The Heller School for Social Policy and Management will propose a new Master's program in public policy, Provost Marty Krauss said. Both the Heller School and the International Business School are considering additional graduate programs, Krauss said.

The proposed Master of Public Policy degree program, which would begin at the start of the next academic year, will be presented to the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees Tuesday and to the entire Board of Trustees Wednesday, according to Krauss.

Krauss said she expects the Board of Trustees to approve the program. Follwing that, she said, the Heller school will recruit students to enter the program next year. Krauss hopes the program will enroll between 12 and 15 students at the start, but she said that number is subject to change.

The MPP would be a two-year program teaching students how to "evaluate, create and recommend policy options to solve complex social problems," according to the proposal. It would feature five concentrations: health; behavioral health; Children, Youth and Families; Assets and Development; and the option for an independently chosen concentration.

The proposed program comes at a time when the University is exploring various new graduate programs. Krauss said Heller and IBS are also collaborating on a joint Master's of Business Administration (MBA) program. Students in the program-which she said is still under development-would take courses from both IBS' and Heller's MBA programs and receive a joint degree, she said.

Krauss said the University was motivated to add new graduate degrees because it is focused on offering "first-rate educational programs that draw on the expertise of faculty and respond to different needs of society." Also, "part of the motivation is to ensure that we are as financially smart as we can be," she said.

Prof. Stuart Altman, the dean of the Heller School, said Heller is also looking into creating a BA/MA program that would allow undergraduates to take Heller courses and earn a Master of Arts degree in their fifth year at Brandeis. He added that the details of this program have not yet been assembled.

Plans for a Master of Arts in Teaching, with a focus on primary and secondary education, are also "moving full speed ahead," Krauss said.

Heller developed the proposed MPP program through research and consultation with other universities that offer similar degrees and professional organizations that focus on public policy, Krauss said.

"[It creates] the opportunity for students to concentrate in particular areas of social policy, where the Heller School has particular strength," she added.

Nine of the program's 16 courses, such as "Organizational Theory," "Evaluation and Planning" and "Economics of Social Policy" would be required for completion of the MPP. The proposal calls for students to learn quantitative and qualitative skills dealing with public policy, which will be drawn upon to create a Master's thesis.

Students would also have to take four courses in their chosen concentration, allowing them to take three more electives to finish the program. Krauss said the structure would allow students to tailor the program to their interests.

Many of the courses will be taught by current Heller faculty, and it is possible the school will hire adjunct professors to teach other classes, Krauss said.

Altman said he is excited about the new program, which he called "something special." He said the program is suitable for those who are interested in public policy, but want to focus more on analysis of policy than management.

"It is clear we have a unique niche," Altman said of the Heller School. "People want to impact public policy.