Master in Social Data Science

Master in Social Data Science is one of 4 English-taught Data Science programmes at Master's Degree level in the register, offered by 4 institutions. 4 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, from EUR 6,700 to EUR 17,300; this programme lists EUR 6,700 a year. 1 is recorded as free for EU, EEA and Swiss students.

The MSc in Social Data Science at the University of Copenhagen is a two-year, English-taught master's degree worth 120 ECTS. It sits between the social sciences and data science: you learn machine learning, predictive analytics and natural language processing, and you apply them to questions from sociology, economics, anthropology, political science and psychology. The programme is being replaced, and September 2027 is the last intake before a new version starts in 2028.

What you study

The programme is built around three concepts it shares with the five social science disciplines at the university: behaviour, networks and ideas. Behaviour covers what people do and how they decide. Networks covers the connections between them and how those relations are organised. Ideas covers what people know, prefer and value.

The first year is compulsory. In the first semester you take Social Data Science Base Camp (15 ECTS), Elementary Social Data Science (7.5 ECTS) and Social Data Analysis (7.5 ECTS). The second semester adds Advanced Social Data Science I (7.5 ECTS), Data Governance: Law, Ethics, and Politics (7.5 ECTS), Advanced Social Data Science II (7.5 ECTS) and Digital Methods (7.5 ECTS). You work with large amounts of unstructured data, often called big data, using social science research methods.

How the programme is organised

The first two semesters are fixed courses. The third semester is a 30 ECTS mobility window where you can take electives, do an internship or go on fieldwork. The fourth semester is your master's thesis, 30 ECTS, written individually or in a group and handed in at the end of the semester.

Teaching is closely tied to your fellow students. From day one you work together in classes, field exercises and other activities, and the first semester's base camp introduces the field, its central methods and theories, and the ethical and analytical questions that come up when you apply them to concrete cases.

Who it suits

It suits someone who wants to combine social science with data work. The admission board looks at your bachelor courses in social science and in data science, programming, statistics or quantitative methods, your grades on relevant courses, and a one-page statement of professionally relevant experience. That experience can be paid or unpaid work, coding you have taught yourself in Python or R, participation in research projects, or group work.

Some Danish bachelor's degrees meet the academic requirements automatically, including anthropology, sociology, psychology, political science, economics, business administration and digital management, and techno-anthropology. If your degree is not on that list, you need at least 30 ECTS in social science courses, including at least one practical methods course. A number of Danish professional bachelor's degrees do not qualify.

Admission, language and next steps

You apply through the application portal. The deadline is 1 March for Danish applicants and applicants from the EU, EEA and Switzerland, and 15 January for applicants from outside those areas. You need English at the level of English B and must upload transcripts, course descriptions, a self-assessment form, a description of academic relevance, proof of language proficiency, a CV and a copy of your passport or national ID. Applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland pay an application fee and tuition; students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland study free of charge.

There are 87 places. If qualified applicants exceed them, the board prioritises the portfolio of relevant bachelor courses, experience with quantitative methods and data handling, grades on relevant courses, and the statement of relevant experience. The university does not pre-assess degrees, so compare your courses with the requirements yourself before applying.

Master’s applications go straight to University of Copenhagen, not through optagelse.dk, and the institution sets its own deadline. The register shows 15 January 2027 as the next deadline for this programme. Intake, as the register states it: Starts 1 September 2027 (apply by 15 January 2027). Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, residence permits and housing.