Masters Programs

Computational Social Science (CSS) is an interdisciplinary field in which social science questions are investigated with modern computational tools. Mason’s program was the first CSS MA in the world and continues to advance the study of social science through computational methods (e.g., agent-based modeling, social network analysis, and big data). The greatest strength of the CSS program lies in its ability to foster and promote interdisciplinary research that crosses traditional domain boundaries. Students use computationally intensive methods to solve current problems.

Today, digitalization is an unstoppable megatrend. The availability of large amount of digital traces of millions of people has created new opportunities for social scientists to study many aspects of life including health, energy, agriculture, transportation and public administration. In order to analyze this plethora of social data, pioneering social scientists have adopted computational methods from other disciplines (including machine learning, natural language processing and computer vision) which have now become the indispensable core of current scientific research and literature in social sciences.

The increased integration of technology into our lives has created unprecedented volumes of data on everyday human behaviour. Troves of detailed social data related to choices, affiliations, preferences and interests are now digitally archived by internet service providers, media companies, other private-sector firms, and governments. New computational approaches based on predictive modeling, agent-based simulations, text analysis, and network science make it possible to analyse these data in insightful and novel ways.

This is a chance to develop skills in cutting edge computational techniques alongside a strong grounding in the principles and practice of contemporary social research. The programme’s quantitative methods training will help you harness complex data and use them to explore social theories and fundamental questions about human societies. The programme’s theoretical and substantive training will introduce you to the principles of social inquiry and theories of human behaviour, and help you apply your technical skills to pressing social issues such as ethnic segregation in schools, income inequality, entrepreneur- ship, political change, and cultural diffusion.

The MSc&T “Data and Economics for Public Policy” is a program designed to allow graduates to harness the power of data science and economic analysis for the framing, formulation and implementation of contemporary public policies.

The program provides students a combination of strong technical skills, problem-solving, and sound skills in social sciences and management.It has a unique positioning in French leading engineering schools that are training high level policy leaders for over two centuries.

The size and complexity of digital information now available has the potential to improve how we understand, design, implement and evaluate effective public policy. Co-taught by UCL Economics and Political Science, this course will equip you as a policymaker to translate this wealth of information into useful insight, using cutting-edge data-science methods, rich technical skills, and detailed knowledge about economic and political processes.

The use of the term “data science” is increasingly common, as is “big data.” But what does it mean? Is there something unique about it? What skills do “data scientists” need to be productive in a world deluged by data? What are the implications for scientific inquiry?

We have run out of adjectives and superlatives to describe the growth trends of data. The technology revolution has brought about the need to process, store, analyze, and comprehend large volumes of diverse data in meaningful ways. However, the value of the stored data is zero unless it is acted upon. The scale of data volume and variety places new demands on organizations to quickly uncover hidden relationships and patterns. This is where data science techniques have proven to be extremely useful. They are increasingly finding their way into the everyday activities of many business and government functions, whether in identifying which customers are likely to take their business elsewhere, or mapping flu pandemic using social media signals.

As digitalisation increases, more and more data about our society and our behaviour are being generated and stored. The English-language Master's Degree Programme in Computational Social Systems trains experts who can extract valuable information from these datasets by using IT methods and specialised skills, as well as guarantee the responsible use of these data. In cooperation with the University of Graz, students from various disciplines receive an interdisciplinary education that combines aspects of computer science and their field.

Data is everywhere and affects every aspect of our lives and our society – from fitness trackers to online shopping to social media. Data is used to understand human behaviour, and to inform policy, journalism and strategy.

The Lucerne Master in Computational Social Sciences (LUMACSS) is an interdisciplinary programme that equips graduates with the knowledge and skills needed to tackle the main social challenges of the digital age. LUMACSS has been specially designed for two kinds of students: social science graduates seeking to strengthen their data analytics and digital computation skills; and computational sciences graduates eager to learn how to best apply their computation skills to social sciences data and research questions. LUMACSS provides a unique opportunity to combine the social sciences and the computational sciences. The programme offers in-depth teaching and research on digitization and its manifold effects on modern polities, societies and economies.

