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Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences

Effective Winter 2022

Advising

Students wishing to pursue a minor in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences must develop a specific plan for its completion in consultation with one of the department’s designated advisors.

Advising Appointments are available online through the LSA Advising Appointment System here:  https://myadvising.lsa.umich.edu/appointments/offices/QMSS

Information about minor requirements and course offerings are available on the QMSS website:  https://lsa.umich.edu/qmss. 

Grade Policies

A student must earn an overall GPA of at least 2.0 in courses taken in the minor, including required courses, electives and the capstone course.

The QMSS program is investing heavily in resources to help students achieve success.  Program faculty are dedicated to providing individualized assistance to declared minors and students enrolled in the program's core courses with both course concepts and student research projects -  in the capstone course as well as self-directed research endeavors.

Prerequisites

The core courses for the QMSS minor do not require any external prerequisite courses. The foundational courses will introduce students to quantitative methods in data analysis and are intentionally designed so that they are accessible to students who have not yet taken college-level statistics courses, and/or have not completed the requirements for their own social science major/minor. This minor is designed to complement, not replace, statistical and methodological training in each of the social science disciplines.  

Requirements

Minimum Credits: 17

Core Courses (8 credits):

  1. QMSS 201: Intro to Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences (4 credits)
  2. QMSS 301: Quantitative Social Science Analysis and Big Data (4 credits)

Electives (6 credits):

As an interdisciplinary major focused on the social sciences, in addition to the required courses, the minor includes 6 elective credits of social science courses with significant instruction in quantitative methods, quantitative reasoning, experiment design, and data analysis.  It is expected that one of these courses will be within the student’s major, and the course credits can be counted both towards their major and the QMSS minor. The second elective should normally come from another social science discipline, reinforcing the interdisciplinary intent of the minor.  A list of courses that will have automatic approval as electives for the QMSS minor appears below. The program assumes that there will be new courses developed and topics courses regularly offered in LSA social science departments as well as interdisciplinary programs on campus that will meet these requirements. QMSS program advisors will review and approve these courses by student request. QMSS program advisors will also evaluate and approve courses submitted for transfer credit and study abroad credit that meet these requirements as electives.  

LIST OF AUTOMATICALLY APPROVED ELECTIVE COURSES, BY SOCIAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

  • Anthropology | ANTHRBIO 463 / PSYCH 463 / ENVIRON 473: Statistical modeling and data visualization in R (4)
  • Business | TO 301: Business Analytics and Statistics (elected FA22 or after) 
  • Communication and Media | COMM 221: Quantitative Skills for Communication Studies (4)
  • Complex Systems | CMPLXSYS 251 / SOC 251: Computational Social Sciences (4)
  • Economics | ECON 251: Introduction to Statistics and Econometrics II (4); ECON 258: Topics in Applied Data Analysis (3); ECON 259: Excel in Economics and Business Analytics (3); ECON 309: Experimental Economics (3); ECON 327: Economics of Crime (3); ECON 401: Intermediate Microeconomic Theory (4); ECON 402: Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory (4); ECON 451: Intermediate Introduction to Statistics and Econometrics (4)
  • Environment | ENVIRON 403: Introduction to GIS in the Earth Sciences (3); ENVIRON 411: Principles of Geographic Information Systems (3)
  • Kinesiology | SM 249: Research Methodology in Sport Management (elected FA22 or after)
  • Linguistics | LING 394: Topics in Linguistics, section titled "Speech Errors" (3); LING 412: Speech Perception (3)
  • Organizational Studies | ORGSTUDY 410: Advanced Research Methods in Organizational Studies (4)
  • Political Science | POLSCI 300: Quantitative Empirical Methods of Political Science (4); POLSCI 373: Data Science for International Studies (3); POLSCI 381: Political Science Research Design section titled "Research" (3); POLSCI 387: Comparative Analysis of Government Institutions (3); POLSCI 391: Introduction to Modeling Political Processes (4); POLSCI 485: Elections Forensic (3); POLSCI 489: Advance Topics in Contemporary Political Science section titled "Computational Political Science" or "Introduction to Computational Political Science" (3); POLSCI 499: Survey Design and Analysis section titled "Survey Design Analysis" (4)
  • Psychology | PSYCH 302: Research Methods in Cognitive Neuroscience (3); PSYCH 303: Research Methods in Psychology (3); PSYCH 341: Advanced Laboratory in Cognitive Psychology (3); PSYCH 351: Advanced Laboratory in Developmental Psychology (3); PSYCH 371: Advanced Laboratory in Psychopathology (3); PSYCH 381: Advanced Laboratory in Social Psychology (3); PSYCH 448: Mathematical Psychology (3): PSYCH 463: Statistical Modeling and Data Visualization in R (4)
  • Public Health | PUBHLTH 383: Data Driven solutions in Public Health (elected FA22 or after)
  • Public Policy | PUBPOL 457: Data Visualization for Public Policy (elected FA22 or after); PUBPOL 479: Evaluating Public Policies (elected FA22 or after)
  • Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences | QMSS 295: Special Topics in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences (1-4); QMSS 495: Special Topics in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences (1-4)
  • Residential College | RCSSCI 260: Theorizing Knowledge in the Social Sciences section titled "Social Science Perspectives on the College Years" (elected FA22 or after) (3)
  • School of Information | SI 422: Needs Assessment and Usability Evaluation (elected FA22 or after)
  • Sociology | SOC 210: Elementary Statistics (4); SOC 251 / CMPLXSYS 251: Computational Social Sciences (4); SOC 310: Sociological Research Methods (4); SOC 331: The Politics of Data (3); SOC 430: World Population Dynamics (3); SOC 472: Advanced Laboratory in Social Psychology (3)
  • NOTE: Additional courses may be used to fulfill minor elective requirements with advisor approval.

