Public Affairs Major, BS in Public Affairs - Government Relations Concentration

Admissions Standards and Procedures

Applicants for admission to the program must complete the required prerequisites and pre-major core courses with a 2.5 GPA or higher.
 

Concentration (12 credit hours)

For the Government Relations concentration, students must complete 12 credit hours listed below with a 2.5 GPA or higher. Students will also need to take an additional 3 credit hours (CMST 201/207*), which is a Vol Core, Engaged Inquiry course and a required prerequiste to CMST 342. 
 

• CMST 342 - Survey of Organizational Communication 3 Credit Hours (Prerequisite to CMST 449)
• CMST 449 - Political Persuasion 3 Credit Hours
• JMED 366 - Media and Democracy 3 Credit Hours
• PBRL 430 - Crisis Communication 3 Credit Hours

•  

• Recommended unrestricted elective, select one course:

• CMST 201 - Introduction to Communication Studies 3 Credit Hours *
• CMST 207 - Honors: Introduction to Communication Studies 3 Credit Hours *

Campus

Knoxville

uTrack Requirements

Universal Tracking (uTrack) is an academic monitoring system designed to help students stay on track for timely graduation. In order to remain on track, students must complete the minimum requirements for each tracking semester, known as milestones. Milestones include successful completion of specified courses and/or attainment of a minimum GPA. uTrack requirements only affect full-time, degree-seeking students.

Term 1

• ¹ Natural Sciences Elective  3-4 Credit Hours * (at least one NS elective must have a lab)

• ¹  ENGL 101 - English Composition I 3 Credit Hours * (or equivalent)
• ²  FYS 101 - The UT Experience 1 Credit Hours
• IAC 101 - Engaging Civically 3 Credit Hours (prerequisite to the major)

•  

• Select one course:

• MATH 123 - Finite Mathematics 3 Credit Hours *
• MATH 141 - Calculus I 4 Credit Hours *
• MATH 142 - Calculus II 4 Credit Hours *

•  

• Select one course:

• POLS 101 - United States Government and Politics 3 Credit Hours * (prerequisite to the major)
• POLS 107 - Honors: United States Government and Politics 3 Credit Hours * (prerequisite to the major)

Term 2

• ¹  ENGL 102 - English Composition II 3 Credit Hours * (or equivalent)
• HBS 101 - Solving Public Problems 3 Credit Hours (prerequisite to the major)
• HBS 102 - Freshman Seminar 1 Credit Hours
• IAC 201 - Construction and Reconstruction of the American Republic 3 Credit Hours
• IAC 202 - Civil Society and the State 3 Credit Hours

•  

• Select one Unrestricted Elective 3-4 Credit Hours; one of the following recommended:

• CMST 201 - Introduction to Communication Studies 3 Credit Hours * (prerequisite to CMST 342)
• CMST 207 - Honors: Introduction to Communication Studies 3 Credit Hours * (prerequisite to CMST 342)

Term 3

• HBS 201 - Leading Effectively 3 Credit Hours
• IAC 203 - Constitutional Foundations 3 Credit Hours

•  

• Select one course:

• CMST 210 - Public Speaking 3 Credit Hours *
• CMST 217 - Honors: Public Speaking 3 Credit Hours *
• CMST 240 - Business and Professional Communication 3 Credit Hours *
• CMST 247 - Honors: Business and Professional Communication 3 Credit Hours *

•  

• Select one course:

• ECON 211 - Principles of Microeconomics 3 Credit Hours * (prerequisite to the major)
• ECON 217 - Honors: Principles of Microeconomics 3 Credit Hours * (prerequisite to the major)

•  

• Select one course:

• STAT 201 - Introduction to Statistics 3 Credit Hours * (prerequisite to the major)
• STAT 207 - Honors: Introduction to Statistics 3 Credit Hours * (prerequisite to the major)

Term 4

• HBS 301 - Thinking Analytically 3 Credit Hours
• IAC 301 - Acting Democratically 3 Credit Hours
• PHIL 252 - Contemporary Moral Problems 3 Credit Hours *

•  

• Select one course:

• ECON 213 - Principles of Macroeconomics 3 Credit Hours * (prerequisite to the major)
• ECON 218 - Honors: Principles of Macroeconomics 3 Credit Hours * (prerequisite to the major)

•  

• Select one course:

• ENGL 255 - Public Writing 3 Credit Hours *
• ENGL 257 - Honors: Public Writing 3 Credit Hours *
• ENGL 295 - Writing in the Workplace 3 Credit Hours *
• ENGL 355 - Rhetoric and Writing 3 Credit Hours *
• ENGL 357 - Honors: Rhetoric and Writing 3 Credit Hours *
• ENGL 360 - Technical and Professional Writing 3 Credit Hours *

