Online MSc in Data Literacy for Social and Environmental Justice

This program will help you develop a range of skills to strengthen your potential to address injustices that harm human and non-human populations and the environment.

It will build your ability to explore, manage, analyze, interpret, visualize, and communicate data to a range of audiences, from the lay public to academics and policymakers.

Highlights

• You can start at the beginning if you don't have a background in statistics, or you can take a more advanced class to enhance your existing skills
• Boost your impact potential by diversifying your science communications and data visualization toolboxes
• Maximum flexibility through asynchronous, adaptive learning with optional synchronous engagement
• Come to a one or two-week summer residential stay (the first opportunity is summer 2025) to network with other Data for Justice students, staff, and guests working on issues of social or environmental justice.

Career-enhancing skills you will gain

• A conceptual foundation for understanding how quantitative datasets are used or abused
• Basic data literacy and introductory statistics, if you are a beginner
• Advanced quantitative methods, including spatial data science, if you already have a quantitative foundation
• A range of practical science communications skills, such as writing policy briefs and producing visuals, to help you become a skilled and impactful science communicator
• Strategies for engaging different audiences, including the public, stakeholders, and policymakers, to increase your impact potential.

How you will be taught

• Video lectures and workshops, subject-focused podcasts, a platform for sharing your coursework for peer and staff feedback, and an adaptive learning platform that meets you where you are and lets you progress at your own pace
• Optional question and answer sessions, office hours, and a one to two-week residential stay at the University of St Andrews in the summer
• All the software and resources you need will be open-access
• Courses will be delivered using a lightboard and screen recorder for learning to code, while there will be a professional camera and microphone set-up for lectures, recorded interviews, panel sessions, and podcasts
• MSc students will be encouraged to complete an applied research project for their dissertation, developed in collaboration with an institution or organization, using real data on an actual research question that can benefit their current or future place of employment.

The University of St Andrews has a world-class reputation and offers a wider student experience with a diverse range of social activities, including over 150 student societies and 50 sports clubs. Historic buildings are juxtaposed against the modern facilities, and the many student traditions truly make studying at St Andrews an unforgettable experience.

St Andrews is a unique and captivating place, and the University is a key part of its charm. Seven centuries of history link the students with the town, leading to the ancient and yet modern institution apparent today.

Why St Andrews

St Andrews is a unique place to study and live. Nestled on the east coast of Scotland, students may find themselves crossing golf courses on their way to class, or jogging along the beach after dinner. Not only does the University have a world-class reputation, but it also offers a diverse range of social activities, including over 140 student societies and 50 sports clubs. Historic buildings are juxtaposed against the modern facilities, and the many student traditions truly make studying at St Andrews an unforgettable experience.