Using statistical and computational methods to understand society and human behaviour
The increasing integration of technology into our lives has created unprecedented volumes of data on everyday social 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 machine learning, agent-based modelling, natural language processing, and network science have made it possible to analyse these data in ways previously unimaginable.
This is a chance to develop skills in 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 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, entrepreneurship, political change, and cultural diffusion.
Programme structure
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.
