Data meets society in the Computational Social Science study program. Discover how computational methods and AI unlock insights into human behavior—and kickstart your career in fields of data-driven decision-making.
Artificial intelligence is currently changing societies around the world—and with them, science. The Master CSS enables students to examine these upheavals in a reflective way. Along the way, the Master CSS also teaches students how to apply AI methods themselves.
The Master's program allows students to choose their own specialization in one or more social science disciplines (communication science, political science, sociology).
Modern methods are central to the Master's program in Computational Social Science: they combine computer science (algorithms, machine learning) with statistics (data analysis, modeling) to quantitatively research social phenomena and recognize complex patterns in data.
Students learn how to use tools for collaborative, replicable and transparent research.
The Master's program (M.A.) in Computational Social Science (CSS) combines social science with computer science and AI in a unique way. The program is composed of three pillars: a CSS pillar with central and overarching compulsory content, a methodological pillar with a great deal of freedom of choice for developing your own skills, and a social science transfer pillar with freedom for individual specialization.
Students are prepared for careers in the field of data-driven decision-making (e.g. data science, data journalism, science). To this end, they learn how to apply modern research designs and artificial intelligence methods to explore social-scientific questions: how will you use big data to better understand pressing societal problems?
The Master's program allows for a strong differentiation of personal preferences, so that CSS can be explored not only in its breadth, but also in its depth. There is therefore no obligation to include all three subjects (Communication Science, Political Science, Sociology) in one's own curriculum; however, the opportunity to immerse oneself in all three subjects is explicitly given.
A compulsory internship (9 weeks), the possibility of a semester abroad, and the Master's thesis to be completed individually at one of the three departments (GSI, IfKW, IfS) also help to strengthen individual profiles. An extensive research seminar in the second semester strengthens social skills by working together in interdisciplinary small groups.
The program's familial size allows for a close relationship between students and lecturers. The latter are drawn from all three participating departments of the Faculty of Social Sciences, namely the Geschwister-Scholl-Institute for Political Science (GSI), the Department of Media and Communication (IfKW) and the Institute for Sociology (IfS).
