Mar 28, 2024  
2018-2019 Catalog and Handbook 
    
2018-2019 Catalog and Handbook [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Master of Science in Data Science


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Academic Director: Arthur O’Connor, PhD
CUNY School of Professional Studies
101 West 31st Street, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Email Contact: datascience@sps.cuny.edu

Effective Spring 2018 the M.S in Data Science has replaced the M.S in Data Analytics. Click here to view the curriculum prior to spring 2018 .

The Program

The MS in Data Science online degree program helps students earn the credentials and acquire the skills needed to enter or advance in the fast-growing field of data science.

Click HERE for an overview of the program.

Ranked last year as one of the top Master’s in Data Science worldwide as well as one of the Best Value Online Big Data Programs, the MS in Data Science online degree program offers foundational knowledge and hands-on programming competencies, resulting in project-based work samples similar to that of a programming boot camp.

The program’s learning objectives and demanding courses are designed around employer needs. Throughout their time in the program, students build portfolios of increasingly complex projects using popular programming languages such as R and Python, which mirror the current experiences and demands of the IT workplace. Students build predictive and prescriptive models, practice giving presentations, and review each other’s work in a convenient online setting, which ensures that they are equipped with the expertise most valued in today’s marketplace. The MS in Data Science program culminates with a capstone project that represents highly sophisticated, but practical, solutions to address real problems.

Additionally, the program’s faculty comprise committed and engaged technology practitioners who are experts in their fields. They invest time in building courses on the use of open source best-practice tools that satisfy high employer demands for quality programming and use of advanced techniques.

 

Admissions Criteria

Applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Applicants are required to write a personal statement, upload a resume, and provide two letters of recommendation. An individual interview may be necessary.

As an interdisciplinary field, we welcome applicants from diverse professional backgrounds. However, because the MS in Data Science is a highly quantitative and technical major as compared with MBA-like programs, acceptance requires applicants to demonstrate current skills in:

  1. Statistics and probability including descriptive statistics, skewness/kurtosis, histograms, statistical error, correlation, single variable linear regression analysis, significance testing, probability distributions, and basic probability modeling;
  2. Linear algebra including basic matrix manipulation, dot and cross products, inverse matrices, eigenvalues, representing problems as matrices, and solving small systems of linear equations;
  3. Programming in a high level language such as Python, Java, JavaScript, C++, C, Ruby, or SAS (2+ years). Applicants must be able to write working code from scratch;
  4. Relational databases including connecting to and manipulating data, working with tables, joins, basic relational algebra, and SQL queries. Two or more years of experience with Microsoft Access can be substituted if the applicant is able to perform the same operations without using Access’s graphical interface; and,
  5. Analytical thinking including the ability to translate real-world phenomena into quantitative representations and, conversely, the ability to interpret quantitative representations with practical explanations.

Skills in these areas will be assessed in two ways:

  1. Completion of credit bearing coursework with a grade of B or better from an accredited college or university OR 2+ years of relevant experience on a resume; and,
  2. Completion of a mandatory challenge exam that will assess current skill and knowledge in these areas.

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