Nowadays, data has permeated every corner of our lives.
Whether consumers are using facial recognition software for identity verification or purchasing products recommended by algorithms, more and more companies are choosing to collect and analyze data about customer behavior to improve the user experience.
This market demand has also created numerous job opportunities related to data analysis.
According to statistics, on Indeed.com (a U.S. local job search website), job postings related to Data Science grew by 75% from 2015 to 2018, and this trend is expected to continue.
According to a recent report by LinkedIn, there is a shortage of more than 150,000 data science workers nationwide. This talent shortage is particularly acute in major cities like New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
American universities are rapidly launching Data Science programs, and some are also establishing large research centers to support research and development in this emerging field.
At the same time, many schools are choosing to collaborate with industry to better align their curricula with workforce demands.
Data Science is primarily based on computer science, statistics, and mathematics. Students majoring in data science will learn computer programming, data analysis, and database systems, and will learn to think critically about the process of understanding data.
Data Science programs generally fall under the STEM category, making them an excellent choice for international students intending to intern or work in the United States.
We also share here some U.S. universities that are expected to make substantial investments in Data Science.
University of California, Berkeley:
UC Berkeley began offering an introductory data science course in 2015. The course quickly became one of the most popular in the college's history, with over 1,000 students enrolling per semester.
This prompted UC Berkeley to announce plans to establish an entire Department of Data Science, a move officials described as the "most profound transformation" of the university in years.
The department's center will not only benefit those in STEM fields but also aims to make data literacy accessible to students from all academic backgrounds across the university.
University of Chicago:
In 2018, the University of Chicago launched the Center for Data and Computing, an interdisciplinary center for data science and computation.
The center hopes to foster innovation by organizing and encouraging collaboration among researchers, faculty, and students. Building on the work of the University's Computation Institute, the new center is tasked with helping to expand the field of computing and applying its principles to a broader range of domains.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology:
In 2018, MIT announced a $1 billion investment to establish a new college of computing. This initiative represents the largest structural change at MIT in 70 years.
The new college plans to integrate work in computer science, data science, and artificial intelligence with the humanities and social sciences, aiming to cultivate "bilingual" talent for the future—individuals with academic backgrounds in fields like biochemistry, political history, or linguistics who can also apply modern computing techniques to these disciplines.
Boston University:
From the very beginning of planning its data science center, Boston University intended to make it large-scale.
The center will be housed in a 17-story building, taller than any other structure on campus. University officials say its architecture is also designed to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration. The lower floors will be for mathematics and statistics, the middle floors for computer science, and the top floors for cross-disciplinary work. The center is a response to the "explosive demand" in data science-related fields.
University of Virginia:
The University of Virginia (UVA) announced earlier this year that it is initiating the establishment of an interdisciplinary School of Data Science, thanks to a $120 million donation, the largest private gift in the university's history.
The school will offer graduate degrees, undergraduate degrees, and certificates to meet the growing student interest in this field. In addition to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration with other schools, it will also establish dedicated centers focusing on specific topics like machine learning, analytics, and visualization.
As an emerging field, there are relatively few schools offering standalone Data Science programs. Data science itself tends to be interdisciplinary, and many schools initially list it as a concentration within programs like Analytics.
Data Science programs have high academic requirements and are relatively difficult to get into, making them suitable for students with backgrounds in Computer Science, Math, or Statistics.
CheersYou（清柚教育） has also compiled a list of recommended master's programs in Data Science (in no particular order).
New York University - Master of Science in Data Science
Average graduate tuition: $39,936/year
Program Duration: 2 years
Curriculum: Data Science, Big Data, Machine Learning, etc.
Notes: Renowned program at a top university; very competitive.
Columbia University - Master of Science in Data Science
Average graduate tuition: $46,216/year
Program Duration: 3 semesters
Curriculum: Probability and Statistics, Algorithms for Data Science, Statistical Inference and Modeling, Machine Learning for Data Science, etc.
Notes: Renowned program at a top university; very competitive.
Carnegie Mellon University - Master of Computational Data Science
Average graduate tuition: $43,415/year
Program Duration: 16-20 months
Curriculum: Cloud Computing, Machine Learning, Interactive Data Science, etc.
Notes: Renowned program at a top university; very competitive.
Stanford University - Master of Science in Statistics: Data Science
Average graduate tuition: $50,703/year
Program Duration: 2 years
Curriculum: Mathematics, Statistics, Programming for Data Science, etc.
University of Chicago - Master of Science in Analytics
Average graduate tuition: $57,559/year
Program Duration: 3 semesters
Curriculum: Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics, Bayesian Methods, Time Series Analysis and Forecasting, etc.
Notes: Starting this year, the program no longer admits fresh undergraduates; work experience is required.
University of Southern California - Master of Science in Computer Science
Average graduate tuition: $44,712/year
Program Duration: 3 semesters
Curriculum: Data Systems and Data Analysis courses, Information Visualization, Building Knowledge Graphs, Optimization Theory and Techniques, etc.
Notes: High GPA requirement, but relatively large enrollment numbers.
University of Rochester - Master of Science in Data Science
Average graduate tuition: $36,696/year
Program Duration: 3 semesters
Curriculum: Computational and Statistical Methods, Health and Biomedical Sciences, Business and Social Sciences, etc.
Notes: As a newly established program, admission standards are unclear, and competitiveness can fluctuate significantly.
University of Virginia - Master of Science in Data Science
Average graduate tuition: $26,830/year
Program Duration: 11 months
Curriculum: Computer Science, Statistics, Systems and Information Engineering, etc.
Georgetown University - Master of Science in Data Science
Average graduate tuition: $49,560/year
Program Duration: 12 to 16 months
Curriculum: Data Analysis, Scientific and Analytical Visualization, Probabilistic Modeling and Statistical Computing, etc.
Notes: Small cohort size, making admission relatively competitive.
University of Washington - Master of Science in Data Science
Average graduate tuition: $27,801/year
Program Duration: 1.5-2.5 years
Curriculum: Statistical Modeling, Machine Learning, Software Engineering, Data Management, etc.
