Director: John MacAloon, P 302, 702-8317

Preceptors: Ari Adut, P 322A, 834-3142;

Kevin Caffrey, P 322A, 834-3155;

Nicole Couture, P 328A, 702-5885;

Elizabeth Davies, P 324A, 702-8319;

L. Shane Greene, P 318A, 702-9230;

Sukari Ivester, P 324A, 702-0164;

Matthew Millikan, P 318A, 702-2540;

Sarah Van Deusen Phillips, P 320A, 702-5166

Student Affairs Administrative Assistant: Diana Gray, P 306, 702-8312

E-mail: mapss@uchicago.edu

The Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) makes it possible for highly qualified students in the College to combine a B.A. program in an undergraduate major with an interdisciplinary M.A. program in the social sciences. Students are thereby enabled to augment their undergraduate studies by placing their knowledge of a particular field in an interdisciplinary context and by continuing specialized work on a graduate level. B.A./M.A. students participate with M.A. students in all aspects of the MAPSS program.

Application. Interested students must apply for the joint B.A./M.A. program by February 1 of their third year in the College by submitting an application to the Office of the Dean of Students of the Division of the Social Sciences (F 108). The application must include a B.A. program worksheet obtained from the College B.A./M.A. adviser and confirmed by the Associate Dean of Students in the Division of the Social Sciences. Applicants are expected to have entered their major program, and to have no more than three courses and no fewer than one course remaining to complete the B.A. in what would normally be their fourth year in the College. The application is evaluated by the director and staff of the M.A. program on the basis of the student's academic record, letters of recommendation, GRE scores (if available), and personal statement of intellectual and academic goals. Admission to the M.A. program is highly competitive and is also subject to approval by the College. Prospective B.A./M.A. students are encouraged to schedule an informational interview with the director.

Decisions are announced by early May. Students admitted to MAPSS enter joint residence for the three quarters preceding the anticipated date of graduation, during which time they are charged tuition at graduate rates. The M.A. degree must be received no later than the Summer Quarter convocation after Autumn Quarter admission to joint residency.

Course Requirements. Students selected to participate in the joint degree program fulfill all general education, elective, and major requirements for the B.A. On admission to the joint degree program, they are allowed to simultaneously apply course credit from up to three graduate-level courses in the social sciences, completed with a grade of B or higher, toward College requirements and toward the nine courses required for the M.A. degree. The nine courses must include the core course (SOSC 30000) and meet the program's methodology requirement equivalent to a one-quarter course.

SOSC 30000 is offered only in the Autumn Quarter and a grade of B or higher is required. The MAPSS methods requirement is normally met by registering for Historical Methods (SOSC 31500), Ethnographic Methods (SOSC 31600), Museum Studies (SOSC 34500), or another approved methods course (e.g., statistical, linguistic, survey research, policy analysis).

The balance of the program is worked out by the student in consultation with the MAPSS director and preceptor. Students should note that they must have a B average in their graduate work. Two of the nine required graduate courses may be taken on a P/N basis; the others, including the core and methods courses, require quality grades.

The M.A. Paper. In addition to their course requirements, all students in the B.A./M.A. program must complete an M.A. paper. Joint degree students in an undergraduate program where a B.A. paper is required may (subject to the approval of their B.A. paper adviser, M.A. paper adviser, undergraduate adviser, and the director of the M.A. program, and with the understanding that it is based on substantial additional research and analysis) submit an M.A. paper proposal related to their B.A. essay. Students may not, however, receive credit for the B.A. and the M.A. degrees for the same piece of work. The usual criteria for evaluating both B.A. and M.A. papers apply. In the case of the M.A. paper, this involves (1) approval of the paper proposal by a regular faculty member and the MAPSS preceptor, (2) supervision of the work by that faculty member and preceptor, and (3) approval of the paper by the faculty member and preceptor. The paper must meet requisite scholarly standards and receive a minimum grade of B.