Program Overview

Quantitative Analysis Certificate

The Quantitative Analysis Certificate is designed to provide students with a set of skills that will make them valuable in a multitude of contexts where data and evidence-based decisions are made. The skills are based on promoting understanding as to how data can be collected, how to describe and make inferences from data, and expressing the implications of data to other individuals.

About the Quantitative Analysis Certificate

This certificate is aimed at providing students a set of skills that will make them valuable in a multitude of contexts where data and evidence-based decisions are made. The skills are based on promoting understanding as to how data can be collected, how to describe and make inferences from data, and expressing the implications of data to other individuals.

Students will become competent in three primary areas: skills in implementing statistical analyses, skills in research methodology, and skills in communicating research findings.

Certificate Requirements

This certificate requires 8 courses (minimum 24 credits) as described below. Students must complete requirements in each of six different components, matching the educational objectives. It is anticipated that the degree requirements of all departments in the College of Social and Behavioral Science will partially meet the requirements for this certificate. At least 9 credit hours outside the student’s major are required to complete the certificate.

Course Requirements

1) Probability and Introductory Statistics (1 course required)

These courses cover foundational topics, including: basics of probability, descriptive statistics, and introductory inferential statistics (t-tests, linear regression).

• ANTH 5230: Introduction to Statistical Thinking in Anthropology
• ECON 3640: Probability and Statistical Inference for Economists
• FCS 3210: Statistics in Family and Consumer Studies
• GEOG 3020: Geographical Analysis
• POLS 5001: Quantitative Analysis in Political Science
• PSY 3000: Statistical Methods in Psychology
• SOC 3112: Social Statistics
• SOC 6120: Statistics I

2) Research Methodology (2 courses required)

Methodology courses are focused on strategies and techniques for collecting valid data. These courses are grouped into four different categories, based on the overlap in content between courses. Students are required to take two courses, drawn from two different categories, to ensure methodological breadth.

• A) Experimental designs with consideration of reliability/validity
  • PSY 3010: Research Methods in Psychology
  • FCS 3200: Research Methods in Family and Consumer Studies
  • POLS 3001: Political Analysis
  • SOC 3111: Research Methods
  • SOC 3673: Social Epidemiology
• B) Demographic/Survey Methods
  • FCS 5700: Analyzing Community Growth: An Evidence-based Approach
  • FCS 5120: Demographic Methods
• C) Geospatial analyses
  • GEOG 3140: Intro GIS
  • GEOG 3170/5170: Satellites, Lasers and Compasses: Field Methods for Geographic Data
  • GEOG 5150: Spatial Data Design
  • GEOG 5190: GIS for Environmental and Public Health
• D) Field work, Interviewing, Observation
  • ANTH 4169: Ethnographic Methods

3) Implementing Statistical Analyses (1 course required)

These courses require a substantial proportion of time spent on developing programming skills in one or more common programs for data analysis (R, SAS, Stata, SPSS, etc.). Minimum of approximately 1/3 emphasis on software/programming. Students are encouraged to consider completing more than one course emphasizing the application of statistical software, employers frequently list skills in SAS/SPSS/R as desirable.

• ECON 4650: Principles of Econometrics
• FCS 5120: Demographic Methods
• GEOG 1180: Introduction to Geo-Programming
• GEOG 5180: Geoprocessing with Python
• GEOG 5680: Introduction to R Programming
• STAT 5003: Survey of Statistical Computer Packages

4) Additional Expertise (2 courses required)

These courses are primarily focused on the development of statistical skills, research methodology skills, and/or programming skills.

• ANTH 5485: Graphical Data Analysis
• ANTH 5850: Quantitative Analysis of Archaeological Data
• ANTH 4962/5962: Spatial Analysis in Anthropology
• ANTH 4250: Spatial Analysis
• ANTH 5221: Human Evolutionary Genetics
• ANTH 4351: Anthropological Demography
• COMP 5360: Introduction to Data Science
• ECON 4650: Principles of Econometrics
• ECON 4660 & 4670: Statistical Analysis for Economics
• GEOG 5020: Advanced Spatial Analysis
• GEOG 3140: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• GEOG 5140: Methods in Geographic Information Systems
• GEOG 5160: Spatial Modeling with GIS
• GEOG 5150: Spatial Data Design for GIS
• GEOG 5165: Web GIS
• POLS 3002: Quantitative Approaches to International Relations
• PSY 5500: Quantitative Methods
• PSY 5510: Quantitative Methods II
• SOC 3650: Population and Society

5) Communication (1 course required)

These courses contribute to the written or oral expression of technical/scientific material. Courses are required to include a significant writing or oral presentation related to the results of a data collection and/or analysis. Courses with a CW designation do not automatically meet this requirement, but must also include a substantial exercise in communicating about data. The course will typically have a CW designation; courses without this designation can meet this requirement if there is a substantial writing/presentation requirement that is consistent across all offerings of the course.

• PSY 3010: Research Methods in Psychology
• WRTG 3012: Writing in the Social Sciences
• WRTG 3014: Writing in the Sciences
• WRTG 3015: Professional/Technical Writing

6) Capstone Project (1 course required)

Students are required to complete a capstone project which shows the integration of statistical methods, research methodology, programming skills, and communication skills. The administrator of the course is required to endorse a form indicating whether the capstone selected by the student meets the capstone requirements. Capstones must be completed and submitted at least one week before the last day of classes in the semester one plans to graduate. Earlier submission is recommended to allow for revisions.

Sample 4-year Degree Plans

• Anthropology with Quantitative Analysis
• Criminology with Quantitative Analysis
• Economics with Quantitative Analysis
• Environmental and Sustainability Studies with Quantitative Analysis
• Family, Community, and Human Development with Quantitative Analysis
• Geography with Quantitative Analysis
• Health, Society & Policy with Quantitative Analysis
• Political Science with Quantitative Analysis
• Psychology with Quantitative Analysis
• Sociology with Quantitative Analysis