Mar 28, 2024  
2019-2020 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2019-2020 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration


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Telephone: (302) 831-1687
www.sppa.udel.edu/
www.sppa.udel.edu/faculty/facultylist.htm

The Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA) offers three undergraduate degrees - a Bachelor of Science in Organizational and Community Leadership, a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy, and a Bachelor of Science in Energy and Environmental Policy. SPPA also offers three minors - a minor in Organizational and Community Leadership, a minor in Public Policy, and a minor in Energy and Environmental Policy.

Organizational and Community Leadership

Telephone: (302) 831-8711

Organizational and Community Leadership majors are prepared to accept the challenge of leadership in an increasingly complex, global, and fast-paced world. Their knowledge and skills enable them to enter and succeed in a wide variety of careers.

Organizational and Community Leadership prepares students, through coursework, experiences, and discovery learning, to mobilize people for ethical, socially responsible, and sustainable change that improves the quality of our lives and environments. Organizational and Community Leadership majors gain knowledge of: social, economic, political, and technological factors that impact problems and paths of solutions; organizational and personal behaviors; and the complexities of, and the necessity for, collaborations among public, private, and non-profit organizations. Organizational and Community Leadership students also make great strides in their own personal and professional development by gaining competencies in effective communication, decision-making, problem recognition, and strategic problem-solving. They acquire the ability to develop, communicate, and implement visions and strategies that mobilize organizations and followers for change.

An Honors Degree option is available.

The BS in Organizational and Community Leadership is awarded to those students who follow a broad course of study and is designed to provide a liberal education. For this degree, students must complete a minimum of 124 credits composed of requirements for general education, college skills and breadth requirements, required courses in the major, and either an area of interest or a minor. A grade of C- is required in all major courses. No more than 45 credits with the same departmental prefix (including crosslisted courses) may be counted toward the total required for the degree.In the fall of the junior year, Organizational and Community Leadership majors may apply to the 4+1 program that enables completion of a B.S. in Organizational and Community Leadership and an M.A. in Urban Affairs and Public Policy or a Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) in five years.

Students admitted to the 4+1 accelerated, combined program will complete all requirements for the B.S. in Organizational and Community Leadership and the Minor in Public Policy prior to the start of the fifth year of study.  The 600 and 700-level sections in which admitted students will enroll are the same sections required for first-year graduate students.  By completing work in these advanced sections with grades of B- or better, students admitted to the program will be able to complete the requirements for both the B.S. in Organizational and Community Leadership and the M.A. in Urban Affairs and Public Policy or the M.P.A. in Public Administration in five years.  Upon completion of the 124 credits required for the OCL major, students will be eligible for the B.S. degree.  Upon completion of the remaining requirements for the M.A. or M.P.A. graduate program, students will be eligible for the M.A. or M.P.A. degree.

Application and program requirements are available at the website of the School of Public Policy and Administration.

The Organizational and Community Leadership minor provides an opportunity for students from a variety of disciplines to gain a substantive introduction to the concept of leadership and the application of leadership to designing, managing, and evaluating change in our public, private, and non-profit organizations. The hallmark of the minor is a focus on how vision, integrity, change, communication, decision-making and evaluation influence leadership, and shape change in organizations and in the community. 

Public Policy

The School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA) within the College of Arts and Sciences offers the Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy that provides students the opportunity to examine complex public issues and the policies developed to address them through a multiple set of disciplines such as sociology, education, leadership, history, and political science. The Public Policy degree integrates concepts across different disciplines equipping students with the tools required to examine and understand the purpose and impacts of public policies that address the social, economic, political, and environmental conditions affecting communities in the U.S. and globally. Within a liberal arts context, the program focuses on building core skills and professional dispositions so students can effectively take on public policy roles of responsibility that contribute to communities and society at large. In addition, students can pursue their individual interests through a minor that fosters a depth of understanding within a specific content area and through directed electives that provide more exploratory opportunities.

Under the guidance of an interdisciplinary faculty and through field-based learning activities, students will develop the capacity to engage in policy analysis and policy formation. The degree is designed to develop students’ curiosity, confidence, and engagement through the direct interaction with challenging, real-world issues and with those whose responsibility it is to address them.

