Faculty of Arts & Science 2016-2017 Calendar

Public Policy

• Public Policy Major
• Public Policy Courses

Solving real-world policy challenges requires the use of multi-disciplinary tools to analyze problems, determine the best means to deal with those problems, and decide on the best course of action.  An undergraduate Major in Public Policy provides a unique opportunity for students in Social Science disciplines to think in an interdisciplinary way, by drawing on theories and approaches, as well as tool kits developed in the core disciplines of Economics and Political Science, and beyond.  Students in this program develop theoretical and applied reasoning skills in policy analysis, as well as a solid grounding in quantitative methods and research.

Public Policy Programs

The Major program in Public Policy is offered jointly by the School of Public Policy, the Department of Economics, and the Department of Political Science. Students may enroll after their first- or second-year of undergraduate studies, and must meet the prerequisite conditions for all second-year and higher courses.
 
The Program Director and Program Assistant are available for consultation. For enquiries or an appointment call the Undergraduate Administrator, Petra Jory at 416-978-5402 or send an e-mail to p.jory@utoronto.ca.

(7.5 FCEs)

The Major program in Public Policy is offered jointly by the School of Public Policy, the Department of Economics, and the Department of Political Science. Students enroll after first-year, and must meet the prerequisite conditions for all second-year and higher courses.

Major in Public Policy (7.5 FCEs)

First Year:

1. POL101Y1 (67%)
       •    OR TrinityOne Public Policy courses TRN160Y and/or TRN161Y  (75%) / VicOne policy streams (75% in 1.0 FCE)
   *Students entering through TrinityOne/VicOne streams will be ineligible to take upper year POL courses until they have completed POL214Y
2. Either ECO100Y1 (with a final mark of at least 67%) or ECO105Y1 (with a final mark of at least 80%), AND
   
3. Optional MAT133Y1 or equivalent (65%)
   *MAT133Y or equivalent (65%) is required for those students studying ECO206Y, ECO208Y, ECO210Y, ECO227Y in their upper years
   *MAT133Y or equivalent (no minimum grade) is required for those students studying ECO200Y, ECO202Y, ECO204Y, ECO209Y, ECO220Y in their upper years
   *MAT133Y or equivalent (65%) is not required for those students studying PPG200H1

Second Year:

1. ECO200Y1/ECO204Y1/ECO206Y1/PPG200H1
- PPG200H does not serve as PREREQUISITE for upper year ECO courses
- ECO200+ is required for those who plan to take ECO courses at the 300+level.

2. ECO220Y1/(POL222H1+POL232H1)/SOC202H1/STA220H1/STA221H1/STA248H1/STA255H1/STA261H1

3. POL214Y

Third and Fourth Years:

1. PPG301H1

2. PPG401H1

3. Remaining FCEs to reach the 7.5 requirement will be drawn from 300+-level drawn from Economics, Political Science, Sociology, or related disciplines.

A non-exhaustive list of eligible courses includes:

ECO313H/ECO314H/ECO320H/ECO324Y/ECO331H/ECO333H1/ECO334H/ECO336Y/ECO339Y/ECO349H/ECO364H/ECO365H/ECO369H/ECO402H/ECO403H/ECO407H/ECO410H/ECO414H/ECO416H/ECO425H/ECO426H/ECO434H/ECO439H

POL306H1/POL308H1/POL312Y1/POL314Y1/POL315H1/POL316Y1/POL317Y1/POL318H1/POL321H1/POL332Y1/POL334H1/POL336H1/POL337Y1/POL341H1/POL344H1/POL351Y1/POL356Y1/JPR364H1/POL370H1/POL371H1/POL377H1/POL408H1/POL409H1/POL411H1/POL413H1/JPJ412H1/POL423H1/POL425Y1/POL439H1/POL447Y1/POL448H1/POL450H1/JPF455Y1/JPR457H1/POL457Y1/POL458H1/POL474H1/POL480Y1/POL481Y1/POL482H1

With the approval of the program director, students can take public policy oriented courses outside this list.

Students may enroll after their first- or second-year of study. Achieving the minimum grades outlined above does not necessarily guarantee admission to the program in any given year.

Public Policy Courses

The objectives are: (1) To provide students with a foundation in microeconomic analysis and; (2) To demonstrate how this foundation can be applied to design, predict the effects of and evaluate public policies.

Students will be equipped to understand the main issues on a range of policy topics such as taxation, social insurance, welfare and income support programs.

The course introduces students to the study of public policy, the policy process and our policy institutions in Canada. The course examines how issues emerge, how important ideas are framed, priorities are established, and agendas are set and managed. It explores how institutions – formal and informal rules which enable and constrain actors – shape policy-making in Canada.

This course explores the government’s role in promoting efficiency and equity in both the financing and delivery of public policy goals. It explores the conditions when government involvement is important, the policy levers available to government in promoting social policy, market failures, and conditions for efficiency. It examines the role of government in many of the major areas of social policy such as health care, education, redistribution, the environment, financial regulations and other important issues.