Policy Analysis and Management (BS)

Brooks School of Public Policy

Program Website

Program Description

In March 2023, the Brooks School of Public Policy introduced the Public Policy major. All students entering the school after that date will be enrolled in the Public Policy major, instead of the Policy Analysis and Management major.

Policy Analysis and Management (PAM) major requirements (for students matriculating in August 2022 or January 2023) are outlined below. In addition to the major requirements, students must also meet general college requirements.

For more information about the Public Policy major or inquiries regarding specific requirements for existing PAM majors, please contact the Brooks School Office of Admissions, Student Services, and Career Management.

Please note that effective Fall 2023, all courses that previously had a prefix of PAM will have the prefix PUBPOL.

Policies and Procedures

In addition to these program level requirements, students are expected to meet all Brooks School and University level policies noted elsewhere in this catalog. 

Academic Support Courses

1000-level academic support courses do not count towards graduation requirements but do contribute towards maintaining full time semester status and towards good academic standing requirements.

Good Academic Standing Requirements

  • A student must maintain a semester and cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher.
  • A student must complete at least 12 credits per semester, excluding physical education courses unless they have received an approved petition to take fewer than 12 credits (e.g. for SDS accommodation). 
  • Students enrolling in the Brooks School as first-years must enroll in a minimum of one 3-credit course each semester in PUBPOL during each of their first four semesters, excluding winter and summer sessions. Transfer students must take six credit hours of PUBPOL coursework in each of their first two semesters in the Brooks School.   
  • All students must complete their requirements for first-year writing seminars (FWS) during their first two semesters at Cornell.
  • A student must be making “satisfactory progress” toward a Brooks School bachelor’s degree.
  • A student cannot carry more than two (2) incomplete grades simultaneously.
  • Students must receive a passing grade in PUBPOL 2000 - Intermediate Microeconomics and PUBPOL 2101 - Statistics for Public Policy. Students who do not receive a passing grade in either of these courses in the most recent semester will be placed on a warning status. 

Review Process

At the end of each semester, the Brooks School committee on academic status (CAS) reviews each Bachelor of Science and Professional Master student’s academic record to ensure that the minimum academic standards are met. The committee takes appropriate action for students whose academic achievement is considered unsatisfactory as defined by the criteria above. To support every student’s success, the committee may take any of the following actions:

  • Withdraw the student permanently from the Brooks School and Cornell University.
  • Require the student to take a leave of absence for one or more semesters.
  • Issue a warning to the student at one of the following levels (these imply that if the student does not show considerable improvement during the semester, the committee may withdraw the student):
    • Severe warning with danger of being withdrawn
    • Severe warning
    • Warning
  • Add the student’s name to a review list; students with this status are monitored by the committee throughout the semester.
  • Return the student to good standing.

Any of the above actions may be accompanied by a semester credit limit or a requirement for the student to meet with an academic advisor by a date set by the committee. 

Students placed on a required leave must appeal to CAS to return. This appeal occurs at the end of the required leave period. Students who have been withdrawn may appeal the decision before the committee during the pre-semester appeals meeting. 

All students with an academic warning status automatically will be reviewed for specific criteria at the end of the subsequent semester. Students put on warning, severe warning, or severe warning with danger of being withdrawn status will be informed of conditions that they are expected to fulfill to return to good standing. 

Students who have been previously placed on a required leave and wish to return to the Brooks School must submit a plan of study to the committee before being rejoined. The student should contact the Registrar in the Brooks Office of Admissions, Student Services, and Career Management to discuss the process and due dates. 

Students who have been withdrawn from the Brooks School by CAS may request that they be readmitted. Such students have three years from the date they were withdrawn to make this appeal with assistance from an advisor in the Brooks Office of Admissions, Student Services, and Career Management. After three years, a former student must apply for readmission through the Brooks School admissions process. A student applying for readmission should discuss their situation with an advisor in the Brooks Office of Admissions, Student Services and Career Management. The student also should talk with others who may be able to help - faculty mentors, instructors, or a member of the university medical staff. Any information given to the committee is held in the strictest confidence.

Semester Credit Limits

Full-time matriculated students must carry a minimum of 12 credits (excluding physical education) to maintain their full-time status. 

