Master of Science - Social Data Science

Based in the Department of Government, The University of Essex MSc Social Data Science supports the development of the knowledge, skills and understanding required to be an effective social data scientist. With modules taught in both the Department of Government and School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, it equips future social scientists with a range of skills in advanced data science and artificial intelligence that will enable them to undertake social sciences research, making use of increasingly large and complex data sets.

The close partnership with Essex County Council, Essex Police and other public sector organizations ensures the development of necessary skills to apply data science for public good within a strong academic framework. This degree provides an introduction and solid foundation in data science for students with a social science undergraduate degree. The emphasis in the course is on big data, new forms of data, and computational methods to work with such data – all within a strong framework of social science applications and research design principles. All Essex politics graduates have the distinction of a qualification from one of the world’s leading politics departments. Some of the biggest names in the field work at Essex, giving students unparalleled access to some of the best minds in politics. Essex's staff are advising the CIA on counter-terrorism, training politicians and civil servants in democratizing countries, and commentating on political events in national and international media.

Essex's MA Social Data Science can lead students to a career in a number of areas such as market research, the media, central and local government and private sector. Students will develop key employability skills including analytical reasoning, research design and essay-writing.

Recent Government graduates have gone on to work for the following high-profile organizations: the Civil Service, local government, the World Bank, the United Nations, NATO, YouGov and YouGov America. Essex's academic reputation is illustrated by the fact that many of their Government graduates now teach or research at universities, colleges of higher education and schools. For example, recent graduates are now research fellows and academic staff at: Mannheim, Germany; ETH Zurich, Switzerland; Duke University, USA; NATO/SHAPE, Belgium; and University of Amsterdam, Netherlands. CSEE is one of the largest and best resourced computer science and electronic engineering schools in the UK. Essex's work is supported by extensive networked computer facilities and software tools, together with a wide range of test and instrumentation equipment.