MADISON, Wis. – The La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin–Madison will officially launch its new undergraduate major in public policy – the first of its kind in Wisconsin – in fall 2026.
Students will be able to earn a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science in public policy from La Follette. These degrees will provide students with pathways to careers in government, nonprofits, consulting, advocacy, and business—and many will go on to graduate programs in public affairs or international public affairs, law school, or leadership roles in public service. The program will be distinct from other public policy undergraduate programs around the country in that its curriculum will focus on civil dialogue, working across differences, and finding common ground.
“We are grateful to the UW Board of Regents for approving our new undergraduate major in public policy,” La Follette School Director Susan Webb Yackee says. “At La Follette we believe this expansion of our programming couldn’t come at a better time. Interest in public policy is skyrocketing, and students increasingly view data, dialogue, and diverse perspectives as keys to building better solutions.”
The new undergraduate curriculum will include interdisciplinary coursework and hands-on learning that will help students develop skills in policy analysis, strategic communication, civil discourse, and evidence-based decision-making. A foundational course for the new degree, Public Affairs 230: Advancing Public Policy in a Divided America, debuted in spring 2025. The course aims to help students think about public policy as part of everyday life, understand public policy challenges, build critical thinking skills, and value civic engagement and civil dialogue.
For more than 40 years, UW–Madison students have earned master’s degrees from La Follette. The school boasts more than 3,250 alumni. The current Master of Public Affairs (MPA) and Master of International Public Affairs (MIPA) degrees are among the top-ranked public policy graduate degrees in the country.
Beginning in 2019, La Follette began offering undergraduate certificates. More than 750 undergraduates have since graduated with certificates in public policy or health policy. In the 2024-25 academic year, a record 1,060 students enrolled in La Follette undergraduate courses.
With the demand clear, the new undergraduate major has been made possible thanks to many supporters who have recognized the importance of expanding public policy programming and building on La Follette’s ongoing efforts to encourage civil dialogue and foster the robust exchange of ideas. These supporters include campus leaders such as Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and Dean Eric Wilcots in the College of Letters & Science, along with La Follette’s Board of Visitors, the Ascendium Education Group, American Family Insurance, and Herb Kohl Philanthropies.
“We have spent years building toward this watershed moment in our school’s history,” Yackee says. “We are thrilled to be in a position to serve more students and send even more leaders into the workforce armed with a world-class, cutting-edge education in public policy that we believe only La Follette can provide.”
With its growing student population and exciting new programming on the way, the La Follette School is also looking to move into UW–Madison’s historic Music Hall. Originally named Assembly Hall, Music Hall was UW–Madison’s first campus building dedicated to large gatherings.
La Follette hopes to return the building to its roots as a vital gathering space for constructive dialogue around the important issues of the day, something that is also a campuswide priority and a cornerstone of the new Wisconsin Exchange initiative.
