Contacts | General Information | Joint BA/MA Program | How to Apply | Program Requirements | Preceptors/Graduate Advisors

Department Website: http://mapss.uchicago.edu

General Information

The MA Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) is an intense, intellectually transformative one-year program. Students concentrate in Anthropology, Economics, History, Political Science, Psychology, or Sociology. Some pursue interdisciplinary work in Quantitative Methods and Social Analysis, Comparative Human Development, Social Thought, or Conceptual and Historical Studies of Science. Many students also pursue a graduate certificate in Education and Society, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, or Knowledge Formations.

All BA/MA students take nine graduate courses, beginning in the Autumn Quarter of their fourth year of undergraduate study, selected from all University of Chicago departments and professional schools. Each student works closely with the program directors, our senior academic staff, and an assigned preceptor, designing a customized curriculum and defining an area of scholarly research. They work closely with their preceptor and departmental faculty on the MA thesis. 

Students must take MAPS 30000 Perspectives in Social Science Analysis, our core course, in the Autumn Quarter. In addition, students must satisfy a methods requirement by selecting among dozens of graduate alternatives in ethnography, historical methods, involved interviewing, network analysis, survey analysis, content analysis, game theory, rational choice, causal inference, statistics, interpretive methods, comparative case study, and others.

MAPSS offers preeminent training for those aspiring to go on to funded PhD study in the social sciences. The program supports approximately 100 graduates in their applications to funded PhD programs every year, offering a full suite of support, from guidance on where to apply and who to approach for letters of recommendation to close reviews of application materials and advice on negotiating offers. Over the course of the past five years, more than 77% of graduates who took advantage of MAPSS support were successful in receiving fully funded offers to doctoral programs. Because students are most successful in securing a PhD placement when they have completed the MA thesis and a year of graduate-level coursework at the University of Chicago, they typically apply to PhD programs in the fall/winter after they graduate from MAPSS.

MAPSS also offers an exceptional program of career placement, working directly with our Senior Director of Career Services and Employer Relations Manager, with weekly workshops, on-campus recruitment, and visits by leading alumni who provide mentorship in a variety of fields.

Joint BA/MA Program

Students who wish to pursue a joint BA/MA degree in the Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences should review requirements and should consult with their College adviser. They should also meet with Lindsey Weglarz, Associate Dean of Students (lweglarz@uchicago.edu) in the Autumn Quarter of their third year. 

Please see BA/MA Degree Requirements to review the eligibility requirements for the joint degree.

How to Apply

Applicants are recommended, but not required, to have a GPA of 3.55 or higher. The application is submitted to the Dean of Students of the Division of the Social Sciences. More information on the application process can be found at socialsciences.uchicago.edu/admissions. Applications are due on the same timeline as all applications for MA admission. Specific requirements for the BA/MA program can be found on the Division of the Social Sciences website

Program Requirements

Students selected to participate in the joint degree program must meet all normal BA requirements for their particular field of study, as well as all general education requirements. In addition, joint degree students in MAPSS must satisfy the following criteria:

1. Completion of nine MAPSS-approved graduate-level courses for quality grades, including MAPS 30000 Perspectives in Social Science Analysis in the Autumn Quarter and a course that satisfies the graduate methods requirement.
2. Completion of an MA paper that is approved by the faculty adviser.
3. Completion of both the BA and MA degrees, the second awarded no later than the August convocation following a September matriculation.

Policies on double-counting credits or requirements can be found on the Division of the Social Sciences website. Questions regarding double-counting or degree logistics should be directed to Lindsey Weglarz, Associate Dean of Students (lweglarz@uchicago.edu). 

Preceptors/Graduate Advisors

Please contact Dom Williams (williamsd@uchicago.edu) to be put in touch with a preceptor who shares your disciplinary or research interests.