Curricular Policy

Full-time MA students complete three 100-unit courses each quarter, not including any Workshops or non-credit options they may attend.

Students must complete all courses for a letter grade before the start of the subsequent academic year. Students with grades that are left blank, marked Incomplete (I), or marked No Grade (NGR) may be placed on academic probation. (See the section on Academic Probation below.)

Students must have 9 regular course grades, with a minimum aggregate GPA of 3.1, to continue receiving whatever UChicago scholarship aid they have been awarded for the duration of their studies. Any student who has taken a minimum of 9 courses must meet those thresholds before the start of any future academic quarter in which they hope to receive UChicago scholarship aid. Students with a GPA lower than 3.1 over their first nine courses will receive no additional aid, regardless of whether their GPA improves in subsequent quarters.

All students must meet with their MACSS preceptor before they will be permitted to register for classes. If students schedule meetings after the start of registration, they will be unable to register until the meeting occurs.

No MA student may register for more than three 100-unit courses per quarter. No MA student may register for an “R” in a regular course.

The only exception, in addition to the three regular courses, will be a Workshop that has been formally designated as part of the MA curriculum or to meet the requirements for a program-approved Certificate (e.g., the Computational Social Science Workshop in MACSS).

The three registered 100-unit courses are normally taken at the graduate level. Students may register for undergraduate offerings in statistics, math, or computer science without special permission, based on availability. (Undergraduates have registration priority for undergraduate courses; graduate students may be restricted from registering for those courses until after undergraduate registrations have been processed.)

All other undergraduate courses require students to submit a petition, available from our MA Student Affairs Administrator, for approval by the MACSS Associate Director.

Students are permitted to register for the MA Research Commitment (MACS 35000), a thesis research and writing course, a maximum of one time and have it count toward their 18-course curriculum. MACS 35000 must be taken for a letter grade. The grade will be the one assigned by the primary reader to the final version of the MA thesis.

Under normal circumstances, no course or thesis grade may be changed once it has been submitted to the Registrar by the instructional professor or faculty member. That means a letter grade cannot be changed to a pass; a pass cannot be changed to a letter grade; a W or F cannot be removed from the transcript; and students cannot undertake further revisions to improve the grade they received.

There are two exceptions to this rule:

1. A course grade can be changed if the instructional professor or faculty member made a mistake in the grade they assigned. If the student suspects that to be the case, they should contact that person directly and ask. Such instances are very rare, however. If students do reach out, they should do so politely and with as much persuasive evidence of a clear mistake as they are able to marshal.
    
2. Course instructors and MA thesis readers can, in exceptional circumstances, submit a provisional grade in the quarter of a student’s graduation if the final grade cannot be determined by the graduation deadline. To do so, the instructor or thesis reader must contact the MA Student Affairs Administrator to let them know their intention and certify that the student will receive at least a passing grade. For purposes of graduation, a provisional grade of B- will be assigned. That grade will be changed later, once the student’s final grade has been determined.

Students should consult our MA Program Requirements for a detailed discussion of our curriculum, beginning with the math and programming boot camps before entry and continuing through the first and second year.

Students in MACSS-Econ will find their curricular requirements detailed here.

Students may take up to two classes for a Pass as part of their MA curriculum.

The courses in the MACSS Perspectives sequence must be taken for a letter grade.

It is up to individual instructors to decide if the Pass/Fail option is permissible, and if so what work must be completed to earn it.

The request to be evaluated Pass/Fail should be made as early in the quarter as possible, and ideally by the end of seventh week. Letter grades cannot be changed to a pass once the final assignment is submitted.

Students are normally advantaged if they are able to show at least a B on the transcript for any technical or quantitatively demanding course, and at least a B+ for most other social science offerings. The pass may be read by employers and PhD selection committees as if the student never took the course, no matter how much work the student may have performed.

Students should be careful about taking MACS 30121 or MACS 30122 for a pass, as that could impede their ability to take more advanced courses in the MPCS program or in the Computer Science department.

The MPCS will accept a C+ or better in MACS 30121 and a P in MACS 30122 as a minimal requirement for most classes. Students with a P in MACS 30121 but a letter grade in MACS 30122 will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Students with a P in both MACS 30121 and MACS 30122 will not be allowed to take MPCS classes.

Please note that some MPCS classes may require a minimum grade in MACS 30121 and MACS 30122. Be sure to consult MPCS policies to confirm your eligibility for MPCS coursework.

Students with a missing grade on the transcript (left blank), an Incomplete (marked “I”), or a no grade designation (marked “NGR”) must communicate with their MA Student Affairs Administrator to discuss their circumstances.

