Social Research and Public Policy (BA)
Program Description
Designing and evaluating policy depends on social science theory and research. The program in Social Research and Public Policy offers rigorous training with courses in economics, political science, sociology, and anthropology, as well as courses in quantitative and qualitative research methods, which enable students to critically evaluate research findings and produce original research. Social Research and Public Policy is attractive to students who are concerned with the major social problems of our times such as international migration, unequal economic development, poverty, racism and sexism, inequality, ethnic conflict, as well as health inequality and population dynamics.
The program aims to inspire students’ critical theoretical imagination and helps them to make better sense of the world around themselves. SRPP majors will be regarded as excellent candidates for law school, and for graduate programs in the social sciences, in public policy, business school, public health, education, urban planning, and social work. Graduates work with NGO’s, in public service, urban planning, and community action.
Its breadth and its emphasis on critical thinking and hands-on empirical research, especially research linked to policy questions, distinguish the major in Social Research and Public Policy. Social Research and Public Policy majors will produce a piece of original research to meet the capstone requirement. Students may collect their own data, conduct simulations, or reanalyze available data to make a contribution to the research in the field of their choice. Students will work with a faculty mentor to develop and implement their research design. Students who wish to do fieldwork abroad should develop the project in the spring of junior year and obtain approval from the faculty mentor to collect data during the summer before senior year. NYUAD’s Institutional Review Board must approve all projects that involve human subjects before data collection begins. Seniors will attend a bi-weekly colloquium, which is moderated by a faculty member and serves as a forum for peer review and feedback on progress with the project.
Foundations of Social Science
Foundations of Social Science (FSS) has four components that focus on (1) intellectual traditions in the social sciences (Social, Political, and Economic Theory: SPET), (2) global development in historical perspective (Social, Political, and Economic History: SPEH), (3) quantitative reasoning and numeracy, and (4) gateway courses into the majors.
Students come to NYUAD with a great diversity of backgrounds in terms of their grasp of societal and economic development and globalization, with a vision that is often narrowed by regional foci of high school curricula. FSS is designed to broaden and amplify students’ understandings of the world and global processes. Required and elective courses in each of the majors will be able to build on this foundation, thereby fostering intellectual growth.
Beyond their role in the programs, Foundations of Social Science courses are open to all students and will deliver high value to any student curious about the development of societies and social thought; the substance and skills students learn in these courses will be applicable across the liberal arts spectrum. They are designed to foster informed world citizenship.
Concentration
Policy Analysis
Starting in Fall 2025, SRPP majors can choose to get an optional concentration in Policy Analysis. The goal is to provide students with in-depth training and understanding of how public policies are designed, implemented, and evaluated by scholars and policymakers locally and globally. Students will get exposure to a broad range of policies implemented in multiple areas of social life, such as health, migration, family, education, etc. The concentration has the following aims:
- To develop critical and analytical skills needed by policymakers to analyze complex decisions, devise public policies, and evaluate the suitability of these policies within specific geographical contexts
- To formulate policy-relevant research questions, interpret qualitative and quantitative academic and policy empirical analyses, and reproduce empirical analyses
- To acquire the specific methodological, statistical, terminological, and computational toolkit needed by policymakers to assess the impact and/or measure the effectiveness of a specific policy intervention on a range of social outcomes
Students declaring the concentration are required to complete two required classes (SRPP-UH 2610 Introduction to Public Policy and SRPP-UH 3610 Methods of Public Policy Analysis ) and two additional Institutions and Public Policy (IPP) electives. The two additional Institutions and Public Policy (IPP) electives can be used to satisfy major requirements.
Study Away
The study away pathway can be found on the NYUAD Student Portal at students.nyuad.nyu.edu/pathways. Students with questions should contact the Office of Global Education.
Admissions
New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU. For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply.