New Undergraduate Major for School of Data Science and Society

Posted on March 12, 2024

Beginning this fall, the School of Data Science and Society will launch its first undergraduate degree programs.

The bachelor of science in data science will be housed in the school, while the bachelor of arts will be in the College of Arts and Sciences, which already offers a minor in data science to allow students across various disciplines to gain foundational data science knowledge.

The School of Data Science and Society launched in 2022 and introduced its online graduate program, the master of applied data science, last year. The bachelor of science program requires 60 to 62 credit hours focusing on advanced computational, statistical and mathematical principles of data science. It also focuses on quantitative foundations and interdisciplinary coursework.

“We are proud to launch the School of Data Science and Society’s first undergraduate degree,” Dean Stan Ahalt told University Communications. “Data science is part of almost everything in modern society, and we hope to produce data scientists that will excel and continue to contribute to our world well into the future.”

The bachelor of arts degree will be housed in the department of statistics and operations research and will provide applied data science training to students in a variety of career paths. Jim White, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, emphasized to University Communications that liberal arts backgrounds prepare students for their careers.