Course details

From security cameras and satellite transmission to our mobile devices, homes, cars, and in the workplace, we are surrounded by data. At the same time, developments in technology have made the field of data science more accessible than ever, creating new opportunities to gain insight into the interactions between people and their social environment. With companies and organisations of all types harnessing this technology to advance knowledge and aid policy and business decisions, there has been a significant increase in demand for skilled data scientists.

Drawing on this, we have created the Master of Data Science (Social Analytics), a conversion course that equips you with the skills to access, clean, analyse and visualise data, opening a future in data science even if your first degree is in a non-quantitative subject such as the social sciences, the arts or humanities.

The MDS provides training in contemporary data science, learning from practicing researchers who are making a difference across a range of industries. Shared core modules across the suite of MDS courses build wider skills in statistical and machine learning, while subject-specific modules integrate data science with social science, equipping you with the skills to design and carry out social data science research and communicate it to optimise impact across a variety of settings.

The course begins with a range of introductory modules before progressing to more advanced contemporary techniques such as statistical modelling (in R), computer programming (in Python), machine learning, AI and neural networks. Social analytics modules provide insight into the specialised methods needed for social data as well as the theoretical foundations to understand how to use them effectively.