Programme Overview:
- Duration:
- 1 Years / 18 Months
- Attendance:
- Full Time / Part Time
- Mode of Delivery:
- Face-to-Face
- Next Intake:
- 2024/2025 September
- Contact Name:
- Spire Graduate
- Contact Number:
- Please click 'Ask a Question'
- Fees:
- Fee Information
The GradDip Politics and Data Science programme is specifically tailored to address the transformative impact of generative AI, large language models, and machine learning on political processes and their ethical implications. This cutting-edge degree is an ideal choice for applicants from diverse backgrounds, aiming to explore the intersection of politics and advanced data science in the digital era.
The curriculum delves deeply into the ways generative AI and large language models are revolutionising our understanding of political discourse, public opinion, and policy-making. With a focus on the ethical and societal implications of these technologies, the programme equips students with a critical perspective on how data science shapes political narratives and decisions in both democratic and non-democratic regimes.
Structured in two streams, the programme caters to students from varying academic backgrounds. The first stream introduces students from social sciences, including political science, to advanced data science methods, emphasising the use of large language models and machine learning in political analysis. The second stream, tailored for those with a technical background, focuses on political science research design and theories, integrating these with data science applications.
Core modules for the Social Science Background stream provide a foundational understanding of data science methods, while optional modules allow exploration into specialised areas like machine learning, quantitative text analysis, and the ethical use of AI in politics. Similarly, the Technical Background stream includes core and elective modules that blend technical skills with an understanding of political science theories and applications.
This programme not only offers comprehensive training in political science and its sub-disciplines but also equips students with empirical skills to navigate and analyse the complex interplay between politics and technology in the modern world. It prepares graduates to critically assess and contribute to the evolving landscape of politics in the age of data science and AI.
The MSc Politics and Data Science consists of a variety of modules designed to train learners to become experts in the latest quantitative methodologies and research skills. Below, we describe a selection of modules students can choose from. The full list of modules is available below under ”Which modules can I take?”
Introduction to Statistics: This module offers an overview of statistical analysis fundamentals in political science and related fields, focusing on measurement, variables, and statistical data handling. It introduces descriptive statistics, multiple regression analysis, and statistical inference, teaching students to draw conclusions from sample data. The course also covers practical R programming for data analysis, addressing linear regression assumptions, estimation, and inference. Key topics include data visualization, regression models, hypothesis testing, and logistic regression. Upon completion, students will understand basic statistical concepts, R programming, and be able to interpret regression analyses, equipping them for analytical tasks in social science research.
Quantitative Text Analysis: Quantitative Text Analysis equips students with the ability to analyse vast text corpora, employing both traditional statistical methods and cutting-edge machine learning techniques like transformer models and Large Language Models. Throughout this module, students will gain hands-on experience in the R and Python programming languages, learning to navigate the process from data extraction to analysis. The module combines established text-as-data methods and advanced methods, including transformer-based machine learning, word embeddings, and Large Language Models, preparing students to apply these methods to address important social and political questions. By mastering these skills, students are set to harness the full potential of automated text analysis in their future careers.
Programming for Social Scientists: This module serves as a foundational course in computer programming, focusing on Python, currently the third most popular programming language and a favourite among data scientists for its accessibility and versatility. It is designed to equip students, particularly those in the social sciences, with the skills to automate tasks and develop more complex software, in particular using object-oriented design patterns. The curriculum emphasises hands-on learning through the development of a social simulation project in teams, allowing students to apply basic programming skills to a range of applications including file manipulation, user interface design, simulation modelling, and result visualisation. Combining lectures with labs and homeworks, the module supports practice with Python and related tools, fostering collaboration and self-reflection.
Politics of (Mis)Information: This module delves into the impact of information and misinformation. It investigates how information is produced, disseminated, and influences individuals, organizations, and political institutions. The course examines the effects of political information availability on decision-making and policy outcomes. Students will emerge with a deeper understanding of the information’s role in society. Learning outcomes include analyzing misinformation’s impact on political decisions, understanding the evolving information environment, applying theories on misinformation in politics, articulating key information politics concepts, and addressing society’s challenges from an evidence-based viewpoint.
Connected Politics: Under the guidance of both a project and a module coordinator, small teams will tackle a pressing social or political question using advanced methodologies such as quantitative text analysis, machine learning, image recognition, and network analysis. The focus is on developing teamwork skills, setting and achieving goals, and effectively distributing tasks within the group. Throughout the module, students will learn vital aspects of research design, substantive theory, formulating research questions, case-selection strategies, and the importance of open science practices. They will also explore the concepts of replicability and reproducibility in research. The results of projects from previous years have appeared in peer-reviewed journals, and groups have also presented their work at professional conferences such as the Annual Conference of the American Political Science Association.
