Undergraduate Programs | Department of Data Science

Data science spans academic fields in computer science and mathematics such as machine learning and statistical inference, probability, linear algebra, computer programming, software engineering, high performance computing, and cloud computing.

In this region and nationally, there is a critical and growing need for producing a workforce skilled in data science throughout industry, labs, and government. Various faculty members in the Ying Wu College of Computing, the Department of Mathematical Sciences, and the broader university are already engaged in research that falls under the umbrella of data science, such as bioinformatics, medical informatics, image processing, data mining, big data, cyber-security, and cloud computing. In informatics there are faculty working in information integration, biomedical text mining, search engines, recommender systems, deep learning for ecological data, social media analysis, and knowledge engineering. Faculty from mathematical sciences, physics, management, and engineering are engaged in analyzing large datasets that usually involve statistical inference, machine learning, and high-performance computing. Thus, the scope of the field of data science extends across the university.

The B.S. in Data Science is a joint program co-managed by the Department of Data Science at Ying Wu College of Computing and the Department of Mathematical Sciences in the College of Science and Liberal Arts.

Students are encouraged to apply directly to the department that offers their concentration of interest (YWCC for Computing, and Mathematical Sciences for Statistics). The concentrations share significant coursework. Fourteen (14) courses are required by both concentrations, eleven (11) courses are required by one concentration and an elective in the other concentration, and nineteen (19) courses are shared electives. In addition, both concentrations require a two-semester senior project-based course. Students may request to transfer between the concentrations prior to their fourth semester.