Aki Roberts, Associate Professor of Sociology, Co-Coordinator, aki@uwm.edu
Thomas Holbrook, Wilder Crane Professor of Government, Political Science, Co-Coordinator, holbroot@uwm.edu
The Certificate in Quantitative Social Data Analysis is structured to ensure that students are exposed to a breadth of data analysis topics, including research methods, Geographical Information System (GIS), multiple regression, and advanced electives on a variety of quantitative topics in various social science fields, as well as software packages that are in common use by potential employers. The program is interdisciplinary in that it draws on courses from 9 departments (Africology, Anthropology, Communications, Criminal Justice, Economics, Geography, Psychology, Political Science, and Sociology) in social science-related fields, but it is intended to complement students’ social science degree with additional concrete quantitative skills in social data analysis. Different majors have distinctive emphases in the topics that are most central to their practice of quantitative research, so that methods courses in different fields will significantly differ in their content. Therefore, the choice of courses embodied in the certificate program will allow students to focus their training in their own field, while still ensuring a strong base of general knowledge.
Eligibility
The certificate is open to current UWM undergraduates, UWM bachelor’s degree holders, or graduates of other accredited four-year colleges; to be admitted to the certificate program, students must have a current overall GPA of 3.0 at UWM or their bachelor’s degree institution. Students completing the certificate not in conjunction with a degree are not eligible for financial aid.
Requirements
To obtain the certificate, the student must obtain a grade of at least C in any course used to satisfy the certificate requirements, and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 over all courses used for the certificate. Twelve of the 15-18 required credits must be earned in residence at UWM. 9 of the credits must be on the 300-level or above. Courses for the certificate may not be taken on a credit/no credit basis.
Students currently enrolled at UWM who have fulfilled some of the program’s requirements prior to the program’s approval may have their credits applied retroactively to the certificate program.
Students are required to take one course each from 5 areas:
- Introductory statistics (3-4 credits);
- Research methods (3-4 credits);
- GIS (3 credits);
- Multiple regression (3 credits); and
- Electives (3-4 credits).
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Introductory Statistics | 3-4 | |
Choose one: | ||
Introduction to Statistics in African and African Diaspora Studies | ||
Economic Statistics | ||
Quantitative Analysis in Geography | ||
The Quantitative Analysis of Historical Data | ||
Psychological Statistics | ||
Introduction to Statistical Thinking in Sociology | ||
Research Methods | 3-4 | |
Choose one: | ||
Research Methods in African & African Diaspora Studies | ||
Quantitative Research in Communication | ||
Introduction to Political Science Research | ||
Research Methods in Psychology | ||
Research Methods in Sociology | ||
Methods of Social Welfare Research | ||
GIS | 3 | |
Choose one: | ||
Anthropological Applications of GIS | ||
Analysis Oriented Technology: Spatial Data Analysis; Crime Mapping; ArcGIS | ||
Introduction to Geographic Information Science | ||
Multiple Regression | 3 | |
Choose one: | ||
Introduction to Anthropological Statistics | ||
Research Methods for Economics | ||
Statistics for Economists | ||
Introduction to Econometrics | ||
Political Data Analysis | ||
Experimental Design | ||
Social Data Analysis Using Regression | ||
Electives | 3-4 | |
Choose one: 1 | ||
Economic Forecasting Methods | ||
Geographic Information Science | ||
Spatial Analysis | ||
Survey Research | ||
Advanced Psychological Statistics | ||
Total Credits | 15-18 |
1 | Other courses not on this list but relevant to quantitative social data analysis may be accepted with the approval of the Certificate Program Coordinator. A student making such a request must submit syllabi from the courses involved to the coordinator. |
Awarding the Certificate
Students currently involved in baccalaureate studies who successfully complete the requirements of the program will be awarded the certificate at the time of graduation. Students who already have a bachelor’s degree will receive the certificate upon completion of the program requirements.