Master of Science in Survey and Data Science

The Survey and Data Science Program blends together faculty with diverse disciplinary backgrounds, all devoted to teaching state-of-the-art practices in the statistical and methodological aspects of surveys. The program's faculty come primarily from the University of Maryland, University of Michigan, and Westat, supplemented by instructors from a number of federal statistical agencies. SURV offers a Master of Science in Survey and Data Science and a Ph. D. in Survey Methodology. Both degree programs have three areas of concentration: Statistical Science , Social and Psychological Science and Data Science. The statistical science area of concentration is designed for students who wish to specialize in areas such as sample design, estimation in complex samples, variance estimation, statistical measurement error models, and statistical adjustments for missing data. The social science area of concentration is designed for students who wish to specialize in areas such as questionnaire design, design of interviewing systems, computer assistance in data collection, effects of mode of data collection, cognitive psychological insights into survey measurement, and efforts to reduce various nonsampling errors in data collection. The data science area of concentration is designed for students who wish to specialize in the more computational aspects of survey methodology and research involving big data, including data visualization, management and analysis of large and messy data sets, human-computer interaction in survey research, and machine learning algorithms.

Applicants to the M.S. program are expected to hold a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum of a 'B' average. Post-baccalaureate coursework and relevant work experience will also be used in the application evaluation. Entry to the statistical science concentration requires three undergraduate courses in calculus, one in linear algebra, and one in statistics. Entry to the social science concentration requires two undergraduate quantitative courses, at least one of which is in statistics, and at least two undergraduate courses in the social sciences. Entry to the data science concentration requires some background in computer science, with a minimum of two semesters of programming coursework, and also at least one semester of statistics. Applicants to the Ph.D. program are expected to have a graduate degree in some field (such as statistics or psychology) that is related to survey methodology. Applicants must also demonstrate an appropriate quantitative background.