Odum Institute for Research in Social Science

What Odum Institute for Research in Social Science does

The Odum Institute for Research in Social Science, founded in 1924 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is one of the oldest continuously operating social science research support centers in the United States. It operates as an academic unit within the UNC system, serving UNC students, faculty, and staff as its primary constituency while also extending services to government agencies, corporations, and non-profit researchers. The institute functions across four interlocking service lines: research methodology education (100+ short courses annually and a fully online 12-hour graduate Certificate in Survey Science), hands-on consulting in quantitative, qualitative, and survey methods, management of UNC's Qualtrics site license, and stewardship of the Odum Institute Archive Dataverse, one of the largest social science data repositories in the U.S.

Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of tuition and registration fees for short courses ($30-$130 per course with tiered pricing for UNC affiliates versus external participants), graduate certificate tuition, grant funding (approximately $2.5 million in ongoing grant budget with $807,000 in new awards in 2021 from NSF, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), and paid consulting services for grant-funded faculty projects and external organizations. The institute's technology stack includes Qualtrics for survey delivery, SAS, Stata, SPSS, and R for statistical analysis, ATLAS.ti and MAXQDA for qualitative analysis, and proprietary tools including Project ImPACT (privacy-assured computations) and CoRe2 (confirmable reproducible research environment).

Distribution combines self-serve online registration through the UNC events system for short courses, formal graduate school admission for the Certificate in Survey Science, and direct engagement with academic and institutional partners including RTI International, Joint Program in Survey Methodology, Duke Social Science Research Institute, and IFDO's network of 35 international data archives. The institute operates from a single Chapel Hill headquarters with global reach enabled by online course delivery and international short course attendance.

Name

Odum Institute for Research in Social Science

Legal name

The Odum Institute for Research in Social Science at UNC Chapel Hill

Website

https://odum.unc.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Odum Institute for Research in Social Science, founded in 1924 at UNC Chapel Hill, provides social science research methodology education, statistical and survey consulting, and data archiving services to UNC students and faculty as well as government, corporate, and non-profit researchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research and Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Open Courseware & Course Modules (OCW) (EDAGAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Open Educational Resources (OER) & Curriculum Repositories (EDAFACAJ), Open Educational Resources (OER) & Open Access Academic Publishing (MPAJABAG), Scientific & Laboratory Reference (Chemistry, Biology, Physics; Methods & Protocols) (EDAGAGAG)

Keywords

• Social science research
• Survey methodology training
• Statistical consulting services
• Qualitative research methods
• Research data archives

Headquarters

HQ city

Chapel Hill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Graduate Certificate Program Tuition: The Certificate in Survey Science is part of the UNC Graduate School certificate program. Students pay tuition for semester courses and short course registration fees. UNC employees with permanent positions working 30+ hours per week are eligible for tuition and fee waivers.
2. Short Course Registration Fees: Revenue from registration fees for short courses offered to UNC students, faculty, staff, and external participants from government agencies, corporations, and non-profits. Pricing varies by participant category (UNC student, faculty/staff, university affiliates, government/non-profit/corporate).
3. Grant Funding: Staff awarded $807,000 in new grant funding in 2021, with total budget of $2.5 million for ongoing grant-funded projects. Funding sources include NSF, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and other federal agencies.
4. Consulting Services: Free short consultations to UNC students, faculty and staff. Paid data collection services primarily for grant-funded faculty projects and partnerships with non-UNC organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Odum Institute provides research methodology education and consulting services to social science researchers, anchored by a fully online graduate Certificate in Survey Science, over 100 annual short courses, and hands-on statistical, qualitative, and survey methodology consulting. It also maintains one of the largest social science research data archives in the U.S. and manages UNC Chapel Hill's Qualtrics site license for web surveys.

Product overview

The Odum Institute for Research in Social Science is a research support and education center at UNC Chapel Hill offering a platform of services including educational programs (Short Courses, Certificate in Survey Science, workshops), consulting services (quantitative, qualitative, and survey methodology), research data archives (Odum Institute Data Archive via Dataverse), and AI-focused research tools (Odum AI in Research). The Short Courses and Certificate in Survey Science form the core educational offerings, supported by consulting services for research methodology. The institute also manages Qualtrics access for UNC and provides platform support as a complementary service. Annual programs like Data Matters and QRSI extend the educational platform reach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Data Matters: Annual week-long data science workshop series
• Odum Mixed Methods Learning Series
• Odum AI in Research

