The Board of Trustees recently approved the Health: Science, Society and Policy Master of Public Policy Advancement Program, a fast-track course of study for a master's degree in the field of public policy. The program is an option provided by the HSSP program in conjunction with the Heller School for Social Policy and Management.

According to Prof. Peter Conrad (BIOL), chair of HSSP, the Board of Trustees approved the program at its October meeting.

Before that, the program had gained approval from Heller, HSSP, the Council of Graduate Professional Schools, Dean of Arts and Sciences Susan J. Birren and Dean of the Heller School Lisa Lynch.

"This is something we've been working on for a while, to try to get it right," said Conrad in an interview with the Justice. Prof. Michael Doonan (Heller), director of the MPP program, described it in an interview with the Justice as "a way to help [HSSP students] meet their career goals."

The program allows Brandeis students majoring in HSSP to take two courses to count toward both an MPP and their bachelor's degrees during their senior year. Then, as a requirement of the program, students would work for one to three years as what Conrad called "a deferred Heller student" before returning to Heller to finish his or her MPP in three semesters, as opposed to the usual four.

According to the program's official proposal, students would secure work with assistance from Heller and HSSP to network with organizations such as City Year, a nonprofit organization that sends workers to public schools in the hopes of decreasing the dropout rate, and AmeriCorps, a government service organization whose members undertake such varied projects as "[building] affordable housing" or "[improving] health services," according to its website.

"Advantages for students are several," said Conrad. One advantage is time: Brandeis HSSP students can be accepted to the program as early as their junior year, and can complete their MPP a semester ahead of schedule. This also eliminates a semester's worth of tuition. "The program offers other financial aid," said Conrad, but details are unclear at this early stage.

Conrad also considered work experience among the advantages of the program, calling it "a tremendous benefit" for students to have worked for a year or two.

As for enrollment, "Our hope is that there will be anywhere between six and 10 students … a year that want to do this," said Conrad.

Because of its small size, the program is not expected to require any additional faculty or space, according to its proposal. However, the proposal also cites "an increased need for support from the Heller career services office."