Graduates from this programme will be ideally equipped for careers in a large and varied set of employment sectors. The combination of a solid understanding of social science theory and the technical ability to apply cutting-edge data-science and AI approaches to answer questions of political and societal relevance, makes our graduates a unique addition to any data science team. Furthermore, graduates will be well-positioned to apply for quantitative social science PhD programmes with the aim of pursuing an academic career.
Potential future employers include:
Potential roles include
Curricular information is subject to change
Full Time option suitable for:
Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. Yes
Part Time option suitable for:
Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. No
The GradDip in Politics and Data Science is aimed towards students with backgrounds in political science and related social sciences with a strong interest in learning data science methods, and towards students with a Computer Science or related technical background who want to study politics. It is specifically aimed towards students who want a cutting-edge training in politics and data science but who are less interested in writing a master’s thesis.
The programme shall equip students with both the theoretical overview and the empirical tools necessary to understand and engage with the brave new world of digitised politics, and the expansion in scale, types, and complexity of data available to study political phenomenon. The MSc in Politics and Data Science provides students with in-depth knowledge of political science theories and approaches and the methodological training to apply these tools in a theoretically-informed manner. It offers advanced training in statistical and computational methods, including tools to extract and prepare unstructured data (data wrangling), to detect patterns and predict behaviour based on statistical data, to evaluate the veracity of theoretical models on large-scale datasets, to analyse highly interconnected data from networks and spatial data sets, and to develop simulations to evaluate the inherent consistency and implications of theoretical arguments.
The key objective is to have graduates who are able to join data science teams in the Government, corporate, or private sectors, with sufficient understanding of technical concepts in data science and machine learning to collaborate with computer scientists and engineers and with sufficient understanding of social science and politics to be able to bring a deeper understanding of human behaviour to otherwise technology oriented teams.
Graduates can also use the skills acquired to continue work in political science research, either in academia, think tanks, or the non-profit or public sector, where they will benefit from a deep understanding of the cross-section between data science and political science.
Knowledge and understanding
Applying knowledge and understanding
Making judgements
Communications and working skills
Learning skills
The GradDip Politics and Data Science programme is organised around two streams of study. The first stream grounds students with backgrounds in political science and related social sciences in data science methods. The second stream is geared towards students with computer science or related technical backgrounds, teaching them about research design and theories in political science. Apart from two required core modules in each stream, all students can select four optional modules that best fit their interests. These modules can either revolve around methods needed to study digital and digitised politics, such as programming and machine learning, quantitative text analysis, statistics, and experimental methods. Or they can be modules relating to comparative politics, international relations, political violence, political economy, and related fields that the School of Politics and International Relations has strengths in.
The Graduate Diploma in Politics and Data Science is a 60-credit programme.
Full time students must take three 10-credit modules in the first trimester and three 10-credit modules in the second trimester.
Depending on their performance, aspirations and selection of modules, students may be able to transfer from the graduate diploma into the MSc Politics and Data Science after the first trimester. See this page for more details.
Core and Option Modules for MSc Politics and Data Science Social Science Background Stream
These are the current modules for 2023/24 but are subject to change. Each of the following modules carries 10 credits unless otherwise specified.
Core Modules
Core Option Modules - Select one
Option Modules
Autumn
Spring
Core and Option Modules for MSc Politics and Data Science Technical Background Stream
These are the current modules for 2023/24 but are subject to change. Each of the following modules carries 10 credits unless otherwise specified.
Core Modules
Core Option Modules - Select one
Option Modules
Autumn
Spring
GradDip Politics & Data Science (W475) Full Time
EU fee per year - € 7810
nonEU fee per year - € 15070
GradDip Politics & Data Science (W476) Part Time
EU fee per year - € 5170
nonEU fee per year - € 7540
***Fees are subject to change
Tuition fee information is available on the UCD Fees website. Please note that UCD offers a number of graduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD graduate degree programme. For further information please see International Scholarships.
Good undergraduate degree (2.1 or equivalent, or 2.2 or equivalent with relevant work experience) in political science or related social science, or in computer science, statistics, or related discipline. Because of the streaming of the module structure of the program, we can accommodate students with a social science as well as students with a more technical background.
The following entry routes are available:
* Courses will remain open until such time as all places have been filled, therefore early application is advised