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Data Science

  • Bachelor of Science

Data science is currently one of the most in-demand careers and is expected to continue to grow. For the past four years, Glassdoor (https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/the-best-jobs-in-america-2020/) has listed Data Scientist as the one of Best Jobs in America with a median base salary of $105,000 and a job satisfaction rating of 4.3 out of 5. Also included in the 2019 list of the 50 best jobs are job titles such as Analytics Manager, Data Engineer, Business Analyst and Data Analyst.

Many industries, government agencies, healthcare companies and non-profit organizations utilize data to inform their decision-making. Data scientists are problem solvers. They create algorithms, and computer programs to gather and clean data, then develop processes and models to analyze the data, and finally present the data to provide insights to solve problems. The skills necessary for data careers include computer programming, statistics, and data presentation skills. Data scientists also need to be creative, be able to communicate with colleagues and clients and collaborate with team members to develop innovative solutions.

What Can I Do With A Degree In Data Science?

Job Titles
Data scientist, Data Analyst, Quantitative Analyst, Business Analyst, Data Engineer

Industries
Retail, Banking, Healthcare, Public Health, Insurance, Sports, Energy, Technology, Government, Security

Curriculum Requirements

  • Requirements for a Bachelor of Science Degree in Data Science

    Data Science Required Courses
    DS 100 Intro to Data Science and Analytics - 3 credits
    CS Introduction to Python - 1 credit
    DS 300 Methods of Data Science and Analytics - 3 credits
    DS 350 Data Mining - 3 credits
    DS 370 Adv. Methods in Data Science - 3 credits
    DS 400 Data Science and Analytics Capstone - 3 credits

    Math Required Courses
    MA 111 Analytical Calculus I - 4 credits
    MA 112 Analytical Calculus II - 4 credits
    MA 311 Prob and Stats I - 3 credits
    MA 312 Prob and Stats II - 3 credits

    Computer Science Required Courses
    CS 110 C++ Programming I - 3 credits
    CS 111 C++ Programming II - 3 credits
    CS 170 Discrete Structures I - 3 credits
    CS 221 Data Structures - 3 credits
    CS 350 Database Concepts - 3 credits
    CS 355 Software Engineering (not every year) - 3 credits

    Application Electives choose 9 credits
    BA 106 Data Visualization - 3 credits
    BA 355 Advanced Business Analytics - 3 credits
    ES 220 Intro to GIS - 3 credits
    BL Bioinformatics (revised) - 3 credits
    INTS Health Analytics (to be developed) - 3 credits
    CS 255 Artificial Intelligence - 3 credits
    MA 251 Linear Algebra - 3 credits
    SO 248 Fundamentals of Epidemiology - 3 credits

Program Highlights

Results

The Saint Vincent degree is a comprehensive curriculum that gives students appropriate background in mathematics, computer science and statistics. It then builds on that rich base to develop skills in data analysis and data science. The capstone experience is a semester long group project that requires students to complete the full cycle of data analysis with real-world data. Students also apply their data science skills in a specific context such as business, healthcare, biology, or public health.

Students in the BS degree in data science will be able to

  • prepare and manage data,
  • utilize data analysis tools,
  • communicate with clients and colleagues,
  • explore key ethical questions, and
  • work effectively in teams.

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Students will prepare and manage data for analysis.
  • Students will utilize computer programming, statistical analysis, and machine learning models to analyze data.
  • Students will communicate with clients to develop the appropriate research question and then communicate their analysis and conclusions effectively to both colleagues and clients.
  • Students will explain the key ethical questions related to data science applying professional ethical systems as well as Catholic and Benedictine values.
  • Students will work effectively in teams utilizing project-management skills to complete projects.