Carnegie Mellon University

Welcome to the Department of Social and Decision Sciences

The Department of Social and Decision Sciences (SDS) is an interdisciplinary department that offers undergraduate and graduate programs that combine studies in the social sciences with the practical skills needed to excel in key decision making roles in the public and private sectors.

Students learn how to combine intellectual ideals with the realities of human and organizational behavior and to apply these lessons across a wide variety of endeavors, ranging from government service to leadership positions in the information economy.

Mission

The mission of the Department of Social and Decision Sciences is to provide intellectual leadership in the social sciences, brought about by the power of a transdisciplinary environment for research and learning, for teaching and training, and for solving social problems.

In the News

Wenzhuo Xu headshot
Congrats to Three Minute Thesis (3MT) preliminary round number 3 co-winner, SDS's own Wenzhuo Xu!
Manasvini Singh headshot
Dietrich College Faculty Spotlight: Manasvini Singh
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Policy and Management Alum, Eliberty Lopez (DC '06), is featured in CMU Hispanic-Latino Alumni Association's first Alumni Spotlight Series.
Members of the ICSD
Carnegie Mellon University launches Institute for Complex Social Dynamics.

Students are afforded the opportunity to engage in world-class hands-on research through three departmental research centers:

Data-Driven Diversity Lab
Dynamic Decision Making Laboratory
The Center for Behavioral Decision Research

SDS offers an array of undergraduate majors, including:

  • BS in Behavioral Economics
  • BS in Decision Science
  • BS in Policy & Management

The majors leverage SDS’s departmental core that includes courses in decision analysis, empirical research, organizations, policy analysis and applied psychology .

SDS also offers four minors in Behavioral Economics, Decision Science, Policy & Management and Sociology

Graduate study within SDS offers seven areas of focus:

  • Behavioral Decision Research
  • Cognitive Decision Science
  • Social and Decision Sciences
  • Behavioral Marketing and Decision Research (Joint with the Tepper School of Business)
  • Behavioral Economics (Joint with the Tepper School of Business)
  • Psychology and Behavioral Decision Research (Joint with the Department of Psychology)
  • Medical Scientist Training Program MD-PhD (Joint with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine)

Interested in keeping up with general SDS updates?

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