Program Overview

The Master of Science in Data Science (MSDS) program provides students with background and insights into the key mathematical and computer science issues involved in the analysis of massive data sets. Professionals with this expertise can work on behalf of organizations that collect tremendous quantities of data.  These organizations employ data scientists to develop effective solutions for distilling meaning from what would otherwise be a disorganized bundle of seemingly disconnected data points. Data Scientists specialize in developing solutions for organizations to accomplish this goal.

Data Science is a field of study within Computer Science that explores how large quantities of data can be efficiently stored, managed, queried, and summarized, and how massive data sets can be used for making predictions.  It uses mathematical theory and techniques from probability, statistics, linear algebra, and modeling, along with computer science concepts and skills in distributed storage, distributed processing, networks, security, human-machine interfaces, software development, and algorithms to develop software and systems that enable consumers of Big Data to identify critical data assets and interpret them. This field is inherently interdisciplinary, as the skills and concepts of data science are applied in the natural sciences, the social sciences, the humanities, healthcare, business, and education. Data scientists seem to play at the center of a new renaissance. The field must therefore be studied both for its inherent scientific and mathematical richness as well as for its immediate, specific application to diverse fields.

Experts in data science can find employment in a wide variety of industries and organizations, as virtually every enterprise can benefit from solutions that use data mining and analytics techniques. This program aims to prepare specialists who can develop software and hardware systems that manage large data sets and deploy them for solving solutions in specific disciplines.