Ambitious new undergraduate programme addresses the need for numerate social science graduates

The BSc in Social Analytics is a new interdisciplinary course on offer at the School of Social Sciences from September 2015.

Cardiff Q-Step Centre is part of a £19.5 million national programme  - funded by the Nuffield Foundation, ESRC and HEFCE  - designed to promote a step-change in quantitative social science training. The Cardiff Q-Step team has developed this course to address the growing demand from public, private and third sector employers for numerate social science graduates.

Students on the BSc Social Analytics course will receive thorough training in quantitative methods and statistical literacy. All students will also undertake a guaranteed work placement in their second year. The programme will accept 25 students each year to follow its rigorous but exciting pathway.

Students will learn about society, exploring fascinating ways of investigating and challenging theories, and gain a solid understanding of statistics. They will also have the opportunity to study modules from Sociology, Criminology, Education, Social Policy and Politics.

Marco Pomati, Lecturer in Quantitative Methods, says of the course: "The BSc in Social Analytics is an ambitious programme. Students will acquire the skills needed to understand and analyse a wide range of social data including national surveys, administrative data, social media and transactional data. By undertaking a guaranteed work placement in their second year, students will maximise their employability and have the chance to apply what they have learned in the class room to real life scenarios."

Each cohort of students will be closely assessed, mentored and tutored by a dedicated teaching and research team. In their final year all Social Analytics students will undertake a dissertation project in which they are able to design and conduct a small scale independent research study under supervision.

Detailed course information is available via our Course Finder pages