Term 5

• ¹ Natural Sciences Elective  3-4 Credit Hours * (at least one NS elective must have a lab)

• ECON 305 - Markets, Ethics, and Capitalism 3 Credit Hours
• HBS 302 - Visualizing and Communicating Policy Data 3 Credit Hours
• HBS 303 - National Challenges 3 Credit Hours
• ¹  JMED 330 - Communication for Media 3 Credit Hours * (or equivalent)

Term 6

• CMST 342 - Survey of Organizational Communication 3 Credit Hours (prerequisite to CMST 449)
• HBS 304 - State and Local Challenges 3 Credit Hours
• HBS 401 - Evaluating Performance 3 Credit Hours
• IAC 401 - The Art of the Possible 3 Credit Hours

•  

• Select one course:

• ³  HBS 484 - Master Class in Public Affairs 2 Credit Hours
• HBS 494 - Internship 0-9 Credit Hours
• IAC 494 - Internship 1-6 Credit Hours

Term 7

• ⁴ Unrestricted Electives 9 Credit Hours

• ³  CMST 449 - Political Persuasion 3 Credit Hours
• ³  JMED 366 - Media and Democracy 3 Credit Hours

Term 8

• ⁴ Unrestricted Electives 6 Credit Hours
• ⁴ Upper Division Elective 3 Credit Hours

• ³  PBRL 430 - Crisis Communication 3 Credit Hours
• HBS 485 - Beyond Baker 1 Credit Hours

Total Credit Hours 120-127

• Total Upper Division Credit Hours: 40-43 Credit Hours
• ⁴ Total Unrestricted Electives: 18 Credit Hours
• ⁴ Total Upper Division Electives: 3 Credit Hours

Footnotes

1. Chosen from the Volunteer Core  list.
2. Students in the Howard Baker School (HBS) Living Learning Community (LLC) must enroll in the Baker School FYS 101 section. 
3. Students should select courses based on concentration. Some courses may be included in multiple concentrations. Some courses may have prerequisites or be prerequisites for other courses in the concentration. Students are encouraged to meet with advising staff to ensure they have all the required coursework to successfully complete the identified concentration. Any course may be substituted by permission from the Director of Undergraduate Studies. 
4. Students should ensure all Volunteer Core Requirements have been met before taking unrestricted electives.

* Meets Volunteer Core Requirement .

Concentrations available under Public Affairs Major, BS in Public Affairs

Students must complete one concentration with a 2.5 GPA or higher. Students may choose to take multiple concentrations. For students planning on advanced study a 3.0 GPA or higher is recommended. For students pursuing the 4+1 option with the Masters of Public Administration (MPA) or Masters of Public Policy (MPP) a 3.4 GPA or higher is required. Other courses to complete a concentration may be accepted upon approval by the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Some courses may have additional prerequisites. Students are encouraged to meet with advising staff to ensure they have all the required coursework to successfully complete the identified concentration. Where available, students in University Honors should enroll in the honors version of the concentration course. 

Concentrations are available:

• Policy Analytics Concentration  
• Public Management Concentration  
• Political Communication Concentration  
• Government Relations Concentration  
• Law and Policy Concentration  
• Environmental Policy Concentration  
• Energy Policy Concentration  
• National Security Concentration  
• Economic & Community Development Concentration 
• Health Policy Concentration  

Public Affairs Major – Five-Year Bachelor/Master Program

The Baker School offers a five-year bachelor and master program for qualified students. Students may apply for admission to the Master of Public Administration (MPA) or Master of Public Policy (MPP) degrees as part of the accelerated program. The primary component of the program is that qualified students may take up to 9 hours of approved graduate courses for their senior undergraduate electives and have them count toward both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Tennessee. This program is designed for students attending the University of Tennessee for their master’s degree because other universities may not accept these courses for graduate credit since they were used to satisfy requirements for the bachelor’s degree. Significant components of the program are:

• Students must have an overall GPA of at least 3.4 to be admitted to the program. Conditional admission may be granted after completing 90 hours of required coursework with a minimum overall GPA of 3.4 in required coursework.
• Students must at least have conditional admission before taking graduate courses for both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Students must submit the form titled “Baker School Admission for MPA/MPP Accelerated Program” form and have it approved by their undergraduate advisor, the Baker School’s Director of Graduate Studies, and the Graduate School. 
• All courses taken for graduate credit must be approved by the Baker School’s Director of Graduate Studies. Students admitted to the program must request permission from the Graduate School to take approved courses for graduate credit. 
• Students admitted to the program must also follow the normal procedure for admission to the Graduate School.
• Students will not be eligible for graduate assistantships until they are enrolled as graduate-level students in the Graduate School.​​​​​​​