MBA/Master of Arts in Social Service Administration (SSA)
The University of Chicago offers a joint MBA and SSA degree for students seeking a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to business management, policy development, research, and social science theory.
This joint-degree program enables students to pursue both a master’s degree in the School of Social Service Administration and a master of business administration at Chicago Booth in three years.
Graduates of the joint program become leaders across diverse fields of business, clinical social work, and social administration practice, while their broader educational and experiential foundations translate into greater flexibility and impact throughout their future careers.
Program Structure
Students complete 1400 units of Booth-only course credit (+LEAD). In their first quarter of enrollment in the SSA program, students select one of the following concentrations: social administration (four required courses and two electives) or clinical practice (five required courses and one elective; only those students approved in their second quarter of enrollment may continue in the clinical practice concentration). Students who pursue the clinical practice concentration are required to complete clinical practicum work during the Winter Quarter of their third year of study, and thus they may need to enroll in a minimum of one additional quarter to meet the joint-degree requirements.
| Year |
Autumn | Winter | Spring | Summer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | SSA | SSA | SSA | Social administrative-related internship |
| Year 2 | Booth | Booth | Booth | Business-related internship |
| Year 3 | SSA | SSA | Booth | Graduate—full-time position |
Tuition
The school determines the tuition charges. Chicago Booth charges tuition on a per-course basis. Students pay Chicago Booth tuition for 1400 units of course credit. There is no tuition charge for LEAD.) For information regarding the School of Social Service Administration’s tuition policy, please contact the school’s admissions office.
Booth Courses
This course is required of all Full-Time students and is completed during the Autumn Quarter of their first year of residency in the program. The course is designed to enhance students’ self-awareness and interpersonal effectiveness by providing them with an opportunity to benchmark themselves with respect to critical aspects of leadership—working in teams, influencing others, conflict management, interpersonal communication, presentation skills, etc. The course also helps students create a personalized plan to guide their continued development at Booth and beyond.
Basic Courses: Financial Accounting
Advanced Alternatives: Accounting & Financial Analysis 1, Accounting & Financial Analysis II, Financial Statement Analysis
Basic Courses: Microeconomics, Advanced Microeconomic Analysis, Accelerated Microeconomics
Advanced Alternatives: Topics in Microeconomics Theory
Basic Courses: Business Statistics, Applied Regression Analysis
Advanced Alternatives: Analysis of Financial Time Series; Financial Econometrics; Statistical Insight into Marketing, Consulting, and Entrepreneurship; Data Mining; or any PhD-level statistics
600 (of 700) Functions, Management, and Business Environment
500 Electives
Courses for SSA
For detailed information regarding SSA’s curriculum, please visit the school’s website or contact SSA Admissions.
Admissions Process
Interested applicants may apply to both programs concurrently or during their first year of residency in either program. Admissions decisions are made independently of one another. Inquiries regarding the admissions process for the MA in SSA program should be directed to SSA Admissions.
Apply to Booth Apply to SSA