Undergraduate Programs - School of Public Affairs

UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES

Baruch College is committed to preparing undergraduates to actively engage in civic life. The college’s namesake, Bernard M. Baruch, was a business leader and a public servant who advised the administrations of six U.S. presidents.The faculty, staff, and students have been, and continue to be, regularly engaged with the civic affairs of the city, state, nation, and world.

The School of Public Affairs delivers quality undergraduate education in public policy and administration. It offers PAF 1250, Citizenship and Public Affairs, as part of the general education curriculum, a minor in survey research, and the Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs (BSPA).

The BSPA is focused on public policy advocacy and analysis. Innovative and applied, it is designed for those seeking to have a positive impact on society. Students learn to formulate, implement, and evaluate creative solutions to challenging global, national, state, and local problems. The coursework examines how public and nonprofit organizations are involved in the policy process. Civic engagement skills are developed in economic and financial analysis, political negotiation, qualitative and quantitative methods, and rhetoric. Policy areas of interest include community development, education, the environment, healthcare, housing, and social welfare. The degree prepares students for employment in government, political campaigns, and the growing social activism of the nonprofit sector. An excellent foundation is provided for graduate-level education in communications, law, management, public administration, public policy, and urban planning.

Any Baruch College undergraduate can take public affairs courses. Formal designation as a public affairs student requires the completion of a declaration form that must be submitted to the SPA undergraduate coordinator.

Students have increasingly decided to pursue the BSPA because they want to do well while also doing good. To advance the objectives of those who want to make a difference, the School of Public Affairs conveys useful information in its classes, facilitates productive internships, and furthers meaningful organizational connections. Degree recipients have been successful in gaining influential positions as advisors, consultants, managers, planners, and researchers in the public and nonprofit sectors.

BSPA information sessions are held every semester and publicized on the Baruch College calendar. The public affairs club holds monthly meetings that any Baruch College student may attend. Contact spa.undergrad@baruch.cuny.edu for specific questions about courses, to arrange for a visit to a public affairs class, or to set up a one-on-one meeting with the SPA undergraduate coordinator. The faculty and staff are dedicated to working with students to ensure a valuable educational experience.