Quantitative Social Science

About the Quantitative Social Science Area of Concentration

The Quantitative Social Science program emphasizes the practical methodological components of quantitative data analysis, from research design to applied statistics, computer programming, and data management. However, Quantitative Social Science is not just the study of how to do data analysis, but also the study of why and when data analysis should be done, what its possibilities are, and its limitations. Students who study quantitative social science will emerge with a better understanding of how decisions with data get made, how to interpret the profusion of data in our increasingly digital society, how different social science fields utilize data to understand their areas of study, and how to communicate effectively and clearly with data.

This joint program of study will be of particular interest to students hoping to pursue careers in social fields requiring quantitative analysis skills such as jobs in applied psychological, social, and economic research, state or federal government, consulting, media and communications, and as analysts in a variety of fields (marketing, politics, assessment, and more). Additionally, this joint AOC may be particularly helpful for those interested in graduate school in the social sciences, where sophisticated quantitative skills are increasingly expected as prerequisites for admission.