Undergraduate Studies
|
Decision Science Baruch Fischhoff, Director ---- Office: Porter Hall 219E The interdisciplinary field of Decision Science seeks to understand and improve judgment and decision making of individuals, groups, and organizations. Carnegie Mellon University is one of the leading centers in the world for the study of Decision Science. Behavioral decision theories provide the theoretical core for the Decision Science major. These theories draw on insights from a diverse set of disciplines, including cognitive and social psychology as well as economics, statistics, and philosophy. Course content in the Decision Science major will foster understanding of: (a) the cognitive, emotional, social, and institutional factors that influence judgment and choice, (b) normative (economic) models of rational choice, and (c) how judgment and decision making can be predicted and/or improved. Applications of Decision Science research abound. For example, research insights are being used to improve medical decision making (e.g., conveying costs & benefits of alternative treatment options to patients), legal decision making (e.g., understanding the effects of anger on attributions of responsibility), large-scale risk assessments (e.g., assessing risks of nuclear power), marketing (e.g., understanding the effects of emotion) and managerial decision making (e.g., correcting common errors and biases in the assessment of risk). The Decision Science major prepares students for decision making and management roles in government, the non-profit sector, business, and consulting for all three sectors. The major emphasizes basic skills and concepts that enhance an individual's ability to understand why individuals and organizations behave the way they do, as well as to choose rationally among competing courses of action and to organize the actions of those who will carry out decisions. In addition to gaining a broad education in economic and psychological principles of judgment and decision making, Decision Science majors gain valuable skills in research design and analysis. Upon completion of the decision science major, each student will be able to design, conduct, and analyze both experimental and correlational studies on human judgment and decision making. Moreover, each student will be able to critically evaluate empirical research findings and the soundness of research designs. Taken together, these skills enable Decision Science graduates to evaluate extant knowledge for any given decision problem and to generate new knowledge as problems develop. The core courses in Decision Science cluster into two categories, one addressing research methods and the other addressing disciplinary perspectives on Decision Science. The research methods cluster is a two-course sequence that introduces students to a variety of methods for collecting and analyzing data that can be used to make informed judgments and decisions. Students learn to perform sample surveys (e.g., regarding consumer or managerial preferences), to conduct experiments to evaluate theories or to test the effectiveness of different interventions for improving judgment and decision making. The second cluster is substantive courses presenting the fundamental theories and results from the empirical study of decision making, as well as the application of decision making to real-world problems. The elective courses cluster into five categories. The first category addresses biological foundations of decision making. Courses in this cluster provide essential knowledge about the connection between brain and behavior. The second cluster addresses individual and social aspects of judgment and decision making, such as how emotional and motivational factors affect judgment and decision making. The third cluster addresses organizational, political, and cultural influences on judgment and decision making. The fourth cluster addresses philosophical and ethical perspectives on judgment and decision making. Finally, the fifth cluster addresses advanced statistical and technological tools for judgment and decision making. Back to Top Policy & Management Paul Fischbeck, Director ---- Office: Porter Hall 208F The Policy and Management major prepares students for decision making and management roles in government, the non-profit sector, and business. The major emphasizes basic skills and concepts that enhance an individual's ability to understand why individuals and organizations behave the way they do, as well as to choose rationally among competing courses of action and to organize the actions of those who will carry out those decisions. The Policy and Management major is comprised of four clusters of courses. The Analytical Methods cluster consists of four courses that provide theoretical training and practical experience in using analytical methods for problem solving and decision making. These courses provide systematic methods for dealing with the complexities that make decisions difficult. One complication is risk or uncertainty about the possible consequences of different courses of action. For instance, when businesses decide to market a new product or a government agency decides to initiate a new program, the potential consequences are typically very uncertain. The Policy and Management major prepares students to use systematic procedures for analyzing decisions involving uncertainty and to make them in a way that reflects the decision maker's willingness to accept risk. Another complication in decision making is that a decision maker may be pursuing mutually conflicting objectives. For instance, the goal of reducing air pollution necessarily conflicts with the objective of producing manufactured goods at the lowest possible cost. The Policy and Management major grounds students in a variety of methods for dealing with such goal conflicts. Finally, the major gives students a thorough grounding in the economic analysis of decisions. A central issue addressed here concerns the proper roles of government and private markets. What kinds of decisions are better made by government and which can better be made by private markets? The Research Methods cluster is a two-course sequence that introduces students to a variety of methods for collecting and analyzing data that can be used to make informed decisions. Students learn to perform simple surveys (e.g., regarding consumer preferences or political preferences), to conduct simple experiments to evaluate theories or to test the effectiveness of different policy alternatives (e.g., by evaluating a new way of organizing