The University of Edinburgh - Edinburgh Futures Institute
MSc in Data, Inequality and Society
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
MSc
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
30 Jul 2026
EARLIEST START DATE
14 Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 32,000 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for international students | 18900 GBP for UK citizens
Key Summary
What makes societies inclusive? How do data practices describe, amplify or confront problems of marginalisation and inequality?
This innovative MSc programme from Edinburgh Futures Institute brings advanced, cross-disciplinary knowledge together with insights from sector leaders and experts who are committed to building inclusive and equitable global societies.
Through a combination of critical analysis, creative thinking, and collaborative problem-solving, you will build the skills to investigate the roots of inequality, evaluate their impacts, and design data-informed strategies for positive social change.
What you will study
Inequality and exclusion lie at the heart of the ‘wicked problems’ that societies face today.
Through this programme, you will examine the social, political, and economic forces that generate and maintain inequalities and investigate the effects of inequalities on people and communities across the globe.
You will explore the role of data in creating and exacerbating inequality and exclusion, and will analyse how the rapidly changing data landscape is interacting with existing inequalities along multiple dimensions, including those of class, gender, ethnicity, religion, age, geography, and citizenship.
Crucially, this programme goes beyond critique to consider how inequalities can be addressed. You will learn about inclusive practices that aim to create more just societies, meeting and interacting with professionals who are leading their own projects of inclusion.
You will evaluate the possibilities for data systems and practices to contribute to efforts to address inequalities and will conduct your own project to dive deeper into a particular inequality issue or inclusive practice.
Developing skills to lead change
Over the course of the programme, you will develop your own understanding and ability to lead in building future inclusive societies by:
- working with leading-edge knowledge
- applying insights to a project you care about
- developing essential creative and practical skills to support your work
You will also have access to sector experts and leading researchers addressing how we build and sustain more equitable societies. By supporting you to engage critically, this programme will help you develop your ability to lead positive change.
Programme benefits
- Learn from world-leading experts: Study with leading academics from across the University of Edinburgh and gain insights from practitioners leading real-world inclusion projects.
- Apply your ideas to real-world challenges: Collaborate with external organisations and apply your skills to a real-world issue of inequality, gaining valuable practical experience and professional connections.
- Graduate ready to make an impact: You will be ready to address complex problems through critical thinking, innovative approaches, teamwork and collaboration.
If you are a University of Edinburgh graduate, you will be eligible for a 10% discount on your tuition fees for this programme. You may also be eligible if you were a visiting undergraduate student.
You can apply for scholarships from a variety of institutions, including:
- the University of Edinburgh
- government agencies
- research councils
- charitable trusts
- external bodies like private companies
Students on this MSc programme will study a range of courses to complete 180 credits, including:
- core courses specific to your programme
- a choice of option courses
- a project
Core courses
Your core courses form a significant part of your studies. They provide essential knowledge and skills specific to your area of study and a strong foundation for the rest of your degree.
In your core courses, you will explore topics such as:
- an interdisciplinary exploration of where social, political, cultural and economic exclusions and inequalities come from, and their effects
- an introduction to the many inclusive practices that seek to build fairer and more just societies, within and sometimes outside the capitalist system
Option courses
Alongside your core courses, you’ll shape your degree by choosing from a wide range of EFI option courses, taught by academic staff from across the University.
Our portfolio evolves each year in response to emerging trends, topics, and new research. You can choose from courses on themes such as:
- how the climate crisis is connected to health
- the inter-relationship of place, people and nature in urban regeneration
- critical perspectives on how new technologies are changing society
- data, programming and research skills that build on your core expertise
- how new and rapidly changing technologies and data sources are transforming the future of democracy
- what the future of education might look like
- how narratives drive the way we understand the world
- service design and service management in a data-driven society
- current challenges and futures for the creative industries
The project
Your final project brings together everything you have learned, giving you the opportunity to apply your learning in depth to a domain, issue or concern which drives you. Your final project can be:
- based on your own personal or professional interests
- defined by your employer
- sponsored by one of the Futures Institute’s industry, government, or community partners
- aligned to one of our research programmes
You will submit your final project as a written piece of work or combine text with other forms – for example:
- video
- visualisation
- a digital artefact
- performance
- code
You will begin to identify your project topic relatively early in the programme, and work on it in parallel with the taught courses. We expect you to take an interdisciplinary approach to your project to connect with the creative, data and future-orientated nature of EFI.
On successful completion of this programme, you will be able to:
- characterise and analyse the extent and dimensions of social inclusion in any given institutional and human situation
- design creative solutions for improving the inclusiveness of programmes, projects and policies, across sectors
- draw on and combine different disciplines/viewpoints when analysing the inclusiveness of societies and designing solutions
- work efficiently on complex projects of inclusion, together with teams that are diverse and values-driven
- draw fully on data in all above endeavours, maintaining a critical stance on data production and usage
You will develop a solid understanding of data-driven decision-making in projects of inclusion and development in a broad range of contexts, as well as the analytic, research, and creative skills required to approach challenges in new, robust, and data-informed ways.
Graduates will be well-positioned to enter the job market as vital “translators”, bridging the gap between data scientists and decision-makers at strategic or operational levels, taking up roles across the private, public and third sectors.
Potential roles include:
- project, programme and policy advisers
- analysts
- coordinators
For experienced professionals, the programme offers a platform for career progression or transition into leadership roles in projects with a strong data and/or inclusion focus.
The core elements of the programme address the data and higher-order skills we know are important for the future of work, confident and critical citizenship, and a thriving, just society.