Program Overview

Introduction to the Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences (MBDS) Program

The Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences (MBDS) program at the University of Pennsylvania is an interdisciplinary degree that equips students with theoretical and practical tools to address real-life problems. The program is informed by contemporary theories and research methods of behavioral economics, decision sciences, network analysis, and public policy. Students learn how individuals and groups make decisions and how to affect those decisions, preparing them for a growing field of study.

Curriculum

Curriculum Structure

To fulfill the requirements for this degree program, students must complete nine courses, including the two-part Capstone. The coursework can be finished in one full-time academic year or at a part-time flexible pace. The curriculum establishes a theoretical, methodological, and quantitative foundation in the field, covering behavioral economics, psychology, social norms, and public policy.

• Students learn to model how individuals and groups make decisions, the behavioral and neural foundations of decision-making, and have the opportunity to design lab and field experiments to test their hypotheses.
• They are taught to create and analyze computational models of social emergence and use network analysis to understand how behavior can spread or dissolve.

Required Courses

The curriculum of the MBDS program entails the completion of 9 Course Units (CUs) of graduate-level courses. The program includes five compulsory courses and four electives for graduation.

• Required Courses:
  • BDS 5010: Behavioral Science: Theory and Application of Experimental Methods (1 CU)
  • BDS 5030: Behavioral Interventions for Policy and Organizations (1 CU)
  • BDS 5210: Judgments & Decisions (1 CU)
  • BDS 5997: Capstone: Consulting with Behavioral Science (0.5 CU)
  • BDS 5998: Capstone: Design Challenge (0.5 CU)
• Applied Unit: Students must take at least one of the following:
  • BDS 5020: Norms and Nudges
  • BDS 5250: Organizational Behavior
  • BDS 5410: AI and Human Behavior
• Quantitative Unit: Based on an evaluation prior to the start of the program, students will be assigned to one of the following two quantitative courses:
  • BDS 5220: Statistical Reasoning for Behavioral Science (intermediate-level, taught in Fall)
  • BDS 5160: Data Science and Quantitative Modeling (advanced-level, taught in Spring)

Electives

The goal of the Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences is to equip students with practical tools for applications and a focused academic portfolio. Students can select three courses from disciplines and schools across the University in relation to their academic and professional goals. A maximum of one course can be taken outside of the School of Arts & Sciences. An advisor from the program works with students one-on-one to craft a successful curriculum.

Prerequisites

The program has two prerequisite courses:

1. Introductory statistics
2. Microeconomics/game theory

For students who lack sufficient background in one or all areas, the prerequisite courses are offered through the College of Liberal and Professional Studies during the summer prior to the start of the program in the fall term.

Capstone

The Capstone is the most important behavioral science training of the MBDS Program. This course consists of two semesters where students engage in a dialogue with industry and global organizations to understand the variety of applications of behavioral science and use the tools learned in MBDS courses to tackle specific industry/organization problems. Students must enroll in both BDS 5997 Capstone: Consulting with Behavioral Science and BDS 5998 Capstone: Design Challenge, taught in Fall and Spring, respectively. Each of these courses counts for 0.5 CUs.

• In the first semester (Fall), students engage in skill boot camps, discussion with industry leaders, and other training in three areas:
  • How behavioral science is applied in organizations across several domains
  • Why behavioral insights and tools are relevant in organizational settings
  • What students can expect when they transition into the job market
• In the second semester (Spring), students embark on the Design Challenge. In this portion of the Capstone, teams of students apply behavioral science to solve questions brought by industry partners. The Design Challenge is a semester-long practice to prepare students to engage with industry and global organizations even before they complete the program.