Social Policy with Quantitative Methods

Social policy is the study of how societies address shared problems, examining the welfare state, public services, healthcare, housing, education, and social security through the lens of politics, economics, sociology, and history. It asks how policy is made, who benefits and who is left behind, and how different countries and traditions have responded to poverty, inequality, disability, and social risk. Quantitative methods as a specialism within this field addresses a critical practical need, since the ability to work with large datasets, statistical evidence, and social surveys is central to much contemporary policy research and evaluation.

At the University of Edinburgh, this four-year full-time programme combines a thorough grounding in social policy analysis with technical training in statistical methods, data handling, and quantitative research design. You will study the development and comparative analysis of welfare states, the politics of public services, and contemporary policy debates, while also learning to use data and statistical tools to test claims, evaluate programmes, and communicate evidence effectively. A year abroad is incorporated into the programme, allowing you to study at a partner institution and gain an international comparative perspective on how different societies design and deliver their welfare systems.

Graduates with expertise in both social policy and quantitative methods are in strong demand in government, think tanks, research organisations, the voluntary sector, and international bodies. Roles include policy analyst, researcher, programme evaluator, and data analyst in a social sector context. The combination is also excellent preparation for postgraduate study in social policy, economics, public administration, or data science, where evidence-based analytical skills are increasingly central to the work.