Capstone Course (3 credits):

QMSS 451: Senior Capstone: Social Sciences Study Management (3 credits)

Residency

For completion of the minor, QMSS 201, 301, and 451 must be taken in residence on the Ann Arbor campus, or at off-campus sites directed by Ann Arbor faculty. This includes STDABRD, Camp Davis, Biological Station, Michigan-in-Washington.

Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences (Minor) (Winter 2021 - Fall 2021)

Effective Winter 2021

Advising

Advising Appointments will be available online through the LSA Advising Appointment System beginning in February 2020.

Some basic information about minor requirements and fall course offerings are available on the QMSS website.  If you have an urgent need, please email qmss.program@umich.edu to be connected with advising assistance.

Grade Policies

A student must earn an overall GPA of at least 2.0 in courses taken in the minor, including required courses, electives and the capstone course.

The QMSS program is investing heavily in resources to help students achieve success.  Program faculty are dedicated to providing individualized assistance to declared minors and students enrolled in the program's core courses with both course concepts and student research projects -  in the capstone course as well as self-directed research endeavors.

Prerequisites

The core courses for the QMSS minor do not require any prerequisite courses. The foundational courses will introduce students to quantitative methods in data analysis and are intentionally designed so that they are accessible to students who have not yet taken college-level statistics courses, and/or have not completed the requirements for their own social science major/minor. This minor is designed to complement, not replace, statistical and methodological training in each of the social science disciplines.  

Requirements

Minimum Credits: 17

Core Courses (8 credits):

  1. QMSS 201: Intro to Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences (4 credits)
  2. QMSS 251: Computational Social Sciences (4 credits)

Electives (6 credits):

As an interdisciplinary major focused on the social sciences, in addition to the required courses, the minor includes 6 elective credits of social science courses with significant instruction in quantitative methods, quantitative reasoning, experiment design, and data analysis.  It is expected that one of these courses will be within the student’s major, and the course credits can be counted both towards their major and the QMSS minor. The second elective should normally come from another social science discipline, reinforcing the interdisciplinary intent of the minor.  A list of courses that will have automatic approval as electives for the QMSS minor appears below. The program assumes that there will be new courses developed and topics courses regularly offered in LSA social science departments as well as interdisciplinary programs on campus that will meet these requirements. QMSS program advisors will review and approve these courses by student request. QMSS program advisors will also evaluate and approve courses submitted for transfer credit and study abroad credit that meet these requirements as electives.  

LIST OF AUTOMATICALLY APPROVED ELECTIVE COURSES, BY SOCIAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

  • Anthropology
     - ANTHRBIO 463 / PSYCH 463 / ENVIRON 473: Statistical modeling and data visualization in R
  • Communication and Media
     - COMM 221: Quantitative Skills for Communication Studies (4)
  • Economics
     - ECON 251: Introduction to Statistics and Econometrics II (4)
     - ECON 258: Topics in Applied Data Analysis (3)
     - ECON 259: Excel in Economics and Business Analytics (3)
     - ECON 309: Experimental Economics (3)
     - ECON 327: Economics of Crime (3)
  •  - ECON 401: Intermediate Microeconomic Theory (4)
     - ECON 402: Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory (4)
     - ECON 451: Intermediate Introduction to Statistics and Econometrics (4)
  • Linguistics
     - LING 394: Topics in Linguistics, section titled "Speech Errors" (3)
     - LING 412: Speech Perception (3)
  • Organizational Studies
     - ORGSTUDY 410: Advanced Research Methods in Organizational Studies (4)
  • Political Science
     - POLSCI 300: Quantitative Empirical Methods of Political Science (4)
     - POLSCI 387: Comparative Analysis of Government Institutions (3)
     - POLSCI 485: Elections Forensic (3)
     - POLSCI 489: Advance Topics in Contemporary Political Science section titled, "Computational Political Science" (3)
  • Psychology
     - PSYCH 302: Research Methods in Cognitive Neuroscience (3)
     - PSYCH 303: Research Methods in Psychology (3)
     - PSYCH 341: Advanced Laboratory in Cognitive Psychology (3)
     - PSYCH 381: Advanced Laboratory in Social Psychology (3)
     - PSYCH 463: Statistical Modeling and Data Visualization (4)
     - PSYCH 448: Mathematical Psychology (3)
  • Sociology
     - SOC 210: Elementary Statistics (4)
     - SOC 310: Sociological Research Methods (4)
     - SOC 430: World Population Dynamics (3)
     - SOC 472: Advanced Laboratory in Social Psychology (3)

  • NOTE: Additional courses may be used to fulfill minor elective requirements with advisor approval.