In some cases, the work may have been submitted but the instructor has not yet posted the grade. In rare instances, the student may be completing a two-quarter course, with the grades for each quarter assigned only when the course is complete.

If all required course work has been submitted, the blank, I, or NGR grade will be formally excused by the MA Student Affairs Administrator.

If the required coursework has not been submitted, and the student is missing a grade for only one course, they must let the MA Student Affairs Administrator know when that work will be submitted.

It is at the instructor’s discretion whether a late submission will enable the student to complete the course, and by what date those materials must arrive.

In cases where the instructor is unwilling to accept late work, the student must pay to take a replacement course in a later academic quarter. Our MA programs do not offer any financial or merit aid that can be applied toward replacement courses.

Students with unexcused blank, I, or NGR grades will be placed on academic probation if that grade is not resolved by the start of the subsequent academic year. They must contact their MA Student Affairs Administrator, who will arrange a meeting with the student and the MACSS Associate Director.

Following that meeting, students on academic probation will be informed by the MA Student Affairs Administrator, in writing, about the expectations for their return to good academic standing. That document may stipulate a timeline for completion. The student will be asked to confirm, in writing, receipt of the probationary document, and to certify that they have read and understood its terms.

Our program will do everything possible to assist students on academic probation, drawing on other University resources – from UChicago Student Wellness, to the Writing Program, to course advising and mentorship support – to help the student maintain a steady progress toward degree completion. No permanent notice is made on student transcripts.

In some cases, a leave of absence (LOA) may be recommended, provided that the student has completed at least the Fall quarter of coursework. The LOA allows students up to a maximum of one year to complete their prior coursework and resume study for the MA degree.

If the student is unable to meet the expectations outlined in their probationary document, they may be prevented from registering for subsequent academic quarters.

In extreme cases, where the student is unable to meet the requirements for degree completion, the student may be withdrawn from the University.

Students may not transfer or apply to other UChicago degree programs while on academic probation.

Students who receive an F or a W for one of their 18 required courses must pay to take a replacement in a subsequent academic quarter. Few such courses are offered over the summer. 

A maximum of three replacement courses are permitted. Our MA programs do not provide financial or merit aid for the replacement courses.

Students with an F or W on their transcript must meet with their MA Student Affairs Administrator to discuss their plan to take a replacement course.

In such cases, the prior F or W will remain on the student’s transcript. Neither the F nor the W will count toward the student’s GPA.

The “W” (Withdrawn) grade means that the student has decided after week 3 of the quarter not to complete the work of the course. Students who wish to exercise this option must request a W by 5 p.m. Friday of 9th week, or the day before the final project/exam is due, whichever is earlier. When made before the deadline, a request for a withdrawal cannot be denied except in cases of academic dishonesty.

If students wish to withdraw from a course, they should submit their request to the Student Affairs Administrator of their program. Students in the Economics concentration must submit their request to the Student Affairs Administrator for MACSS-Econ. All other students must submit their request to the Student Affairs Administrator for MACSS.

Students must complete all required coursework for their initial Fall quarter before they become eligible for a Leave of Absence (LOA).

The LOA is designed for students who encounter serious academic difficulty, mental or physical distress, a family emergency, financial distress, or other considerations that make it impossible for the student to continue in their MA curriculum.

Students may petition for a LOA by contacting their MA program’s Student Affairs Administrator. The LOA petition that must be submitted is unique to our MA programs. Additional materials may be required for a medical leave of absence.

If approved by the Executive Director of MA Programs in the Social Sciences and the Dean of Students, the LOA may be taken once, for a maximum of one year. Conditions may be attached, including the completion of any outstanding coursework before the student will be permitted to resume. Students taking required first-year sequences may be prevented from returning until the next course in the sequence is offered.

Students who take a LOA may be prevented from working with anyone from outside of the MACSS academic staff as a formal reader of their MA thesis. In such cases, we will assign an MA thesis reader. In most cases that will be the student’s preceptor.

Students planning to take a LOA should aim to do so no later than Friday of 1st week of the academic quarter from which they hope to withdraw. If their petition is successful, they will receive a full tuition refund.

Any person approved for a LOA after Friday of 1st week will be entitled to a partial tuition refund, per UChicago Bursar Policies, as a declining percentage through the end of 5th week. After the beginning of sixth week, partial tuition is no longer refunded.

If the student takes a LOA before the end of 3rd week, any courses they may have begun will be eliminated from their transcript. Any tuition aid the University has provided will not be impacted for future course selections.

