BA Degree Requirements (AU22)

Review your General Education Requirements

Bachelor of Arts in Public Management, Leadership and Policy degree requirements below apply to students admitted to the university between Autumn 22 and Autumn 24.

You are responsible for knowing the published policies governing the curriculum you are pursuing as well as the regulations and procedures of the college and university. You should consult with an academic advisor when you have any questions. 

This information was last updated on 5/30/2024.

Review your General Education Requirements

Degree Supporting Courses - 16-30 credits

Complete all three degree supporting course requirements: College Survey, Language Proficiency OR a Globally Focused Minor, and Major Prerequisites. Overlap with the General Education is permitted.

PUBAFRS 1100: Public Affairs Survey (survey courses from other departments may be applied)

The goal of courses in this category is to help students develop and demonstrate linguistic or cultural competence by accomplishing real-world communicative tasks in a language other than their first language and/or demonstrate knowledge of target culture(s) and attitudes on cultural diversity reflective of an interculturally competent global citizen.

OPTION 1: Language Proficiency (12 hours)

Complete a language through the 1103-level; frequently offered options include:

  • American Sign Language
  • Arabic
  • Chinese
  • French
  • German
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Latin
  • Portuguese
  • Russian
  • Somali
  • Spanish
  • Swahili

OPTION 2: Approved Globally Focused Minor (15-18 credits)

Eligible minors include:

  • African American and African Studies
  • American Indian Studies
  • International Studies: African Studies
  • International Studies: East Asian Studies
  • International Studies: Latin American Studies
  • International Studies: Middle East Studies
  • International Studies: Slavic & East European Studies
  • International Studies: West European Studies
  • Islamic Studies
  • Jewish Oral History
  • Jewish Studies
  • Latino/a Studies
  • South Asia Studies

Students are not permitted to count their global minor toward the Public Affairs specialization requirement; not all International Studies minors are approved to fulfill the Global Minor option; students cannot choose Development Studies, Security and Intelligence or International Relations & Diplomacy to fulfill this requirement.

MICROECONOMICS: 3 credits

  • ECON 2001: Introduction to Microeconomics (3 credits)

Students may use ECON 2001 to fulfill the GE: Foundations: Social and Behavioral Sciences category.

MATH: 3-5 credits
Course options include:

  • MATH 1116: Excursions in Math (3 hours)
  • MATH 1148: College Algebra (4 hours)
  • MATH 1150: Precalculus (5 hours)
  • MATH 1151: Calculus (5 hours)

This will automatically overlap with the General Education Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning requirement.

DATA ANALYSIS: 3 credits
Course options include:

  • ECON or INTSTDS 3400: The Analysis and Display of Data
  • ENR 2000: Natural Resources Data Analysis
  • POLITSC 3780: Data Literacy and Data Visualization
  • SOCIOL 3549: Statistics in Sociology
  • STAT 1350: Elementary Statistics
  • STAT 1450: Introduction to the Practice of Statistics

Major Requirements - 33 credits

Complete 11 courses, including all six Foundation courses, a writing course, a government finance course, two policy electives and capstone. Overlap with the GE: Thematic Pathways category is permitted.

Take any 3-credit Political Science course at the 3000-level or above, such as:

  • POLITSC 3115: Intro to the Policy Process
  • POLITSC 3460: Global Justice
  • POLITSC 4130: Law and Politics
  • POLITSC 4139: Gun Politics

Take any Additional 3-credit Public Affairs course at the 4000-level or above, such as:

Specialization – 12+ credits

Complete at least one specialization – either a Glenn Minor, an approved outside minor, or a second major.

Eligible minors include:

  • Civic Engagement
  • Education Policy
  • Local Government
  • Nonprofit Management
  • Science and Engineering in the Public Interest
  • Social Justice Advocacy and Public Policy
  • Women, Gender, and Public Policy

Learn more about Glenn College minors.

Eligible minors include: 

  • Business
  • City and Regional Planning
  • Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies
  • Economics
  • Environment, Economics, Development and Sustainability
  • Global Public Health
  • Inequality and Society
  • International Conflict and Peace Studies
  • International Studies (cannot also count toward the Globally Focused Minor)
  • International Economics and Social Development
  • Media and Society
  • Political Science
  • Statistics
  • Society and Environmental Issues
  • Legal Foundations of Society
  • Students may submit a petition to count an outside minor not listed; minors must relate to Public Affairs to be approved.
  • If a student is double majoring, the specialization requirement is waived.
  • Students may petition to complete a personalized specialization – crafted by the student, centered around a theme (e.g. “food policy”), and worth at least 15 credits. This must be approved by the Glenn College Undergraduate Curriculum Committee.

Electives – variable credits

Electives will likely be needed to reach the 121 total required credit hours. Electives are any course at the 1100-level or higher and may not be courses already earned for credit. The number of elective hours varies by student and depends on placement tests (math and language), overlapping of requirements, and course and minor selections.  

With your elective hours, you could pursue a second major, minor or a combination degree program; select a set of courses on a specific topic; engage in an undergraduate research experience; do internships; and/or study abroad. You are urged to meet with your academic advisor to work out a plan that best fits your needs and interests. 

