Data Science and Public Policy (Economics) MSc

UCL (University College London)

UCL's new MSc Data Science and Public Policy, the first degree to be co-taught by UCL Economics and Political Science, will equip a new generation of policymakers to solve the biggest problems in today's society through data science.

About this degree

The rapid expansion and increased availability of quantitative data in recent years provides policymakers with both important opportunities and great challenges. The vast size and complexity of digital information can improve how we understand, design, implement, and evaluate effective public policy. However, translating this wealth of information into useful insight requires a deep understanding of cutting-edge data-science methods, rich technical skills, and detailed knowledge about economic and political processes.

This programme will provide you with intensive training in applied data-science methods, computer programming, statistics, and machine learning, with a focus on applying these tools to questions in public policy. You will also take specialised modules in economics through which you will develop a strong understanding of key issues in public policy formation, development and analysis using economic theory. The programme features a combination of compulsory modules and options, enabling you to chart your own path.

What this course will give you

Taught by experts in quantitative social science, the degree is designed for people who are passionate about studying public policy, and who want to develop the skills required to play a leading role in the quantitative analysis of policymaking in the years to come.

The foundation of your career

This is a new course and so there are no alumni yet. However, alumni from the existing MSc programmes in the Departments of Political Science and Economics have gone on to attain employment in diverse areas, including in the civil service (e.g., HM Treasury, local government), international institutions (e.g., the European Commission, the UN), central banks (e.g., Bank of England and European Central Bank), research (e.g., Institute of Fiscal Studies, the Institute of Government), consultancy (e.g., Accenture, KPMG, PWC, Frontier Economics and Charles River Associates), and the financial sector. Many of our students also continue with their studies, entering PhD programmes at world-renowned institutions including UCL, LSE, Oxford, and Cambridge.

Employability

The programme is designed to teach you the knowledge and skills required to provide insight into important questions in public policy using advanced statistical methods. A series of in-depth substantive modules, delivered by economists and political scientists, will provide you with the analytical tools to think deeply about important questions in policymaking. The methodological training will enable you to understand and, crucially, apply cutting-edge quantitative methods to real-world problems. Our research-based curriculum promotes a variety of research skills, which will enable you to understand, and contribute to, quantitative analyses of public policy.

Teaching and learning

You will undertake a range of formative and summative assessments. Formative assessments include in-lecture practical exercises and discussions; applied problem-sets; in-class quizzes. The programme will also make use of extensive computer-lab-based problem sets which will help to develop and test your practical coding skills. Summative assessments include essays, reports and exams.