Products and services

• Short Courses Over 100 short courses offered annually covering qualitative analysis, data collection methods, data science and statistical analysis, AI and research, and professional development topics in social and behavioral sciences. Open to UNC students, faculty, staff, and external participants from government agencies, corporations, and non-profits.
• Certificate in Survey Science (CSS) A fully online 12-hour graduate certificate program teaching specialized skills in survey design, data collection methods, data analysis and reporting. Includes required semester courses, elective courses, short course requirements, and 40 hours of supervised work experience. Administered through UNC Graduate School.
• Quantitative and Qualitative Methods Consulting Services Hands-on consulting and instruction for faculty, graduate students, and researchers on advanced quantitative and qualitative methods, research design, and statistical analysis. Includes SAS, Stata, R, ATLAS.ti, and MAXQDA software support.
• Survey Methodology Services Consultation and services on questionnaire design and pre-testing, web and mail survey data collection, sample design and weighting, and data analysis and visualization. Includes management of UNC's Qualtrics web survey platform site license.
• Odum Institute Data Archive Houses one of the largest catalogs of social science research data in the U.S., including Harris Polls, North Carolina Vital Statistics, and the most complete collection of 1970s U.S. Census data. Operated as a Dataverse repository.
• Odum AI in Research (AIR) AI-focused courses and workshops exploring artificial intelligence applications in social science research, including AI-assisted surveys, prompt engineering, and AI tools in qualitative software. Developed in collaboration with UNC Libraries.
• Data Matters Annual week-long data science workshop series featuring courses in Data Analysis, Deep Learning, Visualization, and Programming led by expert instructors from universities across the country.
• Qualitative Research Summer Intensive (QRSI) Annual immersive professional development course series for qualitative scholars, researchers, and students, hosted in partnership with ResearchTalk.
• Odum Mixed Methods Learning Series (MIX) Three-day virtual series of short courses for researchers seeking to strengthen skills in conducting inquiry that integrates quantitative and qualitative methods.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2750+ consultations provided to 860+ clients in 2021
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered strategic and core.

• ResearchTalkstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026ResearchTalk partners annually with the Odum Institute to host the Qualitative Research Summer Intensive (QRSI), a rich immersive professional development course series for qualitative scholars, researchers, and students.
• RTI InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024RTI International has collaborated with the CSS program since its origins in 2003. RTI provides senior staff as course instructors, cosponsors speakers, and provides student work experience opportunities and administrative support. CSS program staff members have also enrolled in the program at RTI.
• Joint Program in Survey Methodology (JPSM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJPSM at the Universities of Maryland (College Park) and Michigan (Ann Arbor) has been a partner in teaching courses and sharing knowledge with the CSS program since its founding.
• UNC Departments of Sociology and BiostatisticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThese UNC departments have contributed faculty time and courses, and provided student work experience opportunities in support of the Certificate in Survey Science program.
• Social Science Research Institute at Duke UniversitystrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerMost recent partner, providing course support, work experience opportunities, and shared courses with the CSS program.
• UNC LibrariesstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on AI for Research (AIR) series - driving innovation in research by combining Odum Institute expertise with University Library resources to streamline workflows and uncover hidden patterns.
• International Federation of Data Organizations (IFDO)coreTechnology or IntegrationIFDO has 35 social science archives on its roster globally. Odum Institute participates in international collaboration to promote replicability of research findings and sharing of research data.
• CoreTrustSealstrategicTechnology or IntegrationOdum's participation in CoreTrustSeal facilitates certification of data repositories around the world, increasing trust, quality, and access to valuable research inputs.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RTI International: Non-profit research institute with deep expertise in survey methodology and social science research; a core Odum partner that provides instructors and collaborates on the Certificate in Survey Science. Directly comparable as a major survey research and methodology provider serving government and academic clients.
• Joint Program in Survey Methodology (JPSM): University-based consortium (Maryland/Michigan) offering graduate-level training in survey methodology. Directly comparable as an academic peer delivering curriculum, training, and research collaboration in survey science—the same domain as Odum's Certificate program.
• Duke Social Science Research Institute (SSRI): Duke University's hub for social science research methodology, training, and data services. Directly comparable as a peer academic research-institute offering methodology support, training, and partnerships to social scientists in a university setting.
• ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research): University of Michigan-based international consortium that archives and distributes social science data and provides training in quantitative methods. Directly comparable to Odum as a major social science data archive and methodology training provider.
• NORC at the University of Chicago: Independent research organization affiliated with the University of Chicago, providing survey research, statistics, and methodology services to government and academic clients. Directly comparable as a university-affiliated research organization offering methodological expertise and survey services.
• Westat: Employee-owned research firm providing statistical and survey research services to government agencies and academic institutions. Directly comparable as a competitor in survey methodology, data collection, and research support services.
• ResearchTalk: Qualitative research training and event organizer co-hosting the QRSI series with Odum. Directly comparable as a qualitative methodology training provider and conference partner serving the same researcher community.

Broad incumbents

• Mathematica: Large non-profit research and consulting firm providing data analytics, program evaluation, and survey research across policy domains. Broadly comparable as a major incumbent providing research and consulting services, though operating at much greater scale and across many fields beyond social science.
• Abt Associates: Global research and consulting firm delivering survey research, program evaluation, and policy analysis to government and commercial clients. Broadly comparable as an incumbent competitor in research methodology and survey services, though broader in scope than Odum's social science focus.

Others

• SAGE Research Methods: Publisher of research methodology content, datasets, and training resources used by social scientists. Adjacent to Odum as an enabler of research methodology education through content and tools, rather than a direct service competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/OdumInstitute
• Facebookfacebook.com/OdumInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/odum-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/unc_oduminstitute
• Xx.com/Odum_Institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Odum Institute for Research in Social Science