Contacts | Minor Program in Quantitative Social Analysis | Program Requirements | Summary of Requirements | Approved Courses | Advising and Grading

Department Website: https://voices.uchicago.edu/qrmeth/the-minor-in-quantitative-social-analysis

Minor Program in Quantitative Social Analysis

The minor in Quantitative Social Analysis explores social statistics and mathematics to describe, understand, and predict the behavior and experiences of individuals, groups, and organizations of groups. These statistical and mathematical methods focus on measurement, analysis, or both, using techniques and strategies that are widely useful, for example, in understanding thoughts and behaviors of individuals, as well as the cultures of societies, fluctuations of markets, actions of governments, spread of disease, dynamics of migration, causes of war, and the diffusion of knowledge. The minor in Quantitative Social Analysis develops strong statistical foundations for the purpose of learning how to draw valid inferences from quantifiable data and critically evaluate empirical evidence in the social and behavioral sciences.

A minor in Quantitative Social Analysis provides an excellent foundation for application to graduate study at all levels and in many disciplines, ranging from economics, psychology, political science, public policy, and sociology, as well as non–social science disciplines such as medical school, public health, education, social services, applied mathematics, and applied computer science. The minor in Quantitative Social Analysis aims to train students in ways that are more immediately attractive to employers in industry, government, the military, environmental studies, journalism, and public interest and advocacy groups, as well as to University of Chicago faculty seeking research assistance.

Program Requirements

Course Work

Students take five (5) courses that cover three levels: Basic Skills (one course), Advanced Skills (two courses), and Quantitative Applications (two courses). Or, if the student has already completed a Basic Skills course for the major, then three Advanced Skills courses and two Quantitative Applications courses. 

  • Students who are taking Basic Skills courses should primarily focus on developing theoretical understanding of statistics and building up quantitative skills (rather than simply utilizing quantitative skills as part of the course).  
  • Students who are taking Advanced Skills courses will further develop their statistical skills with broad usefulness in social scientific research. 
  • Students who are prepared with more advanced statistical training are then able to more deeply understand the Quantitative Applications in courses throughout the social sciences and engage in research appropriate to those courses in solo activity or as part of research teams. 

In order to ensure that the minor in Quantitative Social Analysis represents the diversity of training across the social sciences, no more than three courses may be taken in any one department, and the Quantitative Applications courses must be drawn from at least two departments. In all cases, students should be aware that some approved courses have explicit prerequisites which may not count toward the Quantitative Social Analysis minor.

Summary of Requirements

One Basic Skills course100
Two Advanced Skills courses200
Two Quantitative Applications courses200
Total Units500

Approved Courses

The following courses have been approved by the Committee on Quantitative Methods in Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences as appropriate for the minor in Quantitative Social Analysis and are listed by the three levels stipulated above (Basic Skills, Advanced Skills, and Quantitative Applications).

Basic Skills

One course; may not be satisfied with AP credit.

Students who have already taken SOSC 13100-13200-13300 Social Science Inquiry I-II-III or previously completed any of the Basic Skills courses as part of their majors may substitute an additional Advanced Skills course in place of the Basic Skills course.

CHDV 20101Applied Statistics in Human Development Research100
ECON 21010Statistical Methods in Economics100
GISC 28702Introduction to GIS and Spatial Analysis100
MACS 30500Computing for the Social Sciences100
PBHS 32100Introduction to Biostatistics100
PBPL 26400Quantitative Methods in Public Policy100
PLSC 30500Introduction to Quantitative Social Science100
PSYC 20100Psychological Statistics100
PSYC 20200Psychological Research Methods100
PSYC 20250Introduction to Statistical Concepts and Methods100
SOCI 20004Statistical Methods of Research100
SOCI 20157Mathematical Models100
SOCI 30004Statistical Methods of Research100
SOSC 20111Inferential Statistics100
SOSC 26006Foundations for Statistical Theory100
SOSC 26009Introductory Statistical Methods100
STAT 22000Statistical Methods and Applications100
STAT 23400Statistical Models and Methods100

Advanced Skills

Two courses; or three courses if a Basic Skills course has already been completed for the student's major.

CHDV 30102Introduction to Causal Inference100
CHDV 32411Mediation, Moderation, and Spillover Effects100
ECMA 31000Introduction to Empirical Analysis100
ECMA 31130Topics in Microeconometrics100
ECMA 31340Big Data Tools in Economics100
ECON 21020Econometrics100
ECON 21030Econometrics - Honors100
ECON 21300Data Construction and Interpretation in Economic Applications100
ECON 21410Computational Methods in Economics100
ECON 21800Experimental Economics100
MACS 31300AI Applications in the Social Sciences100
PBHS 30910Epidemiology and Population Health100
PBHS 32400Applied Regression Analysis100
PBHS 32600Analysis of Categorical Data100
PBHS 32700Biostatistical Methods100
PBHS 32901Introduction to Clinical Trials100
PBHS 33300Applied Longitudinal Data Analysis100
PBHS 33500Statistical Applications100
PBHS 34500Machine Learning for Public Health100
PBPL 28430International Trade, Banking and Capital Markets100
PBPL 28550Methods of Data Collection: Social Experiments, Quasi-Experiments and Surveys100
PBPL 28820Machine Learning and Policy100
PLSC 30700Introduction to Linear Models100
PPHA 30545Machine Learning - R Programming100
SOCI 20112Applications of Hierarchical Linear Models100
SOCI 20253Introduction to Spatial Data Science100
SOCI 30005Statistical Methods of Research-II100
SOSC 26007Overview of Quantitative Methods in the Social and Behavioral Sciences100
SOSC 36008Principles and Methods of Measurement100
STAT 22600Analysis of Categorical Data100
STAT 24400Statistical Theory and Methods I100
STAT 24500Statistical Theory and Methods II100
STAT 35920Applied Bayesian Modeling and Inference100

Quantitative Applications

Two courses

ECMA 36700Economics of Education100
ECON 23410Economic Growth100
ECON 24000Labor Economics100
ECON 24450Inequality and the Social Safety Net: Theory, Empirics, and Policies100
ECON 24720Inequality: Origins, Dimensions, and Policy100
ECON 25000Introduction To Finance100
ECON 25100Financial Economics; Speculative Markets100
ECON 26010Public Finance100
ECON 26730Global Energy & Climate Challenge: Economics, Science & Policy100
ECON 26800Energy and Energy Policy100
ECON 27000International Economics100
ECON 27720Economics and Regulation of Health Care Markets: Theory and Empirics100
ECON 28000Industrial Organization100
ECON 28060The Economics of Organizations: An Experimental Perspective100
ECON 28100The Economics of Sports100
ECON 28700The Economics of Crime100
ECON 31750Topics on the Analysis of Randomized Experiments100
ECON 35550The Practicalities of Running Randomized Control Trials100
ENST 26530Environment, Agriculture, and Food: Economic and Policy Analysis100
PBHS 35100Health Services Research Methods100
PBPL 28350Education and Economic Development100
PBPL 28375Political Economy of Development100
PBPL 28425Strategic Behavior and Regulation of Firms100
PBPL 28538Political Economy of Natural Resources100
PBPL 28765The Politics of Authoritarian Regimes100
PBPL 28829Artificial Intelligence for Public Policy100
PLSC 22400Public Opinion100
PLSC 23501International Political Economy100
PLSC 31510Introduction to Text as Data for Social Science100
PPHA 38520GIS Applications in the Social Sciences100
PSYC 26010Big Data in the Psychological Sciences100
SOCI 20103Social Stratification100
SOCI 20122Introduction to Population100
SOCI 20192The Effects of Schooling100
SOCI 20263Human Migration100
SOCI 20264Wealth100
SOCI 20275Sociology of Health and Aging100

Approved, eligible courses for the Education and Society minor will be listed each year on the Quantitative Social Analysis minor website.

Advising and Grading

Courses in the minor may not be double counted with the student’s major(s), other minors, or general education requirements. Courses in the minor must be taken for quality grades, and more than half of the requirements for the minor must be met by registering for courses bearing University of Chicago course numbers.

College students majoring in any field may complete the minor in Quantitative Social Analysis. Students who elect the minor program in Quantitative Social Analysis must contact the program administrator before the end of Spring Quarter of their third year to declare their intention to complete the minor. The program administrator must submit approval on the Consent to Complete a Minor Program form provided by the College for the minor to the student's College adviser by the Spring Quarter of the student's third year.

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Contacts

Undergraduate Primary Contact

Senior Instructional Professor, Committee on Quantitative Methods in Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences
Yanyan Sheng
1155 E. 60th St., Room 223
773.702.0543
Email