MS in Data Science

The official policies for this program may be found in the CS Department Bulletin. If there is any conflict between this webpage and the official policies, then the official policies have precedence. 

The MS in Data Science is offered jointly by the departments of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering. The program prepares students for future careers and/or further study in Data Science. The MSDS is a one-year program that may be completed either in nine or 12 months of study, or at a student's own pace. Requirements for the degree include a minimum of 30 semester hour units of study.

The MSDS is built upon a disciplinary core of statistics and machine learning, with depth provided by courses in each of the following:

1. Data infrastructure and systems: those systems and strategies that are core to interacting with data, including computer networks, computer security, internet-scale systems, cloud computing, and others.
2. Data analysis and interfaces: those components of computing concentrated around effective human interaction with computers, including human-computer interaction, graphics, visualization, and others.
3. Computational and theoretical aspects of data science: foundations including information theory, signal and image processing, and numerical analysis.
4. Practice of Data science: examples of effective use of Data Science in practice, including case studies and applications of Data Science principles to real-world problems.

Prerequisites for the MS in Data Science include a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field, including Mathematics, Science, Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline.