Course starts: September 2027 Location: London, Bloomsbury

Social Sciences with Data Science BSc

This course examines the social and economic forces that shape our world. It integrates insights from across the social sciences with extensive training in data science, equipping students with the tools to rigorously analyse pressing societal issues. By combining a broad social scientific foundation with in-depth data science skills, our graduates are well prepared for careers across a wide range of sectors. There is also an opportunity to spend your third year abroad at one of UCL’s partner universities. Students who do this will complete four years of study in total.

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Key information

Study mode
Full-time
Duration
3 academic years full time
Fees (2026/27)
UK: £9,790 per year
International: £39,200 per year
Application deadlines
13 January 2027. Applications close at 6pm UK time.
Applications may stay open after this UCAS Equal Consideration deadline, please check UCAS for details.
Course starts
September 2027
View 2026 entry
UCAS code
LG33
Location
London, Bloomsbury
Department
Social Research Institute
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Entry requirements

Grades
AAA
GCSEs
English Language and Mathematics at grade B or 6

Contextual offer

Grades
ABB
GCSEs
English Language and Mathematics at grade B or 6

At least two A level subjects should be taken from UCL's list of preferred A level subjects.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 3

Information about the evidence required, acceptable qualifications and test providers can be found on our English language requirements page.

A variety of English language programmes are offered at the UCL Centre for Languages and International Education.

UCL is committed to widening access to higher education. Access UCL is our contextual offer scheme for applicants from groups that are underrepresented at UCL. We assess your eligibility for Access UCL based on the information contained within your UCAS application. We review and update our Access UCL eligibility criteria and datasets every year, so please check the requirements for the year you plan to apply.

The Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPC) prepare international students for a UCL undergraduate degree who do not have the qualifications to enter directly. These intensive one-year foundation courses are taught on our central London campus.

Typical UPC students will be high achievers in a 12-year school system which does not meet the standard required for direct entry to UCL.

For more information see: ucl.ac.uk/upc.

About this course

Social Sciences with Data Science BSc gives you a comprehensive understanding of a diverse range of social and economic issues, such as inequality, climate change, and migration. It empowers you to address these issues with data-driven insights.

The course combines a solid foundation in the social sciences, especially sociology and economics, with advanced training in data science. It equips you with the skills to analyse and solve real-world problems from multiple perspectives. Your data science training comprises topics such as causal analysis, machine learning, and social network analysis, and tools such as functional programming, web scraping, and data visualisation. However, no prior knowledge of data science or coding is required. We will start from the basics and take you step by step through the training. More generally, we will also teach you how to critically evaluate evidence and how to communicate your ideas and findings to different audiences. 

You will be embedded in a very international environment and taught by scholars who are world-leading in their subject areas. The course is offered through the UCL Social Research Institute, which is part of the UCL Institute of Education (IOE). IOE has been ranked Number 1 in the world for Education for the past 12 years (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025).

We seek to recruit clever and intellectually ambitious students with a drive to understand and tackle important societal challenges such as economic inequality, climate change, and migration. You are not afraid of numbers and appreciate the value of a multidisciplinary perspective for analysing such issues. You are also excited about the opportunities offered in this regard by novel forms of data and innovative methods of analysis. 

Course structure

Each year, you will take a combination of social science and data science modules. 

Year 1 provides you with a firm foundation in the core social science disciplines of sociology and economics. It also covers key principles of data science and introduces you to fundamental analytic tools.

In Year 2, you strengthen your data science skills through a double module on data analysis and modules on computational social science tools and causal analysis. In addition, you take optional modules on social science subjects.

In Year 3, you undertake an independent research project on a topic of your choice, under the supervision of a member of staff. You also take at least one advanced data science module such as machine learning for social data science. Furthermore, you take five additional modules in social science subjects or advanced data science. 

Each year, one of your optional modules can be a module offered by another UCL department (e.g., economics, political science, geography, management, mathematics), subject to availability and a good fit with the rest of your curriculum.

Modules

In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual modules, normally valued at 15 or 30 credits, adding up to a total of 120 credits for the year. Modules are assessed in the academic year in which they are taken. The balance of compulsory and optional modules varies from programme to programme and year to year. A 30-credit module is considered equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Compulsory modules

Optional modules

Teaching will be delivered through lectures, seminars allowing in-depth discussion, computer laboratory classes on data analysis, group work, and UCL’s virtual learning environment.

Assessment may include exams, practical assignments, essays, presentations, and a research-based dissertation in the final year of study. The weight given to each assessment method will vary across modules to ensure manageable workloads throughout the course.

