Public Service Minor: Research and Community Engagement

Office of the Provost
Thurgood Marshall College
Administration Building

All courses, faculty listings, and curricular and degree requirements described herein are subject to change or deletion without notice.

The Public Service Minor at UC San Diego encourages students to understand the history and practices of public service and to participate in the development of civic skills. Those skills and practices are essential cornerstones of participation in a democratic society regardless of one’s chosen profession.

The course work for the minor emphasizes the history and emergence of the nonprofit sector as a national institution distinct from the private and public sectors. The practicum aspects of the minor coupled with the traditional academic work provide a broad understanding of the connection between the deeds of philanthropic service and the historic worth of citizen participation in the common public franchise. Courses in the four tracks (education, government, health, and social issues) offer opportunities for students to envision public service pathways within a wide range of professions that align with their majors.

The minor in public service is open to all UC San Diego students in good standing.

The minor requires a completion of TMC 15 (Public Service in America), three four-unit upper-division specialization courses, and twelve units of academic internships in public service through the Academic Internship Program (AIP). Students may submit a petition with the Marshall College Academic Advising Office to receive permission to complete a non-AIP academic service program for academic credit.

Students are encouraged to choose one area of specialization from education, government, health, and social issues. A list of specific courses appropriate for these specializations is available through the Public Service minor website noted below.

The following twenty-eight units comprise the public service minor:

TMC 15. Public Service in America
Three upper-division specialization courses from the approved list on the Public Service minor website
Twelve units of academic internship

For more information regarding the requirements for the minor, see the Office of the Provost, or Academic Advising, Thurgood Marshall College, TMC Administration Building, or visit the website at https://marshall.ucsd.edu/academics/majors-and-minors/public-service-minor/index.html.