The Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs (BSPA) is a unique degree that cultivates passion and prepares individuals to tackle social justice issues and uplift our communities both domestically and internationally. Students learn to formulate, implement, and evaluate creative solutions to challenging global, national, state, and local problems. The emphasis is on understanding practical ways to help others and to improve public life establishing a strong foundation of skills focusing on policy, advocacy, and analysis/critical thinking.
The BSPA requires 120 credits: a minimum of 30 public affairs credits and another 90 credits from the CUNY Pathways general education curriculum. In the Pathways curriculum, the college option for BSPA students is a liberal arts minor. Minors relevant to public affairs include law, environmental sustainability, information studies, and survey research. BSPA students are not eligible to double major, but can obtain a double minor.
Public affairs courses are offered both in-person, on-line, and hybrid. Classes are small with 20-25 students. The professors are accomplished scholars with Ph.D. degrees from major universities or lecturers with current and previous positions as top policy leaders. The curriculum examines how public and nonprofit organizations are involved in the policy process. Civic engagement skills are developed in economic and financial analysis, political negotiations, qualitative and quantitative methods, and rhetoric. Policy areas of interest include the arts, community development, education, the environment, health care, housing, immigration, and social welfare.
BSPA Internships: In addition to the curriculum, BSPA students apply their knowledge through experiential learning. Several credit-bearing internship courses are offered that allow students to become immersed in real-world opportunities that create building blocks to the careers they are seeking. Students have the opportunity to work at the local, state, and national levels, as well as, within a myriad of nonprofit organizations. Review the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs internships for more information.
Admission
To become a student at Baruch College requires an application to the City University of New York (CUNY). There are separate applications for freshman and transfers from community colleges. The deadline for entry in the fall semester is February 1 and for the spring semester it is September 15. Connect to Apply to CUNY for the online application.
You may select public affairs as your intended major when applying to Baruch. Once admitted, you would complete and submit a BSPA Major Declaration Form to mspia.bspa@baruch.cuny.edu or in-person to an advisor located at 135 E. 22nd Street, 4th Floor.
At least 60 percent of the credits in the major must be taken at Baruch. Transfer students must meet all degree requirements and take a minimum of at least 30 credits at Baruch.
To gain more information about the Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs Program, contact Melissa Sultana, Deputy Director of Academic Program at Melissa.Sultana@baruch.cuny.edu or visit an advisor from 10:00am to 5:00pm weekdays at 135 E. 22nd Street, 4th floor (no appointment necessary).
BSPA Major Requirements:
- The BSPA requires 120 credits.
- The completion of 45 credits and a cumulative GPA of 2.25 or greater is necessary to become a BSPA student.
- A minimum of 30 credits are from the public affairs core and elective curriculum below (each course is 3 credits unless specified).
- The degree requires the satisfaction of the CUNY Pathways curriculum as designated by Baruch College.
- A minimum of 57 credits must be designated as liberal arts (several BSPA courses satisfy the liberal arts credit requirement).
- Pre-Calculus must be completed to satisfy the "Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning" requirement of the Pathways Required Core as a STEM Variant.
- PAF 1250 or POL 1101 must be completed in the CUNY Pathways Flexible Core or as liberal arts electives.
- ENG 2150 is a prerequisite for most PAF courses; ECO 1001 is a prerequisite for PAF 3102; PSY 2100 or STAT 2000 is a prerequisite for PAF 3401.
Students are encouraged to meet with the BSPA advisor, Jillian Ryan, before registering for public affairs courses to ensure that the right sequence of courses are taken with all the required prerequisites.