Aims of the Centre
The UK has a shortage of social science graduates with quantitative research skills.
These skills are increasingly in demand from employers - but 55% of employers have reported widespread QM weaknesses amongst their employees.
Quantitative research methods for gathering, analysing and interpreting evidence are also highly desirable for students going on to postgraduate study within the social sciences.
The Cambridge Undergraduate Quantitative Methods Centre was established in 2014 and is dedicated to improving the provision of quantitative methods training to social science and humanities undergraduates at the University of Cambridge. Housed in the Department of Sociology and directed by Dr Brendan Burchell, the following departments, divisions and faculties are all involved in the CUQM:
- Archaeology
- Biological Anthropology
- Education
- History
- Land Economy
- Linguistics
- POLIS
- Social Anthropology
- Sociology
Undergraduate students from all of these subject areas are welcome to participate in CUQM activities.
Among the initiatives and resources provided by the CUQM Centre are:
- Dedicated statistics and methods papers (SOC5 and POL6) available to Part IIA students from the Departments of Sociology and POLIS and the Faculty of Education
- Vacation courses on QM subject areas, both introductory, for students who do not currently have QM skills and more advanced courses for specific skills relevant to particular departments
- Bursaries are available for students to attend vacation courses run by Q-Step centres at other UK universities
- A prize for the best dissertation that has incorporated quantitative methods
We also have plans to introduce:
- Refresher courses in mathematics for students prior to taking QM courses
- Assistance and advice for lecturers on integrating more empirical quantitative material into their lectures and teaching - More details