

For virtually every societal problem, there is likely to be a corresponding public policy. For example...
There are policies to regulate air quality to keep the air you breathe
safe and clean.
There are policies to ensure that there is enough water available and that the water you drink is safe and clean.
There are policies in place to ensure that all children have access to K-12 schools that meet an established teaching standard.
There are regulations in place to ensure the safety of everyone on freeways and highways, such as seat belt and speed limit laws.
The list goes on...
Put simply, public policy as a field of study concerns itself with policy making, including:
- Affordable health care
- Childhood obesity
- Opioid epidemic
- Prescription drug pricing
- Criminal justice reform
- Homelessness
- DACA
- LGBTQ discrimination
- College affordability
- Gender pay gap
- Wall Street reform
- Social Security reform
- Climate change
- Drought and water scarcity
- Energy security
- Endangered species protection
- Counterterrorism
- Global trade
- Refugees
- Human trafficking
Public policy as a field of study is interdisciplinary in nature. This means that you will be studying policy issues from the lens of multiple academic disciplines. For example, in order to make a sound health care policy, one might include physicians, economists, community advocates in the discussion to touch upon the health, economic, and social aspects of a particular policy proposal.
The UCR School of Public Policy is a professional school. This means we are a school that prepares our students towards professions or careers, specifically in public policy. Our public policy programs prepare students for careers in government, politics, and public affairs within public, non-profit, or private sectors.
Political Science
The study of theory and practice of politics, political behavior, and political systems, and prepares students for careers in politics.
Public Administration
Prepares students for careers in administration and management for an array of different organizations.
Public Policy
More analytical and problem-focused than political science or public administration. Public policy is less theory-based and more applied, focusing on identifying effective solutions to existing policy challenges.