Computational Social Science, Master's programme - Information for admitted students

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Congratulations on being admitted to our master's programme at Linköping University (LiU), where we blend rigorous training in computational methods with practical training in social scientific problem solving.

Our students come from a wide variety of academic backgrounds. Our Facebook page offers profiles of a few of our previous students (Cheng, Elida and Esam). They all share a keen interest in the social world, and have set themselves up for success as social researchers, whether in the public sector, private industry, or academia.

As part of the Institute for Analytical Sociology, you will stand at an important crossroads between the social and computational sciences. In classes and formal seminars, as well as in informal settings, you will have a chance to learn from and interact with scholars from within and outside of LiU using innovative approaches to social science research. We are also excited to incorporate you into a vibrant, international student body at LiU seeking to make a positive social impact in the world. We look forward to greeting you at Campus Norrköping in August as you begin your educational journey.

Prior to your arrival, there are a few important points, activities and dates to keep in mind:

Roll-call and programme start

A mandatory roll-call will take place at 13:15 on Tuesday, 19 August in Norrköping, Kopparhammaren 2, room KO12. You must attend in person - on campus - to confirm your place in the programme. If failing to attend, you will lose your place. Find out more about mandatory roll calls here.

During this first day, we will introduce you to the programme and our faculty. In subsequent days, we will organize social events to help you develop relationships with your fellow students. We will provide more information about these events in future communications.

Conditionally admitted students

If you are conditionally admitted you must upload your degree certificate and transcript of your last semester(s) both in original language and with an English translation to your Universityadmissions account as soon as possible.

Preparing for your first semester

We take education very seriously and want your time with us to be as useful as possible. Verbal and quantitative skills will be equally important to your success in the programme. We expect you to become adept at both performing computational analyses and thinking through and writing compelling social scientific arguments.

With this in mind, we suggest that you spend some time prior to your arrival developing some basic skills in math, programming, and social science. For those new to computational methods, we will put together an intensive self-study programme related to the use of the R-programming environment. For those of you who are new to the social sciences, we will send along a reading list that will provide a broad introduction to key theoretical and substantive issues. We will also assemble self-study materials related to key topics in mathematics, for those who feel they need a refresher course. More information about these facilitated self-study programmes will be provided at the end of the spring. We recommend taking these preparations seriously. From previous cohorts, we have noted that students that are prepared for both the computational/statistical and social-scientific aspects of this program are more likely to successfully master the courses and the programme as a whole. It would also be best to come to campus with a computational social scientist’s most important tool: a personal computer, preferably a laptop.

If you want to decline your offer

While we really want all of our admitted students to choose Linköping University, it can happen that you decide to attend elsewhere. If this is the case it is very important that you let us know you won’t be attending the programme as soon as possible, by declining your offer at universityadmissions.se. You do this by logging into your account and following the instructions under the 'Applications' tab. This might free up your place to someone on the waiting list.

Residing in Sweden

Students who are not citizens from Sweden or the EU/EEA are required to pay their tuition fees by 15 May 2025 to commence studies at LiU. This is also the recommended deadline for applying for a resident permit from the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket). Until you are sure you can reside and study in Sweden, we advise students not to book any non-refundable travel.

Questions?

LiU will be sending out an email series to all students admitted to an international programme at LiU in the lead up to the autumn semester with details about accommodation, tuition fees, scholarships, residence permits and other important steps to consider if you are an international student. The Admitted students page is also a hub of information. Swedish students may find Antagen more relevant.

As programme director, I welcome you to an exciting intellectual environment and challenging programme. Do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have about the contents of the programme. For concerns related to practical programme matters, please contact our programme administrator, Madelene Töpfer. For more general questions about the welcome period, accommodation, visa and insurance issues, please contact LiU’s International Office.

Again, congratulations and welcome!

Sincerely,
Benjamin Jarvis, Programme Director

Contact details

General questions

If you have general questions about the welcome period, accommodation, visa and insurance issues, please contact us.

Study information

Via the syllabus and curriculum link below, you can find more information about the courses in the programme. Information about each course can also be found at https://studieinfo.liu.se by searching for the course code. The first courses in the programme are:

Logic of Social Inquiry, 7,5 credits (771A11)

Statistics and Data Science I, 7,5 credits (771A15)

At LiU, the course platform "Lisam" is used for information sharing and interaction between teachers and students within each course. You will gain access to the course page before the course starts.

Programme specific information for students is available at https://liuonline.sharepoint.com/sites/Lisam_P-F7MCD. You will have access to this page after you have activated your LiU-id.

The easiest way to access your schedule through TimeEdit. Search by course code to find the schedule. Please note that the schedule can change at short notice. It is therefore advisable to subscribe to the schedule in your calendar application. Schedules for the autumn semester 2025 will be published 1 July 2025.


A student's experience

Webinars

Learn more about the programme at this webinar!

Studying Social Sciences programmes at LiU

Webinar for newly admitted students about the academic side of studying a master’s programme in Business, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences at Linköping University. Recorded in April 2025.

Preparing to move to Sweden

What do I need to do?

First steps: Where will you live? Do you have fees to pay? Are you allowed to reside in Sweden?

Admitted students information hub

(For incoming students who have not started their studies yet)

Getting set up (checklist and tips)