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The Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS)

Preceptors: Kate Bjork, P326, 702-5166; Janet Morford, P 326, 702-8318; Susan Smith, P 324A, 702-8319; Nader Sohrabi, P 324A, 702-8309

Student Affairs Administrative Assistant: Betty McCarthy, P 306, 702-8312

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 concentration 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 continuing specialized work on a graduate level.

MAPSS concerns itself with general education at the graduate level by (1) offering required core and methods courses (Social Sciences 300, 301), (2) facilitating programs of study crossing disciplinary lines, and (3) encouraging M.A. papers with an interdisciplinary approach.

Application. 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. Applicants are expected to have completed most of their Common Core requirements, to have entered their concentration, and to have no more than three 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 will be 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. Information may be obtained from the program office, the director, or one of the preceptors.

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.

Course Requirements. Students selected to participate in the joint degree program fulfill all the normal Common Core, elective, and concentration 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 better, toward College requirements and toward the nine courses required for the M.A. degree. The nine courses must include the core and methods courses or an approved alternative as described below.

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The MAPSS core course, Social Sciences 300 (Perspectives in Social Science Analysis), follows an intellectual program similar to the present Common Core social sciences sequences 101-102-103 and 121-122-123. B.A./M.A. students who have taken either of these sequences are typically exempted from the MAPSS core requirement. Social Sciences 300 is offered only in the autumn quarter and a grade of B or better is required.

The MAPSS methods requirement is normally met through Social Sciences 301, which deals with philosophical and operational aspects of various social research methods. There is no mathematics or statistics prerequisite for this course. Students who wish to develop specific methodological skills, such as statistical, linguistic, or policy analysis, may petition to replace Social Sciences 301 with a course meeting these criteria. Social Sciences 301 is offered only in the winter quarter.

Please note that students who are exempted from one or both of the required MAPSS courses must select alternative courses to meet the requirement of nine graduate-level courses for their M.A. degree.

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 letter 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 students in a concentration 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 will be 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.

Interdisciplinary Concentrations. Consult the MAPSS brochure for sample course listings for these concentrations: Individual and Society, Urban Studies, Cultural Dimensions of Social Change, Area Studies, Philosophy and History of the Social Sciences, Policy Dimensions of Social and Economic Change, and Individualized Study.

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