by the relevant department as equivalent to one of the courses offered at Princeton that would meet the prerequisite and the course is approved for Princeton credit. No more than two prerequisites may be taken over the summer. Any course taken outside of Princeton to meet the statistics prerequisite must also be approved by the undergraduate program (approval is granted only for special circumstances).

A course taken at Princeton and used as a prerequisite can also be used to meet either a department core requirement (if it is on the list of core requirements) or as a department elective (if it is on the electives list).

Core Course Requirements

Students should review the list of core requirements for their specific class year.  Prior to graduation, students must complete the core course requirements listed below. All courses used to meet these requirements must be taken at Princeton on a graded basis (with the exception of core courses taken during spring 2020, we do not accept courses taken P/D/F). Courses taken to meet elective requirements may not also be used to fulfill core requirements.

One course in microeconomics

• SPI 300 Microeconomics for Public Policy
• ECO 300 Microeconomic Theory
• ECO 310 Microeconomic Theory: A Mathematical Approach

One course in politics

• POL 220/SPI 310 American Politics
• POL 230/SPI 325 Introduction to Comparative Politics
• POL 240/SPI 312 International Relations
• POL 351/SPI 311 Politics in Developing Countries

One course in sociology or psychology

• SPI 330 Population and Public Policy
• SPI 331 Race and Public Policy
• SPI 333/SOC 326 Law, Institutions and Public Policy
• SPI 340 The Psychology of Decision-Making and Judgment
• SPI 344/PSY 312 The Psychology of Social Influence
• SPI 345/PSY 384/AAS 384 Prejudice: Its Causes, Consequences, and Cures

One course in science policy

• SPI 350 The Environment: Science and Public Policy
• SPI 351 Information Technology and Public Policy
• SPI 353 Science and Global Security
• SPI 354 Modern Genetics & Public Policy
• CEE 334/SPI 452 Global Environmental Issues
• ENV 304/SPI 455 Disease, Ecology, Economics and Policy
• GEO 366/SPI 451 Climate Change: Scientific Basis, Policy Implications
• GHP 351/SPI 381 Epidemiology: An Ecological and Evolutionary Perspective

One course in ethics

• SPI 370 Ethics and Public Policy
• POL 307  The Just Society
• POL 313  Global Justice
• CHV 310/PHI 385 Practical Ethics
• PHI 307/CHV 311 Systematic Ethics
• PHI 309/CHV 309 Political Philosophy
• PHI 319/CHV 319 Normative Ethics
• REL261/CHV 261 Christian Ethics and Modern Society

Elective Courses

Each student must complete four electives on a graded basis (with the exception of electives completed during spring 2020, we do not accept courses taken as P/D/F) from a list issued by the undergraduate program. Courses taken to meet core requirements may not also be used as electives.

No more than three electives may be courses listed or cross-listed by the same department. Methodology courses that are on the electives list and all department courses will be exempt, but cross-listings on department courses will count.

Up to three elective courses may be taken in semester-long study abroad programs. Summer courses may not be used as electives.

Independent Work

To satisfy the junior independent work requirement ("JP"), each student must complete one Policy Task Force and one Policy Research Seminar in their junior year. The Policy Research seminar will includes a methods laboratory and also counts as one of the 31 A.B. courses.

In the Policy Task Forces, small groups of juniors work together with a faculty director, one or two seniors, and, often, a graduate student to propose solutions to current problems in public and international affairs. Each junior conducts research on a topic that relates to the larger policy question that is the focus of the Task Force. The principal collective product is a final report with policy recommendations, drafted after debates among the entire group.

In the Policy Research Seminars, a faculty member supervises a small group of students similarly engaged in research on a specific topic in public and international affairs. Students participate in a methods lab that introduces a range of quantitative and qualitative methods. An important aim for all of the elements of the research seminar is to prepare students for their senior thesis work.

Each student must complete a senior thesis that clearly articulates a research question about a significant public policy issue and draws conclusions that contribute to the debate on that issue.

Senior Departmental Examination

The school's senior comprehensive examination is an oral defense of the senior thesis that also tests the student's ability to integrate the senior thesis with coursework.

International Programs

Any concentrator may study abroad in one of the departments overseas programs in the first or second semester of the junior year. Recent international programs include Pembroke College at Cambridge University, the National University of Singapore, Bocconi University, in Milan, and the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and several other locations around the world. At each site, students enroll in coursework at the host university and take an undergraduate program task force in place of a task force in Princeton.

Cross-Cultural or Field Experience Requirement

Prior to the second semester of the senior year, each student must have completed an approved cross-cultural or field experience. The requirement may be satisfied in a number of ways, including but not limited to semester study abroad, summer study abroad, summer language study abroad, policy-relevant summer jobs abroad, ROTC training, senior thesis research in the field, extended service in an underserved community, or an internship involving public policy work in a nonprofit, government, or international agency such as the United Nations, the World Bank, the US Congress, or a state or federal agency.

Summer study, language study, or thesis research must be done for at least four weeks to qualify (note that to meet the department language requirement, described below, with a new language, eight weeks of summer study is required). Internships, jobs, or community service must be for at least six consecutive weeks or 240 hours.

Cross-cultural or field experience gained during the freshman or sophomore year or as a participant in the Bridge Year Program may count toward this requirement. To meet this requirement, all past or proposed work must be approved by the undergraduate program.

Language Requirement

SPIA majors must complete at least one second language course beyond the current University requirement. This may be done by:

(1) by taking an additional course (200 or 300 level) in the language used to meet the University requirement. (Note, where upper-level courses are not available, e.g. ASL or Swahili, students will have to take a course at least at the 102 level in another language.) Either a language course or a subject matter course taught in the language will count, or

(2) taking a course at least at the 102 level or above in a language other than the one used to fulfill the University language requirement.  Courses used to meet this requirement may be taken at Princeton or elsewhere; all courses must be taken on a graded basis.

(3) when they declare their concentration, students who are bilingual must first contact the department to initiate the process for certifying their SPIA language credentials. Note, the certification process is handled by the Princeton Center for Language Studies (PCLS) and may take a couple weeks to complete.

Additional Information

The program awards several scholarships each year to students from any department for travel and living expenses related to senior thesis research in public policy. The school also awards several scholarships to students in the department who participate in public policy internships. For additional information consult the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs  Undergraduate Program website.