Summary of Degree Requirements

General Education (GE) Requirements - 32-39 credits

Review detailed General Education Requirements

  • Bookend Seminars (2 credits)
  • Foundations Categories (22-25 credits)
  • Thematic Pathways (8 – 12 credits)

Degree Supporting Requirements: 16-22 

  • Language Proficiency or Globally Focused Minor (12-15)
  • College Survey: PUBAFRS 1100 (1)
  • Math (0-3)^
  • Data Analysis (3)
  • Economics 2001 (0-3)^

Major Required Credit Hours: 45 – 48

  • 11 core courses (33)
  • Specialization (12-15) (Select a Public Affairs minor or an approved outside minor or use a second major (at least 30 credit hours), to complete this requirement.)

Total Credit Hours Required: 121

  • ^Math and ECON 2001 may overlap with the General Education

You must earn a minimum of 121 semester credit hours to earn an undergraduate degree from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs.

In no case shall the number of hours required for graduation be fewer than 121.

Remedial courses (courses at the 10XX-level or below, and English 1109) and credit hours earned in repeated course work do not count toward the 121-hour minimum requirement for a Glenn College baccalaureate degree. Note that you can take both “versions” of cross-listed courses (e.g., Comparative Studies 2214/Sexuality Studies 2214); however, since the two versions are in fact the same course, only one may count toward your minimum degree hours.

Within the minimum 121 credit hours, you must have:

  • No more than 4 hours may be from physical activities courses taught in Kinesiology: Sport, Fitness, and Health Program (KNSFHP); physical activities courses include all 1100-level KNSFHP courses except for 1102, 1103, 1122, and 1137.
  • A minimum of 30 credit hours earned through regular course enrollment at Ohio State.
  • Course enrollment at Ohio State and in your final semester, unless granted permission in advance to complete coursework outside of Ohio State.
  • At least half of the credit hours in the major must be completed at Ohio State.

In addition, you must have:

  • A cumulative Ohio State GPA of 2.0 or higher
    • You must earn at least a C- in a course for it to be listed on your major. If you earn a D+, D, or E in a course that is required for the major, it cannot be counted, and you should work with an advisor to determine if the course should be repeated or if another course should be used. Courses taken on a pass/non-pass basis cannot be used on the major.
  • Applied to graduate with the Public Affairs degree no later than the posted application deadline.

You are responsible for fulfilling all prerequisites to courses in which you enroll. Failure to satisfactorily complete prerequisites may delay graduation.

The Public Affairs majors consist of 33 credit hours of required coursework at the 2000-level and above.

If you are pursuing multiple majors, course work may overlap between the majors, provided that each major department allows such overlap and that each major has at least 18 unique (non-overlapping) semester hours.

A minor consists of a minimum of 12 semester hours at the 2000-level and above and a maximum of 18 semester hours. At least 6 hours on the minor must be at the upper-division level. Upper-division courses are defined as courses at the 3000-level or above.

1000-level courses may not be included in a minor. No more than 3 hours of X193 course work may be included in a minor, and no more than 3 hours of courses graded “S/U” may be included in a minor. Up to 6 total credit hours of transfer credit and/or credit by examination may be counted toward a minor. A maximum of 6 semester hours on the minor may also count on the GE.

No grade below a C- will be permitted in courses constituting a minor. However, you must receive a 2.0 or higher cumulative GPA for all minor course work. Courses taken on a pass/non-pass basis may not count toward a minor.

Students are permitted to pursue multiple minors, so long as each minor has 12 unique credit hours.

Once a minor program form is on file in the college office, any changes must be approved by the departmental (minor) advisor. Students are strongly encouraged to declare the minor and file the minor program form as early as possible; declaration of the minor and filing of the minor program form must occur at least one term prior to graduation.

Exclusivity of GE, Major, and Minor Courses

With the exceptions noted below, courses may not be counted on both the GE and the major. A maximum of 6 semester hours on the minor may also count on the GE. If the minor consists of more than 12 semester hours, some overlap may be permitted. Consult your advisor. 

Some GE courses are listed in more than one category; with the exceptions noted below, however GE courses may not be used to fulfill more than one GE requirement. 

Courses Used to Fulfill More than One Requirement

Students can apply up to two Theme courses to their major. The courses must be in different Themes (one in Citizenship and one in the “choice” Theme). Foundation courses cannot apply to the major directly but may be counted as prerequisite or major-foundational courses. No overlap is allowed between the foundations and major coursework.

Honors and Honors Embedded Courses

To enroll in an honors (embedded) course, you must be an honors student or have instructor permission. Check the course catalogue (course bulletin) at buckeyelink.osu.edu for a full listing of honors courses. Honors courses are marked with an “H” after the course number. Honors embedded courses are marked with an “E” after the course number. 

Service-Learning Courses

Service-learning courses are designed to enrich students’ understanding of course content, broaden their appreciation for the discipline, and enhance development of civic responsibility. A service-learning course uses experiential strategies characterized by student participation in an organized service activity, is connected to specific learning outcomes, meets identified community needs, and provides structured time for students to analyze and connect the service experience to learning. Check the course catalogue (course bulletin) at buckeyelink.osu.edu for a full listing of service-learning courses. Service-learning courses are marked with an “S” after the course number.

If you are pursuing multiple baccalaureate degrees, you must earn at least 30 additional semester hours for each additional degree beyond the 121 required for a single degree. The GE requirements for each degree must be fulfilled. (For example, a student earning both BA and BS degrees is required to complete calculus, which is not required for the BA, because such course work is required for the BS.) No overlap between majors, or between the major and the GE, is permitted. No more than 6 semester credit hours of any previous minor course work may be used on the major for an additional degree. You must also petition for approval to pursue an additional degree at least a semester before your graduating term. You should consult your advisor regarding the petition process.