Throughout your career, you will likely use big data to make informed decisions. This is why BSOS is dedicated to preparing you for data-intensive careers in academia, government, international relations, public policy, non-profit and for-profit sectors. All our programs are dedicated to preparing our undergraduate students for data-intensive careers in academia, government, international relations, public policy, non-profit and for-profit sectors. Learn how you can earn elective credit and bolster your resume to prepare to enter the workspace in today's "big data revolution."

What are data analytics, big data, and data science? Why is this relevant to BSOS students?

Data science is a multidisciplinary field that uses scientific methods, processes, algorithms and systems to extract knowledge and insights from structured and unstructured data sets.  Students in behavioral and social sciences have historically been trained in statistics and both quantitative and qualitative research methods in order to be able to collect and analyze data.  However, researchers and consumers of research in these areas of inquiry increasingly have access to large existing data sets to study research questions, which requires an understanding of data analytics and competency in cleaning and analyzing very large data sets. 

Data analytics describes a rapidly changing suite of qualitative and quantitative research techniques and processes that help researchers and decision-makers discover otherwise unobservable patterns in data.  Big data refers to extremely large data sets that may be analyzed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to human behavior and interactions. Data scraped from the web is one commonly derived source of big data in current behavioral and social sciences research.