Certificate

The Computational Social Science Certificate provides training in innovative computational methods valuable to students looking to expand their research skills or develop a competitive portfolio for industry positions. The certificate is designed to complement the student’s training at the University of Chicago, allowing them to broaden their methodological expertise and apply computational skills across a range of social scientific domains.

Certificate Requirements

All graduate students in degree-granting programs at the University of Chicago are eligible to pursue the certificate, which will appear on their transcript. To do so, they must complete:

  • MACS 30000: Introduction to Computational Social Science
  • MACS 30100: Machine Learning for Computational Social Science OR MACS 33002: Introduction to Machine Learning: theory and application in social sciences 
  • MACS 30500: Computing for the Social Sciences OR another programming course based in Python or R (e.g. MACS 30111/30121).
  • An additional MACSS elective in computational social science (any other course with a MACS course listing).
  • Successful presentation at the annual Interdisciplinary Research Symposium (Spring Quarter) (this symposium is hosted each year jointly by the MA programs at UChicago at the end of Spring term).

These course requirements can be met in a single year or over multiple years of study.

A minimum average grade of “B” will be needed for the Certificate to be awarded. Following completion of these requirements, candidates should submit a petition for approval by our MA program and by the Dean of Students for the Division of the Social Sciences.

Optional Boot Camps

Students interested in the Certificate are strongly encouraged to take the Computational Math Camp and Computing Fundamentals Boot Camp, which run concurrently for three weeks in early September during September term. 

The Computational Math Camp includes a review of mathematical notation and functions, linear algebra, calculus, probability theory, statistical inference, and linear regression. Students are assumed to have encountered most of these topics previously.

The Computing Fundamentals Boot Camp focuses on introducing fundamental open-source tools for producing reproducible, computational research. Topics include the basics of Python programming, working on the Linux command line, as well as using Git/GitHub for version control. The camp assumes no prior exposure to these topics and serves as preparation for the first course in the MACSS computing sequences (MACS 30111/30121).

Students are additionally invited to participate in our Computational Social Science Workshop on an occasional basis.

How to Apply

To declare interest in pursuing our certificate, please fill out this form. For more information on the Certificate or the September Boot Camps, please contact Jon Clindaniel.