Jackie Pomeroy '11 visits Professor Rick Worthington's class to discuss her career in issues advocacy
Professor David Menefee-Libey, the Politics liaison for Public Policy Analysis, meets with a student
In class with Professor Rick Worthington
Professor Linda Reinen, the Geology faculty liaison for Public Policy Analysis
Professor Colin Beck, the Sociology liaison for Public Policy Analysis
Public Policy Analysis blends 11 traditional majors with hands-on, problem-focused learning in policy-making.
The program in Public Policy Analysis (PPA) is one of Pomona College’s most distinctive majors. Usually reserved for graduate level study, this multidisciplinary major melds education in a traditional academic field (such as economics or biology) with a core curriculum in policy analysis.
The field of public policy analysis has emerged over the past few decades in response to the social need for inquiries and prescriptions that transcend the boundaries of traditional academic disciplines. The PPA program accomplishes this by offering a broad array of analytical techniques, a wide perspective on pressing social issues, and practical experience in the dynamics of policy-making organizations.
This liberal arts-based curriculum will help prepare future leaders for socially complex and ethically challenging issues and decisions.
Majors take four courses of Public Policy Analysis classes, and then select one of 11 formal majors or design their own:
- Anthropology
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Economics
- Environmental Analysis
- Geology
- Physics
- Politics
- Psychology
- Science, Technology and Society
- Sociology
Seniors in this program complete a 180-hour policy-related internship in the fall semester and then a thesis in the spring semester.