The Q-Step Initiative
Q-Step is a £19.5 million programme designed to promote a step-change in quantitative social science training. Q-Step is a strategic response to the shortage of quantitatively-skilled social science graduates.
It is funded by the Nuffield Foundation, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
Since 2013, 15 universities across the UK are delivering specialist data driven undergraduate programmes, including new courses, bespoke work placements and pathways to postgraduate study. Expertise and resources are also shared across the higher education sector through a complimentary support programme, reaching out to schools and employers.
Our mission
We are committed to delivering a step-change in quantitative literacy in social sciences through an integrated life-long-learning model supported by social scientists, educationalists and mainstream statisticians at the University of Glasgow.
We are monitoring the radical educational reforms currently underway in Scotland (reforms of both school curriculum and teachers' training) for opportunities to support and nurture the future data analysis skilled social scientists.
Our strategy
Stage One: Embedding statistical numeracy across a wide spectrum of existing courses in Social Science and Education by thoroughly integrating the "4Cs" in Quantitative Methods - Core concepts, Creative skills, Critical thinking and Collaborative working - using national and international datasets in all four years of the MA (SocSci) degrees (Public Policy, Sociology, Politics, Economic & Social History, Central & East European Studies) and the MA (Education) degree.
Stage Two: Develop a new methods courses and badged degrees - including a coherent suit of new data driven courses at Levels 1 to 4, leading to new "with" degrees (e.g. MA Politics with Quantitative Methods). International Relations is added into the social science courses that can be combined with Quantitative Methods.
Work Placements / Internships: We are committed to delivering high quality bespoke internships to our students in a variety of organisations (governmental and non-governmental as well as private sector). Work placements are part of our mission to grow and support our students whilst internships specialise in data analysis, problem solving and social change.
Stage Three: Consolidating the programme.