The Department of Management Science and Engineering leads at the interface of engineering, business, and public policy. The department’s mission is, through education and research, to advance the design, management, operation, and interaction of technological, economic, and social systems. The department’s engineering research strength is integrated with its educational program at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels: graduates of the program are trained as engineers and future leaders in technology, policy, and industry. Research and teaching activities are complemented by an outreach program that encourages the transfer of ideas to the environment of Silicon Valley and beyond.

With the increasing amount of data, experts in Data Science are in demand. With Social Data Science, you can gain new insights into human behavior and develop innovative solutions for social problems. It allows for a deeper understanding of social dynamics and trends which positively influence society. This can contribute to making informed political decisions, using resources more effectively, and working on finding solutions for relevant societal problems. 

Due to the strong interdisciplinary collaboration of Business Informatics, Sociology, Political Science and Mathematics, you benefit from the top-notch courses offered by various departments. You can select from a wide range of modules and focus on areas that suit your goals and interests.

Digital technology has revolutionized society and the way we study it. Much of human interaction is recorded in the form of a digital footprint, and analyzing it allows us to gain an unprecedented understanding of society and how it works. In this new context, the figure of the computational social scientist emerges. This new profile combines the characteristics of the social scientist with new computational approaches based on predictive modeling, text analysis and network science to analyze society in a new and revealing way.

The Master in Computational Social Science offers specialized training in cutting-edge computational and quantitative analysis techniques oriented to the study of the Social Sciences. This program prepares you to take advantage of complex data and advanced computational tools to understand society and human behavior.

The master's program « Econometrics, Statistics - Data Science for Social Sciences » aims to give the students intending to pursue advanced professional careers or doctoral research a solid culture in economics and statistics, as well as in various related fields of applied mathematics.

The Social Data Science (SDS) master’s course is a two-year program that integrates social sciences and computer science, focusing on the analysis of Big Data and the utilization of Artificial Intelligence algorithms alongside social scientific theory. It accommodates a diverse range of students, including those with varying levels of experience in computational methods and social sciences. SDS offers a strong foundation in Data Science for students with a social science background, with a primary emphasis on computational science applied to social science research. While prior exposure to quantitative methods is helpful, it’s not mandatory. The program equips students with valuable skills sought after in the job market and allows them to apply computational and statistical techniques to address important societal issues.

MaCSS is a one year in-person degree program under College of Letters & Science with an emphasis on real-world applicability. Our curriculum integrates computing tools and techniques, statistical approaches to data analysis, and social science theories and findings.

Data about people and the social world doesn’t “speak for itself.” While we’ve become adept at collecting and processing data, the graduates of the MaCSS program go beyond simple statistics to truly understand the complexities of our modern society in the curriculum.

Fighting climate change, combatting disinformation or creating smart cities - today's complex issues call for a new generation of policymakers and problem solvers who understand how to combine policy and data to create solutions for government, civil society and business.

The Master of Data Science for Public Policy (MDS) brings together passionate students from both technical and social science backgrounds to deepen their analytical skills and develop an in-depth understanding of the policy world. During this two-year master's you will learn how to leverage AI's transformative capabilities and data science-based decision-making to tackle some of the most complex challenges of our time.

The Master of Science in Data Analytics and Computational Social Science (MS in DACSS) is an interdisciplinary program that will train you to effectively use and communicate data to support decision-making.

You'll study a wide range of computational methods such as text analysis, network analysis, geocoding and GIS, agent-based simulations, and machine learning for the social sciences. A variety of electives in areas such as survey research, advanced statistics, and econometrics will help hone your program to your career goals. You can also select courses in areas such as city planning, international law, and media and culture to boost your knowledge of economic, social, and political phenomena.

