The Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences (CSSS, or “C-Triple-S”) fosters research collaboration between faculty and graduate students working on cutting-edge social science methodologies and provides heavily-subscribed courses in advanced statistics for graduate students across a wide range of disciplines at the University of Washington.
Founded in 1999 as the first university center devoted to the interface of statistics and the social sciences, CSSS quickly earned an international reputation for high-impact research and advanced graduate student training in quantitative social science.
Today, CSSS is deeply embedded in a vibrant ecology of University of Washington interdisciplinary research centers, including the Center for Demography and Ecology, eScience, and Population Health. Within UW, CSSS plays a unique role developing transferable skills in quantitative social science to produce graduates ready to address the most challenging problems facing society.
CSSS also provides free statistical consulting to current UW faculty, staff, and students working on quantitative social science problems. Consultants offer guidance at any stage of a project — from study design and planning through the selection and interpretation of statistical models.
Growing enrollment across departments
Since 2016, courses listed by CSSS have grown on multiple dimensions, trending upwards in overall undergraduate enrollment, overall graduate enrollment, total enrollment of students from College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) units, and total enrollment of students from outside the College (see figure at right). This growth is noteworthy for being driven by both rising numbers of offered courses and by rising enrollments for specific courses, and for occurring during a period of shrinking graduate cohorts in many social science departments.
Course tracks offer rigorous training
The success of the CSSS track goes beyond enrollment. Although some students take just one or two CSSS courses, many — a total of 322 from 2006-2024 — complete tracks of four or more courses, laying a uniquely strong foundation for research. A survey of alumni reveals students rave about the broad benefits of CSSS training for social scientific inquiry.
“I have a much stronger grounding in social statistics than most of my colleagues have had the opportunity to secure — my work would not be possible without it.”
One Global Health Ph.D. graduate says the “indispensable skills” gained at CSSS “shaped my scientific and analytical approaches to many of the problems I face at work regularly.” An Anthropology graduate notes the “fantastic training at CSSS” is unique in her academic experience: “I have a much stronger grounding in social statistics than most of my colleagues have had the opportunity to secure — my work would not be possible without it.” And a Sociology graduate says CSSS courses have served as “a model I have tried to replicate at my own institution,” and praises CSSS faculty as “instrumental in my development as a scholar.”
A thriving cross-campus community
In addition to a robust suite of courses, CSSS offers a vibrant community, with highly attended weekly seminars drawing internationally renowned speakers, a popular travel grant program to advance graduate research (233 grants since 2002 averaging about $1000), and the Blalock fellowship program (currently a one-time $5000 grant) which has helped recruit 54 quantitative scholars to doctoral programs in affiliated departments since 2001.
Remarkable post-graduate success
Graduate students who complete CSSS tracks have an impressive record on the job market, with half in tenure-track positions at universities like UC San Diego, Harvard University, and the University of Texas (see above figure). CSSS graduates have been especially successful in landing data science positions in industry, government, and NGOs, including Microsoft, King County, and the United Nations. Our 2023 survey of CSSS alumni suggests the Center played a significant role in producing these outcomes. Among the survey’s 142 respondents: 73% say the training they received with CSSS is closely related to their current employment; 98% say it is at least somewhat related.
“CSSS is widely known and highly regarded. When I was on the job market, my CSSS certification made me more competitive.”
47% consider CSSS training to have been instrumental in securing their current employment, and 99% say it was beneficial. Alumni in academia credit CSSS for “smoothing” their “launch onto the tenure track... [providing] a stocked toolkit to utilize” (a Social Work graduate) and note CSSS was “instrumental” to “the research that launched [their] career” (a Political Science graduate). As a Sociology grad attests, the benefits go beyond academic jobs: “grounding... via the CSSS track has absolutely served to set me apart from [the] crowd, both academically and in the private sector.” A Public Health graduate says, “[I] use my CSSS methods all of the time and reference my training in CSSS courses routinely. My skillset has been highly desired and marketable.”
Success at CSSS also provides an important signal to employers that gives our graduates an edge. A Political Science graduate says CSSS tracks are “a powerful credential while pursuing industry research positions,” a Social Work grad agrees “the certificate was an important signal... on the [academic] job market,” and a Sociology grad says, “CSSS is widely known and highly regarded. When I was on the job market, my CSSS certification made me more competitive.”
