Are you interested in issues of national and EU public and social policy? Would you like to be equipped with the skills and knowledge to be able to contribute to formulating public and social policy? If so, then this degree programme is for you.

The programme aims to provide you with a detailed understanding of the sources of public and social policy, and the implications of that policy for social institutions, individuals and the political system. The multidisciplinary nature of the programme equips you to examine issues from legal, economic, social and political perspectives and to develop policies for the future. This programme provides a combination of several core courses along with a wide variety of specialised courses in third year.

The research interests of some academics in the Department of Economics lie in the public and social policy arena. These academics are recognised nationally and internationally as leaders in their fields and their research has a strong influence on the course content of the B.A. in Public and Social Policy.

What type of student is suited to the B.A. in Public and Social Policy?

Students who are interested in exploring and gaining an understanding of the complex factors that converge from different directions to influence public and social policy enjoy this programme. If you are interested in how governments work, how public policy is formulated, what structures exist for getting consensus on public policy and whether and how public policy is evaluated, this programme addresses these and related issues.

The Economics component of the B.A. in Public and Social Policy introduces you to a way of thinking about the economic world around us and about the various complex issues that arise. You acquire the analytical tools to explore these issues.

In First Arts, you study Economics by exploring:

• The decision-making behaviour of individual economic actors, for example, individual consumers, business entrepreneurs, bankers and government ministers - this is called microeconomics
• The collective behaviour of these actors, looking at how all these decisions interact - this is called macroeconomics

In Second and Third Year, you delve deeper into microeconomcis and macroeconomics, and begin to apply the theories learned into other aspects of society. You consider GDP, employment, unemployment, inflation - you gain an understanding of many issues that are driving forces in the modern economy. Other courses offered include Irish economic history, monetary economics, public sector economics and health economics.

For detailed descriptions of the Economics courses in each year, check out the Current Students section of this web site. For more information on other courses on this programme, check out the programme web site www.nuigalway.ie/soc/PSP/index.html

Where might you work?

With a B.A. in Public and Social Policy, a wide range of employment opportunities or further training in specific areas are available to graduates. This degree provides an excellent foundation if you are interested in a career in public administration, industrial relations, journalism, social work, community work, management, administration, development agencies, banking and business, research institutions and various international organizations.

When you graduate with a B.A. in Public and Social Policy, you can apply for entry into four taught Economics postgraduate programmes at NUI Galway:the Higher Diploma in Economic Science and four different Master of Economic Science programmes, a masters programme in Economic Policy Evaluation & Planning, a masters programme in International Financ, a masters programme in Health Economics, or a masters programme in Economic and Environmental Modelling. You can also apply for a number of other postgraduate programmes in the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics at NUI Galway.

For other postgraduate options, check out the School of Law and the College of Arts Social Science and Celtic Studies web sites.

Apply for the B.A. in Public and Social Policy through the CAO system, using the code GY103 - check out the Admissions section of the NUI Galway web site and the CAO web site for more information, where you will also find details on entry requirements.

Note that is it not normally possible to transfer from the B.A. in Public and Social Policy to the B.A. Omnibus Entry (GY101).