Arizona State University’s Master of Arts in social data science is designed for those interested in the social implications of big data and the ways that data science can provide insight into the understanding of social systems.
The program combines a thorough grounding in digital social science with the skills needed to analyze social data. This distinct combination enables students to understand and contribute to building ethical social platforms, to manage creative communities, and to understand network-mediated social change.
The ASU graduate admission application requires personal information, academic history, residency information and degree selection. After you select your degree, you will be prompted for the following supplemental materials.
For further assistance filling out any part of the application please visit us online.
Completed applications must be electronically submitted to ASU and include the following:
The statement of purpose should give the committee a better picture of who you are, share your academic and professional goals, scholarly interests, as well as explain why you decided to pursue this particular graduate program.
The statement should be compelling, show off your writing skills, and include specific research interests.
Your personal statement should be no more than two double-spaced pages.
This should be a piece of academic writing, preferably a paper that you wrote for a college course. It is permissible for the sample to be a published work, but not co-authored, and it should be no more than 30 pages. If this is not available, then an example of professional writing will be accepted.
A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on 4.0 scale in the last 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours of undergraduate coursework
Applicants who do not meet these criteria are welcome to contact us to discuss alternative options for joining the program.
If you are recommended for admission by the academic unit, you will be required to provide an official transcript (sent to us by mail directly from the institution). Your offer of admission and ability to register for classes will be contingent upon the receipt and verification of these official documents (which must show the award of degrees where appropriate).
The unofficial transcript that is uploaded must match the official transcript we receive. Do not upload spreadsheet documents as these are not acceptable for review. Instead, you can use a screen-capture or a picture of the official transcript and copy and paste the image onto a Word document. You are also allowed to scan and upload a copy of your official transcripts (this is preferred). Please include the transcript key or legend (often on the back of the official transcript) in your upload.
Arizona State University reserves the right to require official transcripts any time prior to admission review and revoke any admission decisions if the unofficial transcript(s) do not match the official transcripts.
Please make sure your unofficial transcript document includes your required bachelor's degree transcript. If you have transcripts from more than one university or have multiple degrees from the same university, please upload all transcripts in one file.
If unofficial transcripts are not uploaded at time of application, official transcripts will be required to be submitted before your application will move forward for review for admission.
If you are an international student, visit our resources page for more information about how to apply for grad school at ASU's New College.