Harris Public Policy and the School of Social Service Administration offer a joint degree program to help you make systemic changes in policy and social services.

Learn how to address some of society's key social service and public policy issues by combining your knowledge of social service organizations with an understanding of public policy.

This joint degree program is intended for people who are interested or working in social welfare, social policy and want to address the broader systemic issues related to their fields. Upon completion, graduates will be awarded both a Master of Public Policy from the Harris School and a Master of Arts from the School of Social Service Administration and be ready to tackle the issues at the root of their fields' challenges.

Program Details

Curriculum

27 courses (2700 units of credit) to earn a MPP and AM in social service administration in a total of three years.   

At Harris Public Policy:

  • Students in this program take the seven required Harris School core courses, plus seven electives for a total of 14 courses (1400 units of credit), instead of the usual 18, with Harris Public Policy. Ten of the 14 courses must be public policy (PPHA) courses.
  • The Harris core provides a foundation in critical analysis, reflecting Harris's belief that mastering quantitative and analytical skills prepares students to be effective public policy leaders:
    • PPHA 30800 Analytical Politics I: Strategic Foundations

    • PPHA 31002 or PPHA 31200 Statistics for Data Analysis I

    • PPHA 31102 or PPHA 31300 Statistics for Data Analysis II:  Regressions

    • PPHA 31600 Analytical Politics II: The Policymaking Process
    • PPHA 31920 Decisions and Organizations
    • PPHA 32300, 32310, or 44100 Principles of Microeconomics and Public Policy I
    • PPHA 32400, 32410, or 44200; Principles of Microeconomics and Public Policy II

At SSA:

  • Students also take 13 courses (1300 units of credit) with the School of Social Service Administration for a total of 27 courses, thereby enabling students to earn both degrees in a total of three years.
Other Requirements

Students who wish to participate in this program must be admitted to both Harris and the School of Social Service Administration. A student who is already enrolled in one of the schools may apply during their first year for admission to the other school.

  • A cumulative GPA of 2.7 for all courses, based on a 4.0 scale, for all courses used toward the MPP degree

  • A grade of C- or better for the 7 core courses

  • Completion of the math requirement (support available)

    • Pass algebra exam

    • Pass calculus exam

  • No more than 2 reading/research, independent study, or internship courses

  • No more than 1 course taken Pass/Fail

  • Courses with grades of F, I, W, or with no reported grade do not apply toward course requirement for the program.

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Jens Ludwig

Faculty Spotlight

Jens Ludwig
McCormick Foundation Professor of Social Service Administration, Law, and Public Policy in the School of Social Service Administration and Harris; Director, University of Chicago Crime Lab

On urban poverty, Ludwig has participated in the evaluation of a HUD-funded residential-mobility experiment that provides low-income public housing families the opportunity to relocate to private-market housing. In the area of crime, Ludwig has written extensively about gun-violence prevention.
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