Data science and the explosion of artificial intelligence are revolutionizing how we address social problems and create meaningful change. Our Master of Science in Data Science for Public Policy at the McCourt School of Public Policy merges innovative computing and quantitative techniques with a passion for making an effective difference. By studying at Georgetown University in the heart of Washington, DC, where global and U.S. policy is made, you will be empowered with the high-demand technical and quantitative skills and deep policy knowledge that will allow you to harness next-generation data technology to understand how to better improve policy outcomes. Join us as we leverage data science to create a better world.

The effective use of data science in public policy has the potential to revolutionize how organizations work and how public policy is created. The Master of Science in Public Policy Data Science (MPPDS), a joint program between the USC Price School of Public Policy and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, will hone your ability to make data-driven decisions that can positively inform policy. With this skillset, you can help organizations from every sector, including nonprofits and private companies in addition to public agencies, become more transparent, accountable, and swift in their decision-making.

This master’s degree in Social Data Science is a full-time, interdisciplinary program offering advanced training in data science methodologies.  

Social data science offers exciting opportunities for those who want to ask and answer new questions about human behavior and social processes in the digital era. You will learn to use mathematical, statistical, and computational tools to collect, curate, manage, and analyze massive datasets of human actions and interactions. You will blend Big Data and data science to design projects and digital experiments that shed new light on 21st-century social challenges, such as inequalities, climate change, migration, and technological disruption.  

With an emphasis on critical thinking, practical application, and multidisciplinarity, you will develop an impressive portfolio of transferable skills to answer complex questions with data. 

The master’s degree program combines state-of-the-art data science techniques, including machine learning, predictive analytics and natural language processing with core sociological, economic, anthropological, political science and psychological theories and methods to equip students with the competences to identify, assess and solve societal and business problems in the digital age.

The MSSP Program + Data Analytics for Social Policy Certificate (MSSP+DA) is a STEM-designated degree that empowers you to leverage social policy and data analytics to address economic, educational, and health inequities. Throughout the program, the data analytic material is taught in relationship with the various theories, approaches, and domains of social policy analysis. You’ll learn to use data to help solve disparities of race/ethnicity, gender, and class across systems such as immigration, child welfare, and education.

Data is everywhere, and our world needs aspiring professionals who know how to harness the power of designed data — especially survey data and repurposed, organic data such as social media posts, search strings, and online transactions — to gain insights, uncover new findings, and innovate.

Our survey and data science graduate program attracts a diverse cohort each year — students who have just completed undergraduate degrees, professionals who work in a survey data or data science field, or those who simply have a passion for this exciting discipline. Our master’s program in survey methodology and data science is built for those who are interested in careers applying cutting-edge methods from the social sciences and data science to research problems across a wide range of applications that involve human behavior and attitudes.

As societies become increasingly diverse, change rapidly, and are confronted with expanding inequalities, datafication, and digitalization, there is a growing need for professionals trained and educated in the analysis of these dynamics. In the Master's Programme in Contemporary Societies (COS), you become an expert in the analysis of contemporary societies.

You choose from six discipline-based study tracks: Global Development Studies, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Social and Public Policy, Social Data Science, Social Psychology, or Sociology. You also study themes like Data and Society, Ethnic Relations and Migration, Mind and Society, Socio-Cultural Shifts and Sources of Inequalities.

As a social scientist you need the knowledge and skills to collect and analyze data in a digital society. Polarization, cybersecurity, international migration, artificial intelligence and healthy ageing for example are global challenges that do not keep to disciplinary and methodological boundaries.

Advances in digital technologies, such as algorithms, platforms, apps, and online social networks, create societal challenges that are highly complex and interconnected, affecting society at all levels: individuals, communities, organizations, and nations. 

With experience and expertise in mixed methods and interdisciplinary research you will be able to address the global complexities of digital society.

