Undergraduate Program
Message from the Dean Princeton’s unofficial motto, “In the nation’s service and the service of humanity,” shapes the Woodrow Wilson School undergraduate experience. The Woodrow Wilson School is a major center of education and research in public and international affairs. At every level, the work at the School is informed by our commitment to a multidisciplinary approach to policy issues, a global perspective, and an emphasis on top-quality research and teaching. The School offers a multidisciplinary liberal arts major for Princeton University undergraduate students who are passionate about public policy. I hope this brochure provides a sound overview of our program. Please visit wws.princeton.edu for additional information.
Cecilia Elena Rouse Dean
The Woodrow Wilson School Major in Public Policy The core curriculum consists of WWS courses, and WWS courses cross-listed with multiple departments that are relevant to the study of policymaking, analysis, and evaluation. Students complete policy seminars in their junior year, they write a policy thesis in their senior year, and choose a set of electives from a wide array of courses offered throughout the University. Prior to declaring WWS as a major, students must complete several prerequisites. Students also are asked to select their primary policy interest when they declare the major in the spring of their sophomore year.
Curriculum FIRST YEAR and SOPHOMORE
JUNIOR
SENIOR
Prerequisites
DECL AR ATION OF CONCENTR ATION
INDEPENDENT WORK JUNIOR POLICY SEMINARS
Policy Task Force
Senior Thesis
Policy Research Seminar
WWS Core WWS Electives Cross-Cultural or Field Experience Language Requirement University Distribution Requirements
WWS Undergraduate Program Requirements
Prerequisites
Junior Policy Seminars
One course in each of the following areas must be completed prior to the beginning of the fall term of junior year.
The Junior Policy Seminars meet Princeton’s requirement for junior independent work, and include two components: a Policy Task Force and Policy Research Seminar.
• Statistics • Introductory Microeconomics • History • Politics, Sociology, or Psychology
Policy Task Force
Core Curriculum
One course in each of the following disciplines. • Intermediate Microeconomics • Politics • Sociology or Psychology • Science Policy • Ethics
Elective Courses
Students must complete four electives chosen from a list preapproved by WWS. No more than three courses may come from the same department. Up to three electives may be taken abroad through a semester-long WWS study abroad program.
WWS students must complete one Policy Task Force during the junior year. A distinctive feature of the program, small teams of students apply an evidence-based analysis to an unfinished question of public policy that culminates in a final report that may be presented to a “client” – a public official or area specialist in the public or not-for-profit sector.
Policy Research Seminar
Students must complete one Policy Research Seminar in their junior year. These small classes, which include a seminar and a methods lab, introduce core qualitative and quantitative policy analysis methods that serve junior paper and senior thesis research.
RECENT POLICY TASK FORCE TOPICS UN Peacekeeping Peace Operations: Successes, Failures, Challenges Improving Democracy and Governance in Developing Countries China and the Rule of Law, Domestic and International Rethinking Criminal Justice: Policy Responses to Mass Incarceration Mass Migration from Venezuela: Addressing Human Needs and Political Challenges Across Borders Improving Health Care for Vulnerable Populations in the U.S.
RECENT POLICY RESEARCH SEMINAR TOPICS Poverty in America European Integration U.S. Cities: New Policy for Old Places Mobility and Migration in International Perspective Human Security: The Challenges of a Globalized Security Paradigm Globalization, Identities, and Democratic Politics Maternal and Child Health in the United States
See wws.princeton.edu/undergraduateprograms/curriculum/policy-research-seminars for updated list
Cross-Cultural or Field Experience
Prior to the second semester of the senior year, each student must have completed an approved cross-cultural or field experience. The requirement may be satisfied in a number of ways, including: • • • •
Summer or semester study abroad Princeton’s Bridge Year Program PIIRS Global Seminar – international location Extended service in an underserved community • Internship in nonprofit, government or international agency • Thesis research in the field • ROTC
Language Requirement
WWS majors must complete at least one second language course beyond the current University requirement. This may be done by: • Completing one additional course at the 200 or 300 level in the language used to meet the University requirement. Either a language course or a course taught in the language may be used; or • Taking a course at least at the 102 level in a language other than the one used to fulfill the University second language requirement. Courses used to meet this requirement may be taken at Princeton or elsewhere; all courses must be taken on a graded basis. • Students who are fluent in a second language may apply to WWS when they declare their concentration to have this requirement waived.
Senior Thesis
Every WWS student completes a senior thesis that addresses a specific policy question and draws out policy implications or comes to policy conclusions. In addition to the written report, each student presents an oral defense, which satisfies Princeton’s comprehensive exam requirement. WWS awards several scholarships each year to students from any department for travel and living expenses related to senior thesis research in public policy.
University Distribution Requirements: • • • • • • •
Epistemology and cognition (EC) 1 course Ethical thought and moral values (EM) 1 course Historical analysis (HA) 1 course Literature and the arts (LA) 2 courses Quantitative reasoning (QR) 1 course Social analysis (SA) 2 courses Science and technology (ST) 2 courses
Study Abroad
CURRENT LOCATIONS
PREVIOUS LOCATIONS
Public Service Internships WWS students interested in completing an unpaid, full-time internship between their junior and senior years can secure funding from the School. Internships must be at least six weeks long, in governmental or nonprofit organizations, and focused on public policy or international affairs.
PAST INTERNSHIPS INCLUDE: U.S. Department of State
U.S. House of Representatives
UN High Commission for Refugees
Amnesty International
For the latest information on the Undergraduate Program Curriculum see http://wws.princeton. edu/undergraduate-programs/curriculum/ courses-electives