Study with us
MSc in Politics and Data Science
Come study with us! The new MSc in Politics and Data Science, launched by the Connected_Politics Lab in the School of Politics & International Relations, equips students with the theoretical knowledge and methodological skills necessary to examine and understand politics in the digital age. The MSc in Politics and Data Science is an exciting programme for all students interested in data science and social science and in particular to those who are also interested in politics, international relations and/or development studies.
Module offerings are organised around two streams of study: a methodological stream and a substantive stream. The methodological stream grounds students in the methods needed to study digital and digitised politics, including modules on programming and machine learning, quantitative text analysis, statistics, and experimental methods. The substantive stream includes modules relating to comparative politics, international relations, political violence, political economy, building on core strengths within the School of Politics and International Relations.
Students from a social science background are not required to know any statistics or programming prior to entering this programme.
Some core modules, such as Connected_Politics and Programming for Social Scientists, involve extensive group work and applied research in teams, which is an excellent preparation for the job market. Students will also have the opportunity to collaborate with faculty on ongoing research projects.
The job opportunities for students with this degree are excellent, since participants of the MSc in Politics and Data Science will have the required technical skills to do data analysis and simulation modelling, but also a thorough understanding of how social scientists think and conduct research, a solid understanding of politics, and the ability to work within larger teams of data scientists.
All details on the programme, along with an overview of the course structure are available here.
For further questions about the programme, please contact Dr Stefan Müller.
What a Recent Graduate Says about the MSc Politics and Data Science
“I entered the program with nothing more than an enthusiasm for quantitative research, and I left with a skill set that includes data wrangling, machine learning, and quantitative text analysis. The faculty at UCD is very passionate about education and research, encouraging my peers and me to take the initiative in our learning processes and collaborative projects.
At UCD, I found a supportive network and developed a deep appreciation for data and how its study and nuanced interpretation promotes informed policies and decisions. The MSc in Politics and Data Science offers a much-needed bridge across disciplines and expertise.”
– Jeanette Garcia, Graduate of MSc Politics and Data Science (2021/22)
ProfCert Programming for Social Scientists
(In person/online, 4 months part time)
The Professional Certificate in Programming for Social Scientists provides an introduction to computer programming using Python. Python is the most popular programming language among data scientists. It is also an excellent language to learn programming and basic software design skills. Through this course, students will gain extensive knowledge of Python through social science applications, as well as experience in team-based project development and collaborative programming tools. This course is delivered over a 12-week period allowing you to fit your study alongside work, family or other life commitments.
Course Content and Structure
After watching short online lecture videos, students will come to class – or participate online – to work in groups on exercises and a group project. Especially in the first weeks, the emphasis will be on exercises covering key programming topics. As the course progresses and you gain further programming skills, emphasis will shift towards working on the larger group project.
Career Opportunities
Graduates from this programme will be ideally positioned to apply their newly acquired programming skills for careers in government, think tanks, political campaigns, interest groups, and the civil service. Furthermore, the combination of a solid understanding of social science theory with hands-on programming skills brings a unique addition to any data science team, in the corporate sector, the nonprofit sector, or within IT companies.
Contact Us
W: https://www.ucd.ie/spire/study/
T: +353 01 716 8182
Apply Now
Apply online at www.ucd.ie/apply. Course code: W527
All details on the programme, along with an overview of the course structure are available here.
ProfCert Quantitative Text Analysis
(In person, 4 months part time)
The Professional Certificate in Quantitative Text Analysis introduces students to various computational text mining methods in social science research with a focus on hands-on analysis of real texts. Students will learn to write code that extracts useful information from large textual data sets and develop an independent research project of their choosing that relies on computational text mining methods. This course is delivered over a 12-week period allowing you to fit your study alongside work, family or other life commitments.
Course Content and Structure
This Professional Certificate comprises one 10 credit module Quantitative Text Analysis. Meetings consist of a combination of lectures and lab sessions in which students work through various text mining methods and tools. Throughout the course, students are encouraged to work on their own interests, by developing an in-depth research project that relies on computational text mining techniques.
Career Opportunities
Graduates from this programme will be ideally positioned to apply their newly acquired computational text-mining skills to redirect their careers in government, think tanks, political campaigns, interest groups, and the civil service. Furthermore, the combination of a solid understanding of social science theory with the technical ability to explore large text data sets, brings a unique addition to any data science team, in the corporate sector, the nonprofit sector, or within IT companies.
Contact us
W: https://www.ucd.ie/spire/study/
T: +353 01 716 8182
Apply now
Apply online at www.ucd.ie/apply. Course code: W528
All details on the programme, along with an overview of the course structure are available here.
Other Programs
Furthermore, we are involved in the delivery of both Undergraduate and Postgraduate programs, and are keen to supervise potential PhD students interested in applying computational approaches to topics in political science and international relations.
A selection of the programs we are involved in are listed below:
Undergraduate Programs
Master’s Programs
PhD Programs