Undergraduate Program

Welcome!

The UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs Undergraduate Program is home to the B.A. in Public Affairs, Gerontology Minor, Public Affairs Minor, and Urban and Regional Studies Minor. To learn more about the Public Affairs Undergraduate Program click the quick-links icons below or navigate the blue sidebar menu.

For questions about the Public Affairs Undergraduate Program, please contact our office here. We look forward to welcoming you to the Luskin community!

Overview of the B.A. in Public Affairs

Apply to the Public Affairs Pre-Major and Major

Experiential Learning Capstone Series

Luskin Minors

Enroll in Public Affairs Courses

Petitions

Graduation and Commencement

RELEVANT
Our world is changing rapidly, creating opportunity but also inequity. Poverty, affordable housing, climate change, criminal justice reform, health, education, migration – these are among society’s most pressing issues. At UCLA, students are stepping up to meet these challenges head-on, and the Public Affairs Undergraduate Program gives them the skills to succeed. Students in Public Affairs learn to analyze information, use evidence for decision making, and make compelling arguments for collective action. They develop the skills needed to go into the community and apply their scholarship in nonprofit organizations, private ventures, government agencies, advocacy groups, and other settings. Public Affairs prepares our future leaders to immediately and effectively bring about social change.
RIGOROUS
The Public Affairs Undergraduate Program provides a multidisciplinary foundation in social science theories, data collection and analysis, critical thinking, and written and oral communication. Students can delve into topics such as social movements and their policy underpinnings, microeconomics and human development, and the use of statistics to inform and persuade. This undergraduate experience prepares students for careers in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, and for graduate study in fields such as law, public policy, social welfare, urban planning, education, or any of the social sciences. Public Affairs is also a complementary education for science or engineering students who wish to concentrate on policy issues.
REWARDING
Public Affairs students step into the real world to put their scholarship and skills to work. Through the B.A. in Public Affairs students conduct a three-quarter-length capstone project that provides an immersive learning experience in a wide variety of settings. However they choose to structure their education, students can connect with community-based organizations, regional governments, and private companies, or pursue projects through UC’s international, Washington, D.C., or Sacramento programs. This exceptional opportunity provides first-hand experience at the intersection of governance, corporate citizenship, civil society, and grassroots activism.

Academic Programs

Bachelor of Arts in Public Affairs

The world needs agents of social change whose passion to improve people’s lives is matched by the knowledge and skills to deliver results. UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs will help cultivate this next generation of civic-minded leaders.

The B.A. in Public Affairs offers an in-depth and engaged educational experience with a clear public service ethos. Drawing from UCLA Luskin’s expansive resources in Public Policy, Social Welfare, and Urban Planning, the major combines critical thinking, social science methodology, and experiential learning, connecting the dots between theory and action.

Learn more about the major!

Minors

The Luskin School of Public Affairs offers three minor programs.

The Minor in Public Affairs teaches students the skills of policy analysis and exposes them to the many issues facing today’s policymakers and opinion leaders. The Minor in Urban and Regional Studies offers students a means to address some of the most pressing issues faced by our cities and communities at the urban and regional level. The Minor in Gerontology provides students with a foundational understanding of the current state of science related to human aging and enables them to contribute, personally and professionally, to a diverse aging society.

Learn more about the minors!