Like Marie Kondo, do you love mess? Do you love taking unintelligible data and numbers and statistics and turning them into something that gives insight into patterns? Do you like working with computers and want to learn how to code and create software? Then data science might be for you.
Data science is one of the fastest-growing majors in the country and is quickly becoming a popular choice with our clients who are looking to secure a great career after graduation. Tons of schools offer data science degrees (and minors), but as you can expect, some of the top schools for data science are also some of the top schools, period. Let’s dive into some of the best schools for data science.
University of California – Berkeley
UC Berkeley’s data science major places a lot of emphasis on the intersection between technology and humanity in their data science major, which is pretty cool considering these fields are still pretty new in the timeline of education. Within the major, you choose from a ton of “Domain Emphases” which range from topics in humanities, arts, the sciences, and even law. This program is excellent if you’re interested in the intersections between data and the world at large.
Carnegie Mellon University
At Carnegie Mellon, the Statistics and Data Science program offers three majors – Statistics, Statistics and Machine Learning, and Economics and Statistics. Each offers a slightly different perspective on how to interpret data, and true Data Scientists will probably be more interested in the Statistics and Machine Learning major to tackle Big Data head-on. The program offers dozens of research opportunities, including 8 different interdisciplinary focuses and a bunch of Theory and Methodology research labs with cool names like “High-Dimensional Statistics” and “Clustering & Unsupervised Methods.” This program also prides itself on using only real-world data after it’s intro courses, so if you’re looking for a program that sets you up nicely for a career, this might be it.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Data Science? Being amazing at MIT? Groundbreaking.
MIT’s Computer Science, Economics, and Data Science major is offered jointly between the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the Department of Economics, or as they annoyingly call it, Course 6-14. Like many top-notch Data Science programs, their major focuses on the interdisciplinary uses of Data Science – especially on the applications to the business world. Their program is also heavy on traditional math concepts and game theory, which also serves their other focus for the major, advancing in academia.
Within the Schwarzman College of Computing, the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society also allows for in-depth research on Data Science and it’s application to the real world
Cornell University
The Information Science major in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell is your gateway into Data Science. Within the major, they offer a concentration in Data Science, which asks you to take the pre-reqs along with courses from topics such as Data Analysis, Domain Expertise, Data Ethics, Policy and Society and Data Communication. While not a cut and dry Data Science major, Info Sci strives to “allow students to study the design and use of information systems in a social context.” Are you noticing an interdisciplinary trend within this major?? We sure are.
Columbia University
Housed under the Computer Science program, Data Science at Columbia is a joint effort between the Statistics and Comp Sci majors. Unlike most of the schools we’ve covered here, Columbia’s major is extremely cut and dry. If you’re someone who’s interested in Data Science – and only Data Science, this might be the program for you. However, there are tons of places to get involved with interdisciplinary research, whether through the Data Science Institute or through their Undergraduate Research and Fellowship website.
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
The University of Michigan’s Data Science major is a collaboration between the College of Engineering and the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. Again, are we noticing a theme here with this major??? You can get either a BSE or a B.S. depending on which college you take this major through. Michigan also emphasizes focusing on ways Data Science can help in the fields of healthcare, sustainability, security, equity, and economics. Unlike some of the other programs, Michigan does not have as a robust undergraduate research infrastructure for Data Science, although there are programs available along with a thesis capstone.
Data Science is a relatively new field with a ton of applications to the real world, in almost field imaginable. But, lots of top colleges have adapted and have created majors, research labs, and institutes dedicated to the topic. If you’re interested in Data Science, start exploring the topic now to make sure it’s for you and to help your resume.
If you’d like help beefing up those extracurriculars or finding Data Science programs at other schools, contact us here.