If the student takes a LOA after the beginning of 4th week, any courses from that quarter will remain on the student’s transcript with a grade of W. Students must take replacement courses after their return from the LOA. Our MA programs do not provide financial or merit aid for the replacement courses.

Students must earn a minimum 3.0 GPA in order to receive their MA degree.

It is exceptionally uncommon for students to fall below that threshold. Should that happen, the student should meet with their preceptor and the MACSS Associate Director to discuss how best to clear that bar.

If a student completes our MA curriculum, the grades have posted for all classes, and the student has not earned a 3.0 GPA, the student may register for up to three additional classes to meet the 3.0 GPA requirement.

Any additional classes will be taken at the student’s expense, without any financial or merit aid from our MA program. The student should contact our MA Student Affairs Administrator, who will arrange for those courses in collaboration with the student’s preceptor, the MACSS Associate Director, and the Dean of Students office.

In trying to meet the 3.0 GPA threshold, students should know that existing grades on their transcript cannot be changed. Past grades cannot be retrospectively changed from a letter grade to a P. No more than two courses can be graded pass/fail, and those courses cannot include ones from the MACSS Perspectives sequence. Any course graded with a P does not factor into the GPA calculation. Finally, no course taken for a P can be retaken for a letter grade.

The student can, however, take as many new courses as are needed, up to a maximum of three. Taking one replacement course eliminates the single lowest elective grade from GPA calculations; taking a second replacement course eliminates the second lowest elective grade from GPA calculations; etc.

Please note that the grades for any required curricular courses (e.g., MACS 30000) will count toward the GPA calculation and cannot be replaced.

MACSS is a two-year degree program. Students matriculate in September. They are expected to complete all program requirements, including the MA thesis, and graduate by June of their second year.

We offer two options for the MA thesis: the academic thesis and the professional thesis.

For both types, a thesis proposal must be approved by the primary reader by November 10th of the second year. Students begin developing the project in the Spring of their first year. They then use the Summer, Fall, and Winter to refine their analyses and complete the paper by the following Spring.

Failing to submit an approved proposal by November 10 of the second year will prevent students from registering for any subsequent academic quarters, until the proposal is submitted.

MACSS-Econ students may be permitted an extension to the November 10 deadline, because of disciplinary differences in securing primary readers for the MA thesis.

Students must submit a first and final draft by the dates specified in our graduation guidelines. They revise the first draft based upon the feedback they receive and submit a final version that is graded and evaluated.

The primary reader’s grade will appear on the transcript, if the student selected the MA Research Commitment (MACS 35000) as one of their 18 courses. Otherwise, the thesis grades and evaluations are retained in the student’s confidential academic file.

The Academic Thesis

The academic thesis is an article-length contribution to recent scholarship, modeled on an academic journal article for the discipline in which students choose to specialize. The goal is to advance a scholarly conversation in the student’s discipline, by means of an original contribution that improves our understanding of their research question in conceptual and empirical ways.

For those who apply to PhD programs after MACSS, the academic thesis is critical to the success of your application, demonstrating your ability to develop and execute a graduate-level research project. For those who go on to positions outside the academy, the academic thesis is an important part of your resume, showcasing your graduate-level research skills, methods training, and professional writing.

The primary reader for the academic thesis is a member of the Social Science Division faculty or any other person with a doctorate and a teaching or research appointment at the University. MACSS preceptors serve as second readers, guiding students through the development of their projects.

The Professional Thesis

The professional thesis uses social scientific knowledge and research methods to address a practical need of a particular organization. This option is designed for those who wish to use their MACSS thesis to position themselves for a professional career in the public, private, or nonprofit sectors.

Like the academic thesis, the professional thesis is a demonstration of the skills learned in students’ coursework at UChicago. And like the academic thesis, the professional thesis is based upon a solid grounding in the scholarly literature, with data that has been rigorously analyzed to reach a set of conclusions.

The difference between the academic and professional thesis is in the kind of contribution the project makes. While the academic thesis intervenes in a scholarly conversation, the professional thesis speaks to a specific audience outside the academy.

There are numerous forms a professional thesis might take, including a computationally-driven market analysis for a firm; a predictive model to solve a business problem; a computationally-driven policy brief for a legislator or agency leader; an open-source tool for statistical modeling and evaluation; an audit of an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm for fairness or transparency; or other projects as approved by your preceptor.

The Graduate Practicum in the Social Sciences, offered in the Winter Quarter, is designed for students who wish to write a professional thesis. This course provides a structured opportunity to identify a community partner with whom students might work and whose organization might benefit from their research.