As a result, Public Policy majors will learn how to effect change in the public, nonprofit and private sectors, specifically preparing them to be entry-level policy analysts, public officials, and community/ civic leaders. Majors will also be prepared for graduate work in law, public administration, environmental studies, public policy, and health care administration as well as being able to pursue Masters and Ph.D. degrees in the School of Public Policy and Administration.

An Honors degree option is also available.

In the fall of the junior year, Public Policy majors may apply to the accelerated, combined 4+1 program that enables completion of a B.A. in Public Policy and an M.A. in Urban Affairs and Public Policy in five years. Application and program requirements are available at the website of the School of Public Policy and Administration: http://www.sppa.udel.edu.

In the fall of the junior year, Public Policy majors may apply to the accelerated, combined 4+1 program that enables completion of a B.A. in Public Policy and an M.P.A. in Public Administration in five years. Application and program requirements are available at the website of the School of Public Policy and Administration: http://www.sppa.udel.edu.

The B.A. in Public Policy is awarded to those students who follow a broad course of study and is designed to provide a liberal education. For this degree, students must complete a minimum of 124 credits composed of requirements for general education, college skills and breadth requirements, required courses in a major, and elective courses. A grade of C- is required in all major courses. No more than 45 credits with the same departmental prefix (including cross-listed courses) may be counted toward the total required for the degree.

Students who wish to change from another major in the University are encouraged to contact the Undergraduate Office in the School of Public Policy and Administration for more information.

Energy and Environmental Policy 

Telephone: (302) 831-0950
https://www.enep.udel.edu/
Faculty Listing: https://www.enep.udel/people/faculty

The Energy and Environmental Policy Program (ENEP), part of the College of Arts and Sciences, conducts interdisciplinary research and supports graduate and undergraduate study on the interlocking issues of energy, environment, and development. Work in ENEP is guided by theories of political economy and technology, environment, and society. Research programs currently organized in ENEP or carried out in the Center of Energy and Environmental Policy (CEEP) include sustainable development, environmental justice, global environmental change, energy efficiency and renewable energy applications, water conservation and management, and comparative energy and environmental policy.

The Energy and Environmental Policy Program offers an undergraduate degree in the interdisciplinary field of Energy and Environmental Policy (ENEP). The ENEP major offers an integrated set of courses in the fields of social and policy sciences, natural sciences, engineering and analytical methods to prepare its graduates with the necessary knowledge and tools to enter professional positions in the fields of energy and environmental analysis, planning and policy development. Students are provided with the cross-disciplinary knowledge and analytical skills to address local, national and global energy and environmental issues in complex, real world contexts. The program’s faculty is drawn from the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Business and Economics.

The ENEP undergraduate degree is the only program in the state or region providing an undergraduate major that integrates a cross-disciplinary set of courses in policy analysis, economics, the social and natural sciences, and engineering to address the need to build a positive sustainable energy and environmental future. The unique nature of this major is that it combines the rigor and content knowledge of these disciplines to educate and prepare students to be effective decision makers and problem solvers in the energy and environmental sectors.

The undergraduate major in ENEP is designed to educate and build core competencies and skills for prospective practitioners who will work at the intersections of business, technology, government, research, and civil society sectors seeking to improve energy and environmental policy.

Beyond the core courses, majors must choose to specialize in one of three concentrations:

  1. Energy, Economics and Public Policy: provides an understanding of the influence of policy and economics on the development of the energy sector, with special emphasis on sustainable energy development.
  2. Energy, Environment and Society: prepares majors to understand and analyze greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions projection scenarios such as those developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and to evaluate technology and policy options related to climate challenges. Coursework in social science, econometrics, and statistical analysis as well as science and technology prepares students to conduct energy and environmental scenario analyses, policy simulations, and long-term policy analysis and planning.
  3. Energy, Science and Technology: enables students to understand the scientific and technological constraints and opportunities that can effect sustainable energy development. Courses bridge scientific and technological knowledge with an understanding of energy and environmental policy.

For all concentrations, students will be prepared to continue their education in graduate study in ENEP and related fields at the master’s level. Each concentration also includes the experience of internship fieldwork and a senior research paper.

Students transferring into the major from outside the University of Delaware will have their transcripts evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

A minor in Energy and Environmental Policy is also offered.  To enroll in this minor program, the student must have permission of the Director, who will assign the student a minor advisor. For inquiries regarding the minor, contact the Energy and Environmental Policy Program at (302) 831-0950.

 

Programs

    MajorHonors DegreeMinor4+1

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