Capstone Course (3 credits):

QMSS 451: Senior Capstone: Social Sciences Study Management

Residency

For completion of the minor, QMSS 201, 251, and 451 must be taken in residence on the Ann Arbor campus, or at off-campus sites directed by Ann Arbor faculty. This includes STDABRD, Camp Davis, Biological Station, Michigan-in-Washington.

Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences (Minor) (Fall 2020)

Effective Fall 2020

Advising

Advising Appointments will be available online through the LSA Advising Appointment System beginning in February 2020.

Some basic information about minor requirements and fall course offerings are available on the QMSS website.  If you have an urgent need, please email qmss.program@umich.edu to be connected with advising assistance.

Grade Policies

A student must earn an overall GPA of at least 2.0 in courses taken in the minor, including required courses, electives and the capstone course.

The QMSS program is investing heavily in resources to help students achieve success.  Program faculty are dedicated to providing individualized assistance to declared minors and students enrolled in the program's core courses with both course concepts and student research projects -  in the capstone course as well as self-directed research endeavors.

Prerequisites

The core courses for the QMSS minor do not require any prerequisite courses. The foundational courses will introduce students to quantitative methods in data analysis and are intentionally designed so that they are accessible to students who have not yet taken college-level statistics courses, and/or have not completed the requirements for their own social science major/minor. This minor is designed to complement, not replace, statistical and methodological training in each of the social science disciplines.  The capstone course will require senior status, as well as declaration of both a QMSS minor and a major in a social science department.

Requirements

Minimum Credits: 17

Core Courses (8 credits):

  1. QMSS 201: Intro to Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences (4 credits)
  2. QMSS 251: Computational Social Sciences (4 credits)

Electives (6 credits):

As an interdisciplinary major focused on the social sciences, in addition to the required courses, the minor includes 6 elective credits of social science courses with significant instruction in quantitative methods, quantitative reasoning, experiment design, and data analysis.  It is expected that one of these courses will be within the student’s major, and the course credits can be counted both towards their major and the QMSS minor. The second elective should normally come from another social science discipline, reinforcing the interdisciplinary intent of the minor.  A list of courses that will have automatic approval as electives for the QMSS minor appears below. The program assumes that there will be new courses developed and topics courses regularly offered in LSA social science departments as well as interdisciplinary programs on campus that will meet these requirements. QMSS program advisors will review and approve these courses by student request. QMSS program advisors will also evaluate and approve courses submitted for transfer credit and study abroad credit that meet these requirements as electives.  

LIST OF AUTOMATICALLY APPROVED ELECTIVE COURSES, BY SOCIAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

  • Anthropology
     - ANTHRBIO 463 / PSYCH 463 / ENVIRON 473: Statistical modeling and data visualization in R
  • Communication and Media
     - COMM 22: Quantitative Skills for Communication Studies (4)
  • Economics
     - ECON 251: Introduction to Statistics and Econometrics II (4)
     - ECON 258: Topics in Applied Data Analysis (3)
     - ECON 309: Experimental Economics (3)
     - ECON 327: Economics of Crime (3)
     - ECON 401: Intermediate Microeconomic Theory (4)
     - ECON 402: Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory (4)
     - ECON 451: Intermediate Introduction to Statistics and Econometrics (4)
  • Linguistics
     - LING 394: Topics in Linguistics, section titled "Speech Errors" (3)
     - LING 412: Speech Perception (3)
  • Organizational Studies
     - ORGSTUDY 410: Advanced Research Methods in Organizational Studies (4)
  • Political Science
     - POLSCI 300: Quantitative Empirical Methods of Political Science (4)
     - POLSCI 387: Comparative Analysis of Government Institutions (3)
     - POLSCI 485: Elections Forensic (3)
     - POLSCI 489: Advance Topics in Contemporary Political Science section titled, "Computational Political Science" (3)
  • Psychology
     - PSYCH 302: Research Methods in Cognitive Neuroscience (3)
     - PSYCH 303: Research Methods in Psychology (3)
     - PSYCH 341: Advanced Laboratory in Cognitive Psychology (3)
     - PSYCH 381: Advanced Laboratory in Social Psychology (3)
     - PSYCH 463: Statistical Modeling and Data Visualization (4)
     - PSYCH 448: Mathematical Psychology (3)
  • Sociology
     - SOC 210: Elementary Statistics (4)
     - SOC 310: Sociological Research Methods (4)
     - SOC 430: World Population Dynamics (3)
     - SOC 472: Advanced Laboratory in Social Psychology (3)

  • NOTE: Additional courses may be used to fulfill minor elective requirements with advisor approval.

Capstone Course (3 credits):

QMSS 451: Senior Captsone: Social Sciences Study Management

Residency

For completion of the minor, QMSS 201, 251, and 451 must be taken in residence on the Ann Arbor campus, or at off-campus sites directed by Ann Arbor faculty. This includes STDABRD, Camp Davis, Biological Station, Michigan-in-Washington.