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Employers are increasingly seeking job candidates trained in research methods. Both qualitative and quantitative methodological skills improve one's prospects of forming well-paid and rewarding careers. The Department of Sociology’s Graduate Certificate in Social Science Research Methods provides graduate students training in research design, data collection, and data analysis utilizing a variety of statistical and text analysis software. All students pursuing the certificate take two foundational courses and two electives which allow them to specialize their certificate in a way that is most relevant for their career choice. Specializations include Quantitative Analysis, Qualitative Analysis, GIS & Spatial Statistics, Mixed-Methods Research, Community Healthy Analysis, and Policy & Scientific Communication.
The certificate is available to graduate students in any degree program as well as non-degree seeking students. Students are encouraged to contact Dr. Adam Lippert, departmental graduate programs advisor, to apply.
The certificate is offered both on-campus and online. Certificates will be awarded at the end of the semester in which the student satisfies all requirements.
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- Describe in-detail the core features, strengths, and limitations of traditional and novel methods of data collection used in social science research
- Articulate and implement methods of data analysis common to qualitative or quantitative methods of social inquiry
- Design effective methods of scientific communication including intuitive data visualization and exposition of qualitative research findings, and articulate complex empirical results into language that is interpretable to non-scientific audiences[/expand]
[expand title="Curriculum" style="regular"]
Two of these Sociology courses form the foundation for all students pursuing the certificate: Research Methods and Quantitative Data Analysis, or Qualitative Data Analysis. Course substitutions from other departments are allowed. Students also take two graduate methods electives in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (CLAS). Examples of electives, according to specialization, include:
Quantitative Analysis - population analysis, survey research, latent variables, data analysis with SAS, and econometrics.
Qualitative analysis - ethnography, fieldwork, and participatory research.
GIS & Spatial Statistics - environmental modeling, GIS for the urban environment, spatial statistics, and GIS study abroad in Spain.
Mixed-Methods Research - participatory research, working with data, survey research, and ethnography.
Community Health Analysis - quantitative health science, community health assessment, population analysis, and federal data for health research.
Policy & Scientific Communication - program evaluation, writing in the sciences, research and evaluation, and research methods in political science.
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