Most modules have a weekly lecture and seminar. For some modules the lecture and seminar are provided jointly in a workshop format. Depending on your module choices, you will have between 10 and 14 hours of classroom time per week. In addition, students are expected to spend 20 to 25 hours per week on self-directed study.

The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you are unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.

Fees and funding

Study mode UK fee (2026/27) Overseas fee (2026/27)
Full time £9,790 £39,200

UK undergraduate fees for 2026/27 are subject to parliamentary approval and are for the first year only. Fees for subsequent years may be subject to increase: Student Terms and Conditions. UK fees are in line with the Government announcement on fee cap increases. Fees for 2027/28 entry will be published in August 2026.

International undergraduate students benefit from a cohort guarantee unless indicated below, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.

International fees shown are the fees that will be charged to 2026/27 entrants.

Full details of UCL's tuition fees, tuition fee policy and potential increases to fees can be found on the UCL Students website.

Additional costs

Students may require a calculator for use in exams. UCL prescribes a specific make and range of calculator for such use. These calculators can be purchased from a variety of suppliers for around £15.

For in-person teaching, UCL's main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1–2 is £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2026. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide. If you are concerned by potential additional costs for books, equipment, etc., please get in touch with the relevant departmental contact (details given on this page).

Various funding options are available, including student loans, scholarships and bursaries. UK students whose household income falls below a certain level may also be eligible for a non-repayable bursary or for certain scholarships. Please see the Fees and funding pages for more details.

Why study this course at UCL?

The combination of a broad social scientific foundation with in-depth data science skills gives our students a unique blend of expertise that is highly sought after in the labour market, across a wide range of sectors including government, industry, non-profits, research, and media.

In addition, this multidisciplinary course allows you to choose from a diverse array of modules from across the social sciences, enabling you to tailor your studies to your own interests and to tackle real-world problems from multiple angles. 

You will receive state-of-the-art training in social data science in collaboration with UCL’s Social Data Institute, an innovative partnership to train the next generation of social data scientists, closely tracking shifting standards in this vibrant work domain. The institute also offers tailored internships at popular employers (subject to competitive selection) that give you the opportunity to put your data science skills to practice.

Recent graduates have praised the course for its engaging and intellectually stimulating character, its supportive teaching staff, and its smooth organisation (National Student Survey 2025). 

Discover Uni

To see official information about this course and others visit Discover Uni.

What this course will give you

Our course uniquely blends a broad social science education with hands-on training in data science, creating the perfect foundation for a successful career in government, business, or research. In today’s world, many of the most urgent issues are complex and interconnected, requiring a multidisciplinary approach to truly understand them. At the same time, to make a real impact and tackle these issues, one needs the ability to derive actionable insights through rigorous data analysis, taking advantage of the increasing availability of many different kinds of data. Our course enables you to bridge this nexus, giving you a comprehensive understanding of many societal issues as well as the tools to undertake and critically review advanced data analysis. Our course thus gives you excellent employment prospects, as graduates with strong data science skills and a broad social scientific background are much-needed in a variety of sectors.

Graduates have found employment in a wide range of roles and sectors. With their expertise, our graduates are well-placed for analytic but also management roles. Employer destinations of recent graduates include (but are not restricted to) government organisations, consultancy firms, financial institutions, technology companies, non-profits, research institutes, and international organisations.* 

*Graduate Outcomes survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), looking at the destinations of graduates in the 2017–2023 cohorts.

 

  • Energy, natural resources and the environment
  • Scientific research, development and analysis
  • Banking and investment
  • Policy and government
  • Human resources and recruitment
  • IT, technology and telecommunications
  • Charities, NGOs and international development
  • PR, advertising and marketing
  • Academic research and HE
  • Media
  • Logistics an distribution
  • Consultancy
  • Accountancy and financial services
  • Health and social care
  • Social and market research
  • Publishing, journalism and translation

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How to apply

Application for admission should be made through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). Applicants currently at school or college will be provided with advice on the process; however, applicants who have left school or who are based outside the United Kingdom may obtain information directly from UCAS.

Selection

For further information on UCL's selection process see: How we assess your application.

Apply for this course

You are applying for the Social Sciences with Data Science BSc course. Please note that the course options presented as post-enrolment specialisms will be available for you to choose once your enrolment is confirmed. For application guidance please visit Application guidelines.

Course starts: September 2027

UCAS applications open for 2027 entry on 12 May 2026.

Got questions? Get in touch

We are here to help. Get in touch with us for more information about our courses.

Social Research Institute

Social Research Institute

Click to email. bsc-socsciencesdatascience@ucl.ac.uk

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