MSc Applied Social Data Science

The rapid rise of AI and big data are reshaping our world. This programme will equip you with cutting edge data science skills that are in demand across a variety of careers in the private, public, and non-profit sectors.

You’ll acquire technical skills in applied data science, computation, programming, and quantitative methods, and learn how to use data to answer interesting and important social science questions.

The programme has a strong practical focus. You’ll take project-based programming courses specifically designed for students without a formal computing or statistical background. Nevertheless, a typical student will have taken at least two prior courses in quantitative methods or applied statistics at a basic or intermediate level.

You’ll master highly demanded programming languages including R and Python, learn how to construct and manipulate large databases, and creatively deploy newly acquired analytical skills on project-based tasks.

You can tailor the programme to suit your specific interests through a wide range of optional choices. A Capstone project gives you the chance to apply your new skills to an original social science problem of your choosing.

You'll take core courses which provide training in fundamental aspects of applied data science, computation and programming, and quantitative methods. These courses together provide the foundations for the topics covered in the optional courses.

You'll also have the opportunity to choose substantive electives, from a range of options both within the department and across the School, allowing you to tailor the programme to your particular interests. You can choose from courses on social network analysis, quantitative text analysis, causal inference, distributed computing, deep learning, and many others. The programme will culminate in a capstone project, where you'll creatively apply the technical skills you have learned to a project of your own design.

The department is an internationally recognised centre of excellence in social science research methodology.

We offer postgraduate programmes in social research methods, applied social data science and demography, welcoming around 80 students each year.

As a department, we also provide training for thousands of students and staff across LSE on research design, qualitative, quantitative and computational methods. From our regular courses and seminars through to our advanced short courses, we want to ensure that students and staff have the expertise to maintain the School’s excellence in social scientific research.

The department has a vibrant and collaborative ethos. We’re proud to have won the 2023 LSE SU Teaching Award for Departmental Excellence – based on student nominations.

Our teaching team include leading researchers in sociology, political science, international relations, anthropology, economics, psychology, criminology, and statistics. We also work closely with colleagues in the departments of Statistics and Mathematics on interdisciplinary topics, such as the social applications of data science.

Our aim is to make the School the pre-eminent centre for methodological training in the social sciences.

Department of Methodology

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified prospective students. At LSE, we want to recruit students with the best academic merit, potential and motivation, irrespective of background.

We carefully consider each application and take into account all the information included on your application form, such as your:

• academic achievement (including predicted and achieved grades)
• statement of academic purpose
• two academic references
• CV.

See further information on supporting documents.

You may need to provide evidence of your English language proficiency. See our English language requirements.

Applications for this programme are considered on a rolling basis. This means that applications will close once the programme is full.

There is no fixed deadline. However, if you’d like to be considered for any funding opportunities, you must submit your application (and all supporting documents) by the funding deadline. See the fees and funding section below for more details.

For this programme, all students pay the same tuition fees, regardless of their fee status.

For this programme, all students pay the same tuition fees, regardless of their fee status.

All taught courses are required to include formative coursework which is unassessed. It's designed to help prepare you for summative assessment which counts towards the course mark and to the degree award. LSE uses a range of formative assessment, such as essays, problem sets, case studies, reports, quizzes, mock exams and many others. Summative assessment may be conducted during the course or by final examination at the end of the course. An indication of the formative coursework and summative assessment for each course can be found in the relevant course guide.

This programme will prepare you for a variety of careers in the private, non-profit and public sectors.

Further information on graduate destinations for this programme

From CV workshops through to careers fairs, LSE offers lots of information and support to help you make that all-important step from education into work.

Many of the UK’s top employers give careers presentations at the School during the year and there are numerous workshops covering topics such as job hunting, managing interviews, writing a cover letter and using LinkedIn.

See LSE Careers for further details.