Bachelor of Science in Social Data Science at College Park (SDSC)

Students take a set of core courses housed primarily in the iSchool and BSOS’s Joint Program in Survey Methodology (JPSM). They then select a track discipline in which they train in relevant theory and methods, from among the following options: African American Studies, Anthropology, Economics, Government and Politics/International Relations, Geography/Geospatial Information Science, Psychology, or Sociology.  Students may not enroll in a double-major or double-degree with the Social Data Science major and the major of their track area because of the significant overlap in coursework. Learn more about the curriculum on the Major Requirements page.

Social data science is an interdisciplinary field of study that leverages data science techniques to address social challenges. Let’s say you wanted to use a machine learning model to identify infants and adolescents most in need of social services. This task is perfect for a social data scientist, who would not only be able to apply critical modeling techniques but also possess the research and policy knowledge to holistically address this issue from a social perspective.

Understanding data science is becoming increasingly important in a variety of fields as data sets grow larger and larger. Just as important is understanding the ethical, legal, and social responsibilities at all stages of the effort. This program’s core courses will prepare students to work with data science practices, technologies, tools, and sources across disciplines and industries, while the track courses will provide students with opportunities to apply these skills while gaining expertise in a particular social science context.