Online Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs (OBSPA)

The online Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs degree program is for students who have already earned an Associate’s degree and are looking for optimal flexibility as they complete their Bachelor degree. All classes in this program are offered fully online and are asynchronous, allowing students to do coursework and study as their schedule permits.

The OBSPA is our same great degree, for students passionate about making a difference in the world. We offer action-oriented, interdisciplinary classes that give you the analytic and advocacy skills you need to work for positive change on issues that matter to you — such as poverty, immigration reform, climate change, educational inequality, and much, much more.

Our graduates work in the public, nonprofit, and private sectors, for organizations such as:

NYC Department of Environmental Protection
Consolidated Edison, Inc.
United Federation of Teachers
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
United States Department of Defense
Energy Conservation & Supply, Inc.

NASDAQ
NY Legal Assistance Group
FDNY
NYC Department of Education
NYU Langone Health
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Online Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs Program Details

Academic Advisement

Learning Goals

Program Curriculum

Tuition and Fees

BSPA Alumni Testimonials

After a 36-year break from my first college experience, my time at Baruch was both interesting and rewarding. My professors made my return a great learning experience.
Mark Tria, (BSPA ‘20), Supervisor of Mechanics, FDNY

My experience at Marxe was truly rewarding. I’ve gotten the chance to work with and meet like-minded individuals who are passionate about social change.
Aissata Mousa, (BSPA ‘20), Session Assistant, New York State Assembly

Professors are always willing to be a resource and to guide students/alumni through the nonprofit and government industries which will undoubtedly continue to help the School inspire future change agents.
Farhana Hassan (BSPA ’14), Assistant General Counsel, New York City Housing Development Corporation

When I was accepted into Baruch, I attended the Student Welcome Reception and was immediately sold by the BSPA program’s pitch. The BSPA program offered me a degree that was broad enough to allow me to explore my interests, yet specialized enough to be applicable to real-world challenges and scenarios. The BSPA program has helped me unearth my passion for sustainability and green infrastructure.
Miguelina Portorreal (BSPA ’17), Public Affairs Specialist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

Absolutely fantastic professors and advisors in the department. I feel like I am learning meaningful things about policy and government institutions that I can put to work in a variety of careers.
Erika Smithson (BSPA ’17), Data Analyst, VoteShield

I deeply value the education that I got in the Marxe School’s BSPA program. The program provided me with a solid grounding in economics, statistics, policy tradeoffs, research practices, and political communication and message framing.
Rasheed Malik, (BSPA ‘13), Senior Director, Early Childhood Policy, Center for American Progress

At BSPA I felt a sense of community and if I saw an opportunity that I was interested in, all I had to do was to ask and I knew it would happen with the support of administrators.
Hermanoschy Bernard, (BSPA ‘19), Analyst, Karp Strategies

Online BSPA Degree Map (60 credits)
PAF Cores (18 credits)	PAF Electives (18 credits)	General Electives (24 credits)
PAF 3010 Race, Inequality and Public Policy	PAF 3018 Immigrant Cities	Great Works of Literature (ENG/CMP2800, or ENG/CMP2850)
PAF 3015 Qualitative Studies of Communities	PAF 3020 Ethics and Civic Engagement	4000-level CIC capstone course for one of the liberal arts minors.
PAF 3102 Economic Analysis of Public Policy	PAF 3100 Nonprofit Administration	General Electives 1
PAF 3108 Strategic Communication for Public Causes	PAF 3110 Advocacy and Protest in Social Movements	General Electives 2
PAF 3401 Quantitative Methods for Policy and Practice	PAF 3375 Housing and Community Development Policy	General Electives 3
PAF 4401 Capstone	PAF 3442 Cities and Sustainability	General Electives 4
		General Electives 5
		General Electives 6