Requirements for the Professional Thesis

The student’s preceptor will serve as the primary reader and the project must meet their expectations. They will ask that students provide at least one or two examples for the kind of project they intend. The preceptor will confirm that the project is viable for our MA degree.

Students are encouraged to secure a secondary reader, often a working professional from outside the University, who is knowledgeable about the thesis topic and the kind of project the student hopes to complete. That second reader may be an internship supervisor or a qualified data analyst working in industry.

No matter what form the thesis submission may take, it must be accompanied by a supplemental report consisting of the following two components:

1. Literature Review (7-10 double-spaced pages): A critical literature review demonstrating the student’s use of the relevant academic literature. The review should discuss current scholarly understandings of the research question, the disagreements/tensions in that literature, what parts of the research question remain unsettled or poorly understood, what the student learned from those scholarly discussions, and how it informed their research.
2. Evaluation of the Research Design (7-10 double-spaced pages): A detailed discussion of the student’s data, data collection procedures, and methods of analysis. This discussion should include considerations of the strengths and weaknesses of the research design, its comparative advantage, and what other methods might have been employed.

Other Considerations for the MA Thesis, Both Academic and Professional

Students who do not have an approved thesis proposal within 15 months of matriculation, or who have not completed the MA thesis within 28 months of matriculation, will be automatically assigned a MACSS reader for the MA thesis.

In addition, all part-time or Reduced Course Load (RCL) students will be assigned a MACSS reader for the MA thesis.

When a MACSS reader is assigned, that person will be the sole reader of the MA thesis. If a student has a continuing relationship with an advisor from outside of our MA staff, and that person is willing, they may serve in an informal capacity and offer occasional advice on particular sections of the paper. But that person will not submit a grade or thesis evaluation, and they will not be recorded as an official reader of the MA thesis.

The MACSS reader will provide comments on the student’s proposal and first draft, and submit an evaluation and letter grade for the final submission.

When working with a MACSS reader, as an extended student 24 months past your initial matriculation, please allow a minimum of 5 weeks for comments after you submit your proposal, after you submit your first draft, and after you submit the final version of your thesis. We will endeavor to get back to you sooner if we can, but our priority will be for current full-time students in the program.

Students who intend to graduate in June or August of their second year may apply to graduate while completing their MA requirements.

Students who intend to graduate in any of the subsequent 4 academic quarters may apply to graduate if they have submitted all required coursework and have only the thesis remaining.

Students intending to graduate at any other point should contact their MA program’s Student Affairs Administrator before registering for graduation on my.uchicago.edu

Students will be pulled from the declared convocation lists if they do not meet the criteria above.

All students must earn the MA degree no more than 10 years following their initial matriculation into the MA program, or within one year of an approved resumption of studies, whichever occurs first.

While it is our goal to have students complete their MA program by the Spring of the 2nd year, we understand that unexpected situations might arise that could extend this timeframe. 

If students have not graduated by August of their second year, they may continue working with their faculty reader on the MA thesis for one additional quarter, if that faculty reader has been informed and agrees to do so. If the faculty reader declines to continue supervising the paper, or the final version of the MA thesis is not submitted by that December, the student will be reassigned a single thesis reader from the MACSS program. In most cases that will be the student’s preceptor.

If the student has not graduated, three years past their initial matriculation, they must submit a formal petition for a resumption of studies through our program’s MA Student Affairs Administrator.

If the student still has missing or incomplete grades, we will ask that all remaining coursework be completed, and all grades posted on the student’s transcript, before the resumption of studies will be considered. The only exception will be for the MA Research Commitment (MACS 35000). The grade for that course will be posted once the primary reader has evaluated the final version of the MA thesis.

All resumptions are considered on a case-by-case basis and resumed study at the University is not guaranteed. The petition must be formally approved by the Executive Director of MA Programs in the Social Sciences and the Dean of Students.

Once the resumption is approved, the student must graduate within 12 months. If they do not do so, it will no longer be possible to earn our MA degree. 

Students are urged to submit the resumption no later than 9 years past their initial matriculation, giving them a maximum of one year to complete the MA thesis.

If an MA student has not registered for any classes by the end of the third week of an academic quarter, whether as a result of a hold on their registration, or through a failure to register as they should have, the Dean of Students may place the student on an involuntary leave of absence.

That will be communicated to the student in writing, with an explanation of what the student must do to be permitted to resume study at the University.

The involuntary leave will take effect, whether or not the student formally responds.

Resumed study at the University is not guaranteed. The conditions for a resumption, when possible, will be decided by the Executive Director of MA Programs in the Social Sciences in consultation with the Dean of Students.