Undergraduate Certificate in Data and Models in Political Science

The Data and Models in Political Science certificate teaches students to use theoretical models of institutional and behavioural political science and economics to understand choice and conflict in domestic and international politics. This substantive focus is augmented by methodological courses that provide students with the technical skills necessary to conduct behavioural research in political science. The certificate is intended for Political Science majors and was designed to serve students in the Faculty of Arts. We will consider enrolment of undergraduate students from other Faculties on a case-by-case basis.

On completion of the certificate, students will:

1. possess an advanced comprehension of collective choice (e.g., democratic elections, legislative bargaining, market trade) and political conflict (e.g., between social classes, political parties, ethnic groups, or states);
2. have demonstrated competence in the application of deductive modelling techniques (economic and behavioural); and
3. developed capacities in the analysis of empirical data (frequently but not exclusively quantitative), the ability to evaluate the strengths and limitations of deductive modelling technique, and the ethics of data modelling research and practice.

The program is designed to prepare students for employment in areas of governmental or intergovernmental policy analysis, the private and not-for-profit sectors, political consulting, polling and survey design, and data science. The certificate will also prepare students for postgraduate study in behavioural methods in political science or cognate social sciences.

Admissions

Students with third-year standing who have completed POLI_V 110: Investigating Politics: An Introduction to Scientific Political Analysis (or an equivalent course) with a grade of 75 percent (B+) or higher may self-enrol in the Data and Models certificate. Students can enrol in the certificate at: https://politics.ubc.ca/undergraduate/data-and-models

For more information about the program, email the Political Science Undergraduate Advisor.

Requirements

On securing admission to the Data and Models certificate, students are required to take 12 credits in total:

• POLI_V 310 (3) The Strategy of Politics¹
• POLI_V 380 (3) Quantitative Methods in Political Science;²
• POLI_V 381 (3) Managing Quantitative Data in Political Science;
• POLI_V 482 (3) Data and Models Capstone

Students must achieve a grade of 75% or better in all three of POLI_V 310, POLI_V 380, and POLI_V 381 to be admitted to POLI_V 482. 

Footnotes

¹ Students may substitute ECON_V 221 or ECON_V 421 for POLI_V 310.

² Students may substitute ECON_V 325 for POLI_V 380.