During your first year you gain perspectives on the philosophy of social science, primers in the science of human decision-making, and frameworks for connecting individual behaviours to outcomes in social systems. You will also learn to apply advanced computational methods–including discrete choice modelling, social network analysis, agent-based simulation, and machine learning—to draw inferences about micro-level behaviours and macro-level outcomes.
With these building blocks in hand, you spend the third semester assembling critical knowledge of key theories and contemporary research in areas relevant to academic social science, government, and industry. During the third semester, you also have the option to study abroad at a partner institution.
In the final semester, you integrate the knowledge, skills, and theoretical approaches garnered in the first three semesters by writing a master’s thesis. As part of your thesis you conduct your own, original, computational research addressing a social scientific topic of your choosing.