With disciplinary backgrounds spanning the social, physical, and natural sciences, as well as varied levels of expertise in computational methods and programming, MACSS students acquire the knowledge, skills, and expertise to innovate in and across social science fields. Immersed in a community of scholars across the social and behavioral sciences as well as computer science, the program’s flexible curriculum offers opportunities to tailor coursework and research interests for a distinctively UChicago degree.

The Masters in Computational Social Science (MSc. CSS), which commenced in July 2022, is the flagship program of the School of Liberal Arts (SoLA), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur. The program seeks to develop highly-skilled graduates equipped with theoretical, technical, and application-oriented knowledge that will enable them to construct, improve, analyze and apply theoretically-informed models to understand processes and phenomena. Bridging disciplines and technical expertise, this program is also in line with the National Education Policy (2020), and also with the Government of India’s Vision 2047 which seeks future skill sets for a future society.

The University of Chicago’s rigorous two-year Master of Science in Computational Analysis and Public Policy (MSCAPP) program, among the first in the nation, is jointly offered by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and the Department of Computer Science. MSCAPP gives you the skills and analytical savvy to bring modern technology to bear on the societal problems that matter most.

Our one-year M.S. in Computational Social Science gives students the ability to apply causal social science and computational models, simulations, and analysis to “big data” to uncover how people think, decide, and act in groups, markets, and states.

The curriculum offers foundational structure in technical domains, surveys current areas of interest in the field of CSS, and provides the flexibility to apply these methods to impactful social questions, with real-world project-based learning. 

Students connect with graduate and faculty mentors across the Social Sciences, use techniques such as social network analysis, natural language processing, and machine learning and apply them to topics such as democratic campaigns and propaganda, eyewitness memory, housing policy and economic inequality, and internet activism, among many, many others.  This program prepares students for impactful careers in public policy, education, non-profits, or for further academic study in a Ph.D. program.

The rapid rise of AI and big data are reshaping our world. This programme will equip you with cutting edge data science skills that are in demand across a variety of careers in the private, public, and non-profit sectors.

You’ll acquire technical skills in applied data science, computation, programming, and quantitative methods, and learn how to use data to answer interesting and important social science questions.

The MSc programme in Computational Social Science aims to strengthen students’ ability to conduct interdisciplinary and innovative research by combining computational methods with one or several social science and humanities disciplines, including but not limited to political science, international relations, Chinese studies, linguistics, psychology, public policy, urban studies, sustainable development, public administration, sociology, history, literature, anthropology, and archaeology. It will train students in social science to apply computational techniques and solve problems in social science and humanities. Applicants should have an educational background in computer science or at least one social science or humanities discipline.

Understand and shape the world through an interdisciplinary approach to data science. This English-language programme equips you with cutting-edge skills in social science, computer science, and statistics to tackle real-world challenges using data.

You’ll learn to ask the right questions, uncover patterns in networks, spatial data, and text, and identify cause-and-effect relationships — all in ways enhanced, not replaced, by AI.

From explaining economic inequality to tracing how ideas and innovations spread, this programme trains you to leverage data to understand complex social phenomena.

Explore how data and the people behind it shape our world with the MSc in Social Data Science.

Delivered by the Oxford Internet Institute’s world-leading multidisciplinary faculty, this intellectually rigorous programme equips students with applied expertise in rapidly advancing domains in machine learning, coupled with theories, practices, and research focus from the social sciences.

Whether your goal is doctoral study, a career in data science, policy or tech innovation, this programme offers a unique opportunity to engage with cutting-edge research and real-world applications in a dynamic academic environment.

The MSc Politics and Data Science programme is specifically tailored to address the transformative impact of generative AI, large language models, and machine learning on political processes and their ethical implications. This cutting-edge degree is an ideal choice for applicants from diverse backgrounds, aiming to explore the intersection of politics and advanced data science in the digital era.

The curriculum delves deeply into the ways generative AI and large language models are revolutionizing our understanding of political discourse, public opinion, and policy-making. With a focus on the ethical and societal implications of these technologies, the programme equips students with a critical perspective on how data science shapes political narratives and decisions in both democratic and non-democratic regimes.

