First Graduates of Bachelor's in Computational Social Sciences Receive Their Degrees
On June 19, graduates of the Bachelor's in Computational Social Sciences, launched in 2022, received their at the HSE University's Cultural Centre. All the graduates have completed in-depth training in a social science discipline while developing advanced competencies in data analysis and mathematical modelling.
The Bachelor's in Computational Social Sciences (CSS Programme) is offered by the Faculty of Social Sciences, and its students also study programming and machine learning alongside those enrolled in the bachelor's programmes in Computing and Data Science, Applied Mathematics and Information Science (Faculty of Computer Science), and Economics and Data Science (Faculty of Economic Sciences and Faculty of Computer Science).
Direct admission to the CSS Programme was not available. Instead, students were selected at the beginning of the academic year from first-year students enrolled in the Psychology, Public Administration, Political Science, and Sociology programmes. Applicants to the CSS Programme were also required to pass an additional internal mathematics exam.
'Computational Social Sciences is an experimental programme, and celebrating its first graduates has special meaning for us. The idea for launching the programme emerged at the Faculty of Social Sciences in December 2020. Our goal was, on one hand, to transform perceptions of the social sciences and, on the other, to strengthen HSE University's leadership in computational social sciences in Central and Eastern Europe. I invite you to continue contributing to the programme's development by returning as guest speakers and sharing your achievements,' said Denis Stukal, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, in his address to the graduates.
'You have completed a unique programme—the first of its kind in Russia and the CIS—and I am glad it was launched while I was Dean of the Faculty and able to support it. The well-known political scientist Rein Taagepera, who successfully applied quantitative methods, once wrote that research should not be driven by methods or data alone but should begin with a clearly formulated problem, after which calculations may follow. You have been trained both to formulate problems in the social sciences and to carry out rigorous calculations, and this should serve as the foundation of your professional success,' said Andrei Melville, Academic Supervisor of the Faculty of Social Sciences.
First Deputy Dean Mikhail Mironyuk noted that predictable life ends at the university’s walls, and uncertainty begins. He expressed confidence that graduates of the CSS Programme are well prepared to face this uncertainty. He also added that some of them will remain at HSE University to pursue a master’s degree. Deputy Dean Maria Chumakova recalled that the faculty took a certain risk in launching the new programme, as did the first cohort of students, who—together with their teachers—stepped into the unknown and became 'co-authors of our product.' She wished the graduates success in continuing to take well-justified, meaningful risks throughout their lives, as a path to further growth.
'While modern algorithms and the availability of data have greatly simplified the search for patterns, remember that identifying meaning and underlying theory in those patterns remains a task for the human mind. Do not be afraid of difficulties; deepen your understanding of social processes, be creative, and contribute to a future we can be proud of together. The scientific way of thinking that lies at the core of this programme will always serve you well in life, regardless of your chosen path, and will help you achieve success,' said Evgeny Sedashov, Academic Supervisor of the CSS Programme.
Upon completion of the programme, graduates are awarded bachelor’s degrees both in their initially enrolled field and in Applied Mathematics and Information Science.
According to Evgeny Sokolov, Academic Supervisor of the Applied Mathematics and Information Science Programme, the idea of offering this field of study across other departments at HSE University raised concerns within the Faculty of Computer Science, as the discipline is quite challenging to master—even some students originally enrolled in the Applied Mathematics and Information Science Programme eventually fail or drop out. However, lecturers from the Faculty of Computer Science who taught courses to CSS Programme students reported positive impressions, and the students likewise had no complaints. 'Everything was as constructive and calm as possible, and the students were focused on results,' said Evgeny Sokolov.
Other faculty members who addressed the graduates with warm parting words included Andrey Akhremenko, Professor, and Kirill Kaimakov, Lecturer at the School of Politics and Governance; Olga Simonova, Academic Supervisor of the Bachelor's Programme in Sociology; Alexey Makarov, Head of the Department of Higher Mathematics, and Nina Sakharova, Associate Professor at the same department; as well as Maria Gordenko, Senior Lecturer at the Big Data and Information Retrieval School.
