SCWK 9965 Advanced Quantitative Methods for Social Work Research

This course provides students with an introduction to quantitative approaches for assessing the impacts of policies and programs. The focus is on understanding these methods intuitively and applying them, rather than delving deeply into their mathematical foundations. Students will explore the practical application, strengths, and limitations of randomized experiments and quasi-experimental designs through analysis and critique of examples from social work and health-related literature. The goal is to build students skills as both consumers and producers of applied empirical research. Additionally, the course includes hands-on experience with Stata, covering tasks such as data cleaning, management, and analysis of quantitative data. Prerequisites: At least one semester, but preferably one year, of graduate-level statistics, with experience in linear and logistic regression analysis. Stata statistical software will be used in the course.

Course overview

Department
Social Work
School
SSW
Credits
3
Level
Graduate
Offered
Annually

Course evaluations

Response-weighted averages from Boston College’s official course evaluations (Avalanche/Blue).

Course rating
4.89 / 5 · Excellent
9 responses
Instructor rating
5.00 / 5 · Excellent
9 responses
Terms evaluated
2
Most recent: Summer 2025

Scales: overall ratings run from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent); agreement questions from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree); weekly effort from 1 (up to 1 hour) to 5 (10 or more hours).

Evaluations by term and instructor
TermInstructorCourse overallInstructor overallWell organizedClear learning objectivesIntellectually challengingHelpful assignmentsApplicable beyond courseAttendance necessaryWeekly effortResponses
Summer 2025Indrani Saran5.05.05.05.05.05.04.74.7—3 of 4
Summer 2024Indrani Saran4.85.04.74.74.74.85.04.84–6 hrs/week6 of 11

Data freshness

Course and evaluation data last updated 2026-10-09. Source details and limitations are documented in Data Sources and Methodology.

Instructors