Did You Know?

The Heller School provides research opportunities for students through its research institutes and centers, which are a major source of scholarly research at Brandeis.

The Heller School for Social Policy and Management

The Heller School was founded in 1959.

The school offers six degrees:

  • Ph.D. in Social Policy
  • Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
  • Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.)
  • Master of Arts in Sustainable International Development (M.A./SID)
  • Master of Arts in Coexistence and Conflict (M.A./COEX)
  • Master of Science (M.S.) in International Health Policy and Management
The school offers several dual and joint degree options:
  • Joint MPP/MA in Women's and Gender Studies
  • Joint MA in Sustainable International Development and Women's and Gender Studies.
  • Joint PhD in Social Policy and Sociology
  • Joint MA in Social Policy and Women's and Gender Studies
  • Dual MA in Sustainable International Development and Coexistence and Conflict
  • MBA/MA with the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program
  • MPP/MA with the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program
  • MBA/MA in Sustainable International Development
  • MBA/MS in International Health Policy and Management
  • MBA/MPP
  • MBA/MD in Healthcare Management in conjunction with Tufts University School of Medicine
  • MBA/MBS in Biomedical Sciences in conjunction with Tufts University School of Medicine
  • JD/MA in Sustainable International Development in conjunction with Northeastern University School of Law

The Ph.D. program prepares individuals for advanced positions in teaching, research and administration. Students may focus on policy issues in the areas of children, youth and families; health and behavioral health; assets and inequalities; or global health and development.

Two federal training programs assist in preparing doctoral students to contribute original scholarly research to the field of social policy.

Students in the M.B.A. program pursue a rigorous course of study that integrates management and social policy courses as well as an onsite team consulting project to prepare graduates for management careers in public, private and nonprofit organizations pursuing social missions.

M.P.P. students are prepared to work as policy analysts, researchers and advocates in government, public- and private-sector settings. Students may focus their studies on aging; health; behavioral health; children, youth and families; or poverty alleviation.

Sustainable international development students pursue an interdisciplinary program that includes courses in public policy, development economics and environmental management. Students also work with development professionals in the areas of project planning, implementation and evaluation, as well as human rights and development, microfinance, conservation and development.

The M.S. degree combines the planning, management and health policy expertise found at Heller in an international context, training young professionals to play increasingly responsible roles in the health and well-being of the world's poorest children and families by pursuing careers in health policy and planning, and policy implementation in government health ministries and planning agencies, development agencies and NGOs.

The M.A. degree in Coexistence and Conflict is a unique theory - and practice-based program that provides students with the networks and skills to tackle local and global challenges in conflict areas. Students graduate with skills in conflict analysis, resolution, and mediation; policy-making; evaluation; and sustainable development in conflict situations that are cutting-edge and highly valued in the workplace.

The faculty represents a broad spectrum of expertise in the social sciences and related fields and conducts a multidisciplinary, policy-oriented research and management program on a wide range of health and human services issues.

The Heller School provides research opportunities for students through its research institutes and centers, which are a major source of scholarly research at Brandeis. They include the Schneider Institutes for Health Policy, which encompass the Institute on Healthcare Systems, the Institute for Behavioral Health, and the Institute for Global Health and Development; the Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy; the Center for Youth and Communities; the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy, which includes the Nathan and Toby Starr Center on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; the Institute on Assets and Social Policy; and the Sillerman Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy.