Department of Sociology

5th-Year Master’s Program

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5th-Year Master’s Program

The master’s (Sc.M.) program in Social Data Analytics in the Department of Sociology at Brown University trains students in advanced techniques for data collection and analysis.

Careers in the 21st century increasingly place a premium on the ability to collect, process, analyze, and interpret large-scale data on human attributes, preferences, attitudes, and behaviors and complex systems of human interactions. Such skills have concrete application and relevance to a wide variety of careers, including market research, program evaluation, policy work, advanced study in the social sciences, and financial analysis. In its latest assessment of labor market trends, the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics expects the number of market research analysts to grow by 19% and data scientists by 36% during the decade of 2021-2031. These rates far outpace average growth in other professions ensuring great employment opportunities for MSDA graduates. The demand for data analysts requires professionals that are not only technically skilled, but also thoughtful about how best to use and interpret data.

 

Effective July 1, 2026, the 5th-year master's program in Social Data Analytics will be based out of the Population Studies and Training Center (PSTC) at Brown University.

Course Requirements

The master’s program in Social Data Analytics is a terminal degree program designed to be completed in two semesters. The program requires eight courses including an optional intensive Research Internship that is attached to a faculty Directed Research Practicum.

Advanced Techniques for Data Collection and Analysis

The master’s (Sc.M.) program in Social Data Analytics in the Department of Sociology at Brown University trains students in advanced techniques for data collection and analysis. The hallmarks of the program are focused methodological training in both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analysis, with cores in spatial analysis and market research, classroom instruction by active and internationally renowned researchers, and individualized supervision of applied, hands-on data analytic research on a faculty project or with an off-campus organization.

Career in Social Research

Through this program, students will develop the pragmatic and logical skills that will prepare them for a career in social research, whether basic research (such as found in academia or research institutions) or applied (such as found in policy and market research). Students will put these newly developed skills to work, as they apply the techniques they learn to the analysis of actual data from the social sciences.

The master's program is ideal for early-career students who have an existing foundation in basic statistics and social science research and who desire more focused training in order to be not only prepared, but highly competitive, in acquiring careers in market or social research or as analysts at research and policy institutions.

Across Disciplines

While this degree is based in the Sociology Department, its value extends across disciplines. Many of the master's program faculty are associates of the Population Studies and Training Center (PSTC) at Brown, an interdisciplinary social science research and graduate training center. The Spatial Analysis courses in this program are taught by experts affiliated with the Spatial Structures in the Social Sciences (S4) Initiative.

Admission Requirements for Current Brown Undergraduates

  • Personal Statement: 600-1000 words in length outlining professional goals and commitment to pursuing a career in social analysis and research
  • GRE General: Not required
  • GRE Subject: Not required
  • Transcripts: Required from all post-secondary institutions of attendance
  • Letters of Recommendation: Submit 2 letters of recommendation (at least one academic)
  • TOEFL: Not required
  • Application Deadline: May 1

*Current Brown undergraduates pursuing the 5th-year Master's option do not have to take the GRE or TOEFL and the application fee will be waived.

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Director of Master’s Program

Associate Director of Master’s Program