Program Goals

Conducting research in the social sciences requires increasingly sophisticated and complex statistical analyses. The interdisciplinary QMSS program provides students with advanced training in quantitative methods through core design and analysis courses in advanced and specialized statistical methodologies, and participation in interdisciplinary colloquia. The QMSS program involves faculty from diverse Ph.D. programs across campus and offers courses in a variety of topics including advanced regression modeling (including structural equation modeling and hierarchical linear modeling), multivariate ANOVA models, analysis of fMRI data, factor analysis, psychometrics, bootstrap estimation methods, demography, econometrics, social network theory, mathematical psychology, spatial statistics, survey research, and educational and psychological assessment. 

Participating Departments

The QMSS emphasis is available to students in the following departments:

  • Anthropology
  • Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychology (CCSP)
  • Communication
  • Education
  • Geography
  • Linguistics
  • Political Science
  • Psychological and Brain Sciences
  • Sociology
  • Statistics and Applied Probability

Program Requirements

SNAPSHOT

  • One-year statistics sequence – A one-year statistics sequence, typically (but not necessarily) within your home department (e.g., Psychology 221A/B/C or Communication 204A/B/C).
  • Three additional quantitative courses - Completion of at least three additional quantitative methods courses, at least two of which are outside your home department.
  • Speaker series - Attendance for at least three quarters at the QMSS speaker series/seminar.
  • QMSS talk - At least one presentation of original quantitative research in the QMSS speaker series. 
  • Ph.D. focus - A Ph.D. dissertation that is centrally focused on an issue that is appropriate to the QMSS emphasis (the dissertation may contribute to quantitative theory or methods, or may involve an advanced or innovative application).
  • Ph.D. committee member - You must have a QMSS core faculty member on your dissertation committee, and this faculty member must be from outside your home department. 
  • Optional electives – Students may add additional, optional electives to their training plan including foundational mathematics courses (e.g., Calculus, Linear Algebra), programming languages (e.g., R, Python, SQL), or other quantitative or methods courses that are best suited for their research and career goals.​

DETAILS

  • Course Requirements - The QMSS curriculum is designed to provide students with the rigorous mathematical and statistical background necessary for advanced quantitative work. Click the button below for a list of pre-approved courses that will satisfy QMSS requirements. The required mathematics and statistics courses are:
    • A one year sequence of statistics (for instance, Psychology 221A, B, and C, or the equivalent year-long sequence offered in many participating departments). These requirements can be met with equivalent courses, or waived if equivalent courses have already been completed.
    • The QMSS curriculum is also designed to provide a broad interdisciplinary perspective on the use of quantitative methods in the social sciences. To meet that requirement we require at least three quantitative social science methods courses, at least two of which are outside the student's home department. ​
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  • ​Speaker Series - The QMSS program offers a bi-weekly speaker series that is open to all members of the campus community. Students can register for course credit.  QMSS students must:
    • Enroll in the QMSS speaker series/colloquia for at least three quarters.
    • Give at least one presentation of original quantitative social science research at the QMSS speaker series/colloquia.
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  • Dissertation Requirements - The QMSS curriculum is designed to train students to conduct quantitative social science research that draws on or has implications for the social sciences beyond the student's Ph.D. discipline. To that end we require:
    • A Ph.D. dissertation that is focused on an issue that is appropriate to the QMSS emphasis. For instance, the dissertation could develop a quantitative method that could be applied to social science fields beyond the student's discipline, or adapt a quantitative method used in a social science field outside the student's discipline for researching a substantive problem within the student's discipline.
    • A dissertation committee that includes at least one core QMSS faculty member from outside the student's home department. Note that according to the most recent Academic Senate requirements, the committee must include at least three UC ladder faculty members, two of whom must be members of the home department. One of the home department members must serve as chair or co-chair.
       
  • Optional Electives - The QMSS curriculum is designed to train students in cutting edge statistics and research methods to enhance their prospects for successful careers in academia and industry. In consultation with their QMSS advisors, students are encouraged to add additional quantitative or methods courses to their Course Contract, as needed. For example, students pursuing careers in data science may be advised to take additional courses in mathematics (e.g., a sequence in Calculus or Linear Algebra) or programming (e.g., courses in Python, R, SQL, Hive, or Spark). We encourage students to work closely with their QMSS advisors to develop a course contract that best meets their training and career goals.
 
  • Upon Completing These Requirements - Once completing the requirements listed above, students should complete the Program Completion Form and submit it (via email or Docusign) to the QMSS Coordinating Committee, which will certify to the Graduate Division that the requirements for the emphasis have been satisfied. The Graduate Division will verify completion of the emphasis and convey this information to the Registrar, which will in turn include the QMSS emphasis on the final transcript. Students who complete the requirements will graduate from their home department with an emphasis in QMSS — for example, a student in the Education department who completes the requirements will receive a Ph.D. in "Education, with an emphasis in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences."