<p>^Looks like you completely misunderstand the program. </p>
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<li><p>This is not a stand-alone major; everyone in MMSS has a second major, usually in econ or social sciences. Contrary to what you think, this program actually adds depth and breadth to one’s education.</p></li>
<li><p>The program was originally meant to help generate student interest in research careers in the social sciences. The curriulum is not “career-oriented”; it’s a wonderful program for people that want to go into academia. Professor Dale Mortensen, the economcis Nobel winner, was a teacher and advisor in the MMSS program for 28 years before he took a leave for University of Aarhus in Denmark. Most first-year PhDs in social sciences seriously lack math background required for serious research and have to take math modeling classes. MMSS students are way ahead in this regard “as undergrads”. That’s why Washington think-tanks like recruiting MMSS students even though they typically prefer candidates with advanced degrees. It just happens many consulting/business firms also seem to like MMSS students and that in turns draws more and more career-oriented students into the program. </p></li>
<li><p>I don’t know which engineering school in what country you went to. But math required in just about any engineering school is not that high level, at least in the US. Three semesters of Calculus, a course in linear algebra, and a course in differential equations are relatively light-weight compared to the math in MMSS. The honors Calculus sequence at McCormick may match MMSS in rigor (I am not sure) but that’s not the typical Calculus taught in most engineering schools.</p></li>
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