In this vein the school offers seven programs in Humanities and Social Sciences in education (HSS): anthropology; economics; history; linguistics; organizational studies; philosophy; and sociology. The other approach is to develop expertise in a major issue area in education. In this vein, the school offers four programs in Issue Domains in Education (IDE): educational policy; higher education; international comparative education (ICE); and race, inequality, and language in education (RILE). In addition, students can pursue a dual specialization in one HSS discipline and one IDE area.

All doctoral students in SHIPS may pursue one of three programs options, enrolling in one of the following:

• A program in one of the seven HSS disciplines, or
• A program in one of the four IDE areas, or
• A dual specialization program in one HSS discipline and in one IDE area