Undergraduate students enrolled in the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy are typically limited to taking 18 credits per semester. However, students who have completed more than two semesters at Cornell and have maintained a GPA of at least 3.5 may petition to take up to 22 academic credits. 

Students who have been at Cornell for less than two semesters or have a GPA lower than 3.5 may only petition for additional credits if they are for physical education or academic support classes (e.g., MATH 1006 - Academic Support for MATH 1106).

Eligibility to petition does not guarantee approval to exceed 18 credits. Students must also have the support of an academic advisor from the Brooks School Office of Admissions, Student Services and Career Management. Approval for additional credits will only be granted after a meeting with an advisor.

Please be aware that approvals to exceed 18 credits are granted under limited circumstances, and petitions to enroll for more than 18 credits are not accepted during the pre-enrollment period.

Special Study Courses 

  • A maximum of 12 credits of special study/independent study/research coursework can count towards 120 overall credits. Courses will be indicated on the class roster with a Component of either IND or RSC. In Brooks these courses are PUBPOL 4000, 4010, 4020, & 4030.  Additional credits can be taken but will not be applied. 

  • A maximum of 3 credits of PUBPOL special studies coursework (PUBPOL 4000, 4010, and 4020) may meet the PUBPOL electives requirement. PUBPOL 4030 does not meet the PUBPOL electives requirement. 

  • A maximum of 3 credits of 4000-4020 (not including PUBPOL 4030) may count towards the 9 Human Ecology credits requirement if the special study is in a department outside the student’s major.

  • Students cannot TA (PUBPOL 4030) the same course for credit more than once or take and TA the same course simultaneously. PUBPOL 4030 does not fulfill any requirements towards the major.  Registration for PUBPOL 4030 may not exceed 5 credit hours per semester.

Study Abroad Credit Limits

Students participating in full semester study abroad programs offered via the office of global learning may take no more than the equivalent of 15 credits Cornell credits abroad per semester.
Credits taken through an approved global learning program will automatically count towards the 120 credits needed to graduate.  

To request to have a course count towards a major or distribution requirements, students must complete a curriculum substitution petition. Core PUBPOL courses cannot be taken abroad. If a student receives approval for multiple courses to count towards PUBPOL credits, no more than 8 credits per semester abroad may apply towards PUBPOL credits. 

S-U Grade Options

  • S/U grading option may NOT be used for any required course unless it is the only grade option offered for those courses.

  • S/U grades MAY be used for electives and in the 9 Human Ecology credits.

  • Students can apply a maximum of 12 credits of S-U grades toward the 120 credits required for graduation. Courses offered only as S-U grades do not count towards this limit. 

  • Students have the option to take additional S-U courses beyond the 12-credit limit, but those credits will not count toward graduation requirements.

Tracking Graduation Requirements

Undergraduate students must track their progress towards graduation by reviewing degree requirements in this catalog. It is the responsibility of students to plan their course selections carefully to ensure they meet all graduation requirements within eight semesters. Transfer students may have a different timeline based on the number of transferable credits they receive upon admission. Students who require additional semesters to fulfill graduation requirements must schedule a meeting with an advisor at the Brooks Office of Admissions, Student Services, and Career Management. During this meeting, they can request to petition for an extension.

Transfer Credit Policies

All students who matriculate fall 2025 and later are expected to follow the university transfer credit policy.   

Prior to enrolling in the course, students must complete a petition to have an external course count towards a Brooks School requirement. Petitions are not required for test credit. See the curriculum requirements tab for more information about how test credit may meet degree requirements.

Students who matriculated prior to fall 2025, and who have not switched to the 2025-2026 curriculum year, are held to the policies from the year they matriculated:  

  • Of the 120 credits required to graduate, at least 60 credits must be earned at Cornell University.
  • After matriculation, transfer students may take no more than 15 credits external to Cornell. AP and IB credits also count towards this limit. 
  • First-year matriculated students may apply a maximum of 15 non-Cornell credits toward the 120 credits required for graduation. These credits include AP, IB, and college credits earned elsewhere (refer to the Advanced Placement Credit section below).
  • Courses taken in a high school setting or counted toward high school graduation, such as Syracuse Project Advance, are not eligible to count for credits or fulfill graduation requirements or count towards the 120 credits needed to graduate.