workers who perform a manufacturing task), and to use systematic observational and interview methods to discover how people think about important issues and perform important tasks (e.g., using a new computer system). The Organizational Context cluster consists of single course entitled Organizations. The emphasis of this course is on how people organize and coordinate their behavior to perform complex tasks that far outstrip the capacities of any individual in the organization. The course also analyzes potential shortcomings of large organizations, such as inertia, coordination failures, and bureaucratic infighting. Knowing how organizations work is a critical component in learning how to translate decisions into action. Finally, the Management, Decision Making, and Technology cluster consists of five courses chosen by the student to emphasize his or her primary interests. These courses are chosen from six areas of concentration that emphasize different aspects of decision making and management. These six areas are: (1) individual decision making, (2) organizational and political decision making, (3) technology and society, (4) information and decision technology, (5) financial systems and analysis, and (6) international affairs and comparative politics. A student may take all five courses in one of these concentration areas, or take courses from several of these areas. Advisors will assist students in selecting a set of courses that fit the student's interests and needs. In short, the Policy and Management major emphasizes analytical approaches to decision making, management, and organization. It provides an excellent combination of theoretical and practical skills for students who intend to seek managerial positions immediately following graduation from Carnegie Mellon. Because of its strong analytical orientation, it is also an excellent major for those who intend to go on to professional school programs in law, business, or public policy, or to pursue graduate degrees in economics, political science, or decision science. One such option is the Heinz School Accelerated Masters Program where in 5 years students get both a B.S. in Policy and Management and an M.S. in Public Management and Policy. Back to Top Political Science Silvia Borzutzky, Director ---- Office: Porter Hall 2O8B The Political Science major prepares the student for a wide variety of careers. Political Science provides a valuable background for those pursuing careers in law and journalism, as well as for those seeking professional masters degrees in business, public policy, and public administration. The major is also appropriate for a wide variety of careers in government, trade associations, lobbying groups, international organizations, journalism, business, and teaching. Prior graduates now work on Capitol Hill, CBS News and for businesses; others are working on advanced degrees at Harvard Law School, The George Washington School of Public Policy, Cornell University and elsewhere. Prior to entering the Political Science major, students complete many of the H&SS General Education requirement courses. The Political Science major builds on these courses through four required courses that reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the Department of Social and Decision Sciences and its strengths in the areas of decision making, information, and organizations: 88-104, Decision Processes in American Political Institutions; Policy Analysis I, II, and III (88-220, 221, 222); 88-250, Regression Methods in the Social Sciences; and 88-251, Empirical Research Methods. Together these requirements provide an outstanding background in social science methods and theory, as well as solid grounding in the study of politics. Note that one of these courses, 88-104, Decision Processes in American Political Institutions, is an option in one of the H&SS General Education distributional categories ("Social, Political and Economic Institutions"), and should therefore be taken as part of the General Education Program by H&SS students interested in the Political Science major. Having established this base, students in the Political Science major must take five upper division menu electives in the following three clusters: American Politics, International Affairs and Comparative Politics, and Political Theory and Methodology. There are a wide range of offerings within each cluster. A student's course selection among these menu electives is decided in close coordination with his or her academic advisor to provide a depth and breadth of knowledge. This typically involves three elective courses in one concentration and one elective course in each of the other two. Students may also complement their formal course work with internship experiences, such as the Washington Semester Program, through which they are able to experience directly the inner workings of the U.S. Congress, executive agencies or a variety of government-related organizations. Students can also spend a semester or year abroad at a wide range of overseas programs with which Carnegie Mellon is affiliated. The major is also compatible with pursuit of the Heinz School Accelerated Masters Program where a student can get a B.S. in Political Science after four years and an M.S. in Public Management and Policy after five years. Back to Top International Relations Kiron Skinner, Director Global issues increasingly touch academic fields and careers alike. Majoring or minoring in International Relations at Carnegie Mellon can be relevant to your intellectual interests as well as an effective tool for building a resume. Indeed, new approaches from several scholarly disciplines and cultural perspectives provide stimulating findings and methods to deal with international topics. The major provides a set of core competencies in international relations. It also allows students to concentrate in one of two tracks, Social Science or Comparative Cultures. In both tracks, students will acquire sufficient breadth and depth in their study of international relations to make well-grounded comparisons between two or more regions of the world beyond the United States. The International Relations major is offered jointly by the Departments of History, Modern Languages, and Social and Decision Sciences, and is currently available as a second major, to be taken in conjunction with a major in H&SS or another college. For more information about the International Relations program, including upcoming program events and curriculum requirements, view the Global & International Relations website. Back to Top |