Advanced Certificate in Data Analytics for the Social Sciences

The 18 credit advanced certificate offers students an introduction to the highly valued and marketable data analysis, manipulation and modeling techniques in the social sciences. This program is optimal for students interested in building marketable skills in data analysis, those who seek a rigorous introduction to graduate-level coursework or current graduate students in the social sciences. 

Academics

To earn the advanced certificate, you must complete a course in the areas outlined below, for a total of 18 credits:

Semester 1: Fall Semester 2: Spring

Basic Statistics (3 credits) – choose one

  • COM508 – Quantitative Foundations of Communication
  • GEO505 –  Univariate Statistics in Geography
  • PSC508 – Basic Statistics for the Social Science
  • PSY607 – Advanced Statistical Methods I
  • SOC504 – Intro to Statistics for the Social Science

Intermediate Statistics for Social Sciences (3 credits) – choose one

  • PSC531- Intermediate Statistics for Social Science
  • PSY608 – Advanced Statistical Methods II
  • SOC 607 – Multiple Linear Regression

Computational text manipulation (3 credits) – choose one

  • LIN514 – Corpus Linguistics
  • PSC 534 – Text as Data

Advanced Statistics for Social Sciences (3 credits) – choose one

  • GEO509 – Multivariate Statistics in Geography
  • PSC631 – Advanced Statistics for Social Science
  • PSY609 – Multivariate Statistics
  • SOC608- Advanced Statistical Methods

Research methods I (3 credits) – choose one

  • APY541 – Anthropological Demographics
  • COM504 – Research Methods
  • GEO501 –  Research Design
  • PSC500 – Introduction to Political Inquiry

Research Methods II (3 credits) – choose one

  • APY733 – Analytical Methods in Archaeology
  • GEO577 – Environmental Statistics
  • GEO597- Geostatistics
  • PSC535: Experimental Design & Analysis
  • PSC731- Empirical Political Frontiers
Semester Total: 9 credits Semester Total: 9 credits

Admissions

Note: If you are a current graduate student in a master’s or PhD program in the College of Arts and Sciences, please complete this form. You may be exempted from completing a full formal application. If you are a current graduate student at UB, but outside of the College, you may be granted admission to the advanced certificate upon completing the online application.

Admissions guidelines for the program are as follows:

  • Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline
  • 3.0 undergraduate GPA in social science courses taken
  • Two (2) letters of recommendation
  • Resume or curriculum vitae (CV)
  • One (1) writing sample
  • Statement of educational and career goals
  • International students will need to provide proof of English proficiency via standardized test scores, as well as other supplemental materials

Domestic students not enrolled at UB are eligible to pursue the advanced certificate on a standalone basis; international students must be concurrently enrolled in a graduate program at UB to be eligible for admission to the certificate.

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