Study Programme & Course Information

 

The programme includes six modules - each of them thoroughly examines the relevant techniques of analysis - and a Master thesis. All modules deal with the practical application of the techniques or the analysis method to real survey results. They are structured according to the following model: basic courses include an introductory module that links the traditional correlation methods to the social science research questions, a module explaining sampling techniques and measurement problems in the social sciences, and advanced modules dealing with data reduction, scale construction and data quality and modules dealing with causal models. Advanced inferential and descriptive methods are also covered.


Your study programme

Programme Director: Prof. dr. Marc Swyngedouw (K.U.Leuven & HUB - BE)

Compulsory courses: 29 European credits:

  • From Problem to Analysis (Jacques Tacq: HUB - BE)
  • Survey - Methodology: Sampling Design (Geert Molenberghs: University of Hasselt - BE) and Analysis and Measurement
  • Error and Questionnaire Construction (Jaak Billiet: University of Leuven - BE)
  • Multilevel Analysis (Kelvyn Jones: University of Bristol - UK)
  • Log Linear Analysis, Latent Class Analysis and Logistic Regression (Allan McCutheon: UNL - USA)
  • QASS Master Thesis Seminar (Rembert de Blander: UCL -BE)


Electives: select 2 courses (8 credits each): 16 European credits:

  • Uni- and Multidimensional Scaling (Gert Storms: University of Leuven - BE)
  • Structural Equation Models (Steffen Kühnel: University of Göttingen – G & Jerry Welkenhuysen-Gybels: Business and Decision – BE)
  • Network Analysis (Filip Agneessens: Free University of Amsterdam - NL)* (2009-2010)
  • Longitudinal Models and Event History Analysis (Karel Neels: University of Antwerp - BE)
  • Qualitative Comparative Analyses and Fussy Set Analysis  (Benoît Rihoux: Université Catholique de Louvain - BE & Charles Ragin: Arizona - USA)* (2010-2011)
    *organised each second year

Master thesis (15 European credits)


Studying abroad

A student exchange programme is organised with the Gallup Research Centre of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA and HUB. Every academic year, two students enrolled in the Master of Quantitative Analysis in the Social Sciences can stay for one semester at the Gallup Research Centre. The elected students will receive an in-home training and have the opportunity to take courses in the master programme Survey Methodology.

Approach and method

The training consists of both lectures and seminars. Students are given the opportunity to practise the techniques of analysis on the computer under the supervision of professors. They are encouraged to use their own data. Students who do not have personal data at their disposal will be given a database. Throughout the lectures, professors work with concrete examples from the fields of sociology, political sciences, psychology, pedagogy, economics, biostatistics and market research.

Part-time or full-time?

The Master of Quantitative Analysis in the Social Sciences is a one-year programme but you can study it part-time as well. Students finish the part-time programme in two years. First year students must study the compulsory modules in the first year.

PhD-students

PhD-students can schedule courses in such a way that they can be combined with their personal PhD-study programme.   They can be admitted after successfull selection at the discretion of HUB.