Ekaterina Kosova, Junior Research Fellow at the Laboratory for Cognitive Psychology of Digital Interface Users and doctoral student at the School of Psychology, said that working with students of the CSS Programme was her first experience as an academic supervisor. She highly praised their ability to advance both in their chosen field of social science and in data analysis. 'You were able to have your cake and eat is too, as it were, and I hope you will carry this experience forward and continue choosing multiple paths at once—for example, by not being afraid to combine science and business,' Kosova emphasised.
Upon receiving her diploma, Frantsuaza Li, graduate of the CSS Programme, thanked the faculty and other HSE University staff who contributed to making the programme a reality. In particular, she expressed gratitude to Evgeny Sedashov, quoting his words that a simple path is not always the right one, and noted that the graduates now carry this principle with them. In addition, according to Frantsuaza, her fellow graduates consistently question whether the methods they use are sufficiently robust and strive to understand what is happening in the world. 'This is a solid foundation for becoming a scientist, analyst, or researcher,' she concluded.
In an interview with the HSE News Service, Sofia Balanina said that she initially enrolled in the Bachelor's in Psychology and later passed the selection process for the CSS Programme. She is now a research assistant at the Laboratory for Cognitive Psychology of Digital Interface Users and works at Yandex, where she is involved in the development of the Yandex Alice AI text assistant.
'The combination of Psychology with Applied Mathematics and Information Science has significantly contributed to my training as a researcher. I study phenomenal and sensory consciousness, and a strong mathematical background allows me to conduct complex analyses and use new methods, such as modelling an individual without emotions or without sensory experience. At Yandex, in addition to skills in working with AI, knowledge of psychology is helpful for understanding user behaviour, as well as the ability to work with complex texts,' says Sofia.
She plans to enrol in a master’s programme in cognitive science or mathematics at HSE University and subsequently pursue doctoral studies.
After graduating from the HSE Lyceum, Grigory Kiryukhov first enrolled in the Bachelor's in Sociology and then in the CSS Programme. He combined his studies with work at the Laboratory for Experimental Economics and Finance and at the International Centre for the Study of Institutions and Development, and is currently an ML engineer at Sber, where he is involved in developing GigaChat, a Russian-language neural network.
'Knowledge of the social sciences helps formulate research problems and hypotheses, while competencies in data analysis allow us to operationalise these concepts: build aggregated databases, translate concepts into measurable indicators, and perform calculations. We had an excellent course on the sociology of organisations, which focused not on how to work in a corporation in practice, but on how to understand it and which theories to apply when interpreting what is going on. This perspective makes one’s transition from academia to a corporate environment more confident and engaging: I was able to understand how everything worked, which helped me adapt more easily. Somewhat surprisingly, the skill of meaningfully reading sociological texts also proved useful when studying articles on large language models,’ notes Grigory.
He does not consider any master’s programme at HSE University to be a direct continuation of the CSS Programme, so its graduates have a wide range of options. 'Evgeny Sedashov sparked my interest in political science, so one of my options is to pursue a master’s in Applied Politics. I am also considering MIEM for training as a network engineer,' says Grigory.
'Four years ago, my son made an independent decision to enrol in the Computational Social Sciences Programme, and our parental wisdom led us to trust his choice and not interfere. For three months, he prepared intensively for the mathematics entrance exam with the help of a friend who had won an all-Russian olympiad in the subject,' recalls Anna Kiryukhova, Grigory’s mother.
According to Anna, he studied 'sometimes boldly, sometimes timidly.' 'There were times when I helped him proofread texts, but waking him up on time has been—and remains—my key role,' she says. 'I am glad that Grigory wants to continue his studies. He has chosen the right path, and we fully support and trust him in this,' says Anna.
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