Programs of Study

Photo of the Social Sciences Research Building on UChicago's Hyde Park campus

The Master of Arts Program in Social Sciences (MAPSS) is a full-time, one-year degree that prepares students to succeed in doctoral study as well as a variety of careers. Through nine (9) courses and a thesis or capstone project, students can focus on a specific social scientific discipline or pursue an interdisciplinary academic pathway. 

Students are guided by an Instructional Professor whose academic expertise is in their field of study or a related one. MAPSS Instructional Professors are experienced teachers and mentors, and established scholars in their fields of study. Regardless of the pathway chosen, MAPSS students engage with faculty and graduate students across departments, committees, and centers as well as the broader UChicago community.

While all students pursue an individualized course of study, they are grouped by similar pathways of study:

  • Anthropology 
  • History 
  • Political Economy 
  • Political Science
  • Psychology (STEM OPT-eligible program of study) 
  • Quantitative Methods and Social Analysis (STEM OPT-eligible program of study) 
  • Sociology
  • Other / Interdisciplinary

Learn more about the MAPSS Pathways and the Optional Graduate Certificates MAPSS students can pursue.