Nowadays large amounts of data are ubiquitous. Areas of study within the social and behavioral sciences such as psychology and economics increasingly rely on the appropriate handling of these large amounts of data using quantitative methods. However, experts who are able not only to apply such methods but also to develop them and to reflect critically on their use are hard to find.

In today’s digital world, vast amounts of data are generated about human behavior and social interactions. Organizations across industries need experts who can analyze this data using computer science, statistics, and social science methods to drive informed decisions. With an MSc in Social and Economic Data Science from Konstanz, you’ll gain the skills to become one of these sought-after specialists.

The SEDS program at the University of Konstanz combines cutting-edge research with a hands-on approach to the study of social and economic data. It is designed for students who want to gain a deep understanding of complex societal challenges and learn how to address them with advanced analytical tools.

The MSc in Social Data Science is a one year taught programme with strong interdisciplinary features and components across social and computational sciences. It equips students with a range of social scientific, computational, informational, statistical, and visualisation skills, for curation and analysis of large or complex data that arise from human activities and interactions in the digital world.

Students will receive training in sociological analysis, as well as core coding and programming skills, allowing them to avail of emergent computational methods and technologies to tackle real-world societal challenges, and inform decision making processes. Students may opt to complete an internship as part of their studies. The MSc in Social Data Science is suitable for graduates of social science or computer science programmes.

Explore ways to apply data analysis techniques to a range of substantive policy related questions and develop skills in evidence-based decision making

Choose to specialize within a policy subfield such as social and family policy, economic and public policy, environment, criminal justice and security

The P.Grad.Dip in Applied Social Data Science programme at Trinity College Dublin is a one-year, full-time programme designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary to apply data science techniques to real-world social problems, such as poverty, inequality, and social exclusion.

The programme covers a broad range of topics, including applied statistical analysis, machine learning, quantitative text analysis, experimental methods, and spatial data analysis, as well as other specialized topics in social data science.

Graduates of the Applied Social Data Science programme will be well-equipped for a wide range of careers in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, including data scientist, social media analyst, policy analyst, and market researcher. In addition, they may be well-suited for roles in government agencies, think tanks, and advocacy organizations. The programme also provides a strong foundation for further study at the doctoral level in a wide range of social science disciplines.

In this digital era, data are flooding and profoundly shaping our societies. Think, for instance, of big data, survey data, web scraping, administrative and census data, social media data or telecom surveillance data. This master programme teaches how these data can be analyzed using advanced quantitative techniques to understand social, cultural, and political processes and interactions. The combination of theoretical instruction, hands-on (computer lab) practice, and critical reflection on the social impact and ethical aspects of datafication will make you a master in the responsible collection and quantitative analysis of different social data structures. Taught by inspiring, dedicated and international oriented staff, this cutting-edge programme provides a unique opportunity to become an expert in the quantitative analysis of social data.​​

Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences (QMSS) is a free-standing Master's of Arts program within the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Columbia University, affiliated with the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy. It is an innovative, flexible, interdisciplinary social science degree that focuses on quantitative research techniques and strategies. The program integrates the perspectives and research methods of seven research disciplines: Economics, History, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Computer Science, and Statistics.

QMSS provides students with rigorous training in quantitative research, with an emphasis on written and oral communication about research techniques and findings. These skills prepare QMSS graduates to enter (or further) an analytical or research career or to continue their education in a PhD program.

With growing demand for experts who can interpret spatial and social data, this course equips students with the analytical and technical skills to thrive in social and geographical data science. You’ll study at the intersection of computing, spatial statistics, machine learning, GeoAI and the social sciences, tackling challenges in domains such as urban planning, mobility, public health, and environmental management. You’ll work with leading researchers at UCL and benefit from links to institutions such as the Consumer Data Research Centre and the Alan Turing Institute. This course prepares you for data-driven careers in government, industry, research, and NGOs.