Top 9 Master’s of Data Science Programs in Canada for 2021

The next time you’re considering a data science master’s degree, consider Canada

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Canada remains one of the top destinations for students looking to complete graduate studies as it boasts some of the top universities in the world, coupled with beautiful scenery from coast to coast and a rich, welcoming culture that makes anyone feel at home.

When it comes to a master's degree in data science, all of the top Canadian universities provide course or thesis-based programs that can compete with those from other universities around the globe. Each university listed below offers its own unique flavor in terms of courses and instruction delivery. Furthermore, all the universities are either located in or located near burgeoning tech hubs that offer graduates immediate employment opportunities.

The summaries listed below are the results of my personal research for the 2020/2021 academic year, and most of the information should be accurate for admission for the Fall 2021 semester. All of the information gathered comes directly from the institution's website. While all the information gathered was checked for accuracy, you will note that some tuition figures are marked with an asterisk to denote an unsure amount. Unfortunately, not every university makes it easy to determine how much tuition will cost. Therefore, take each tuition cost as an estimate of the actual tuition cost.

The universities mentioned below are in no particular order.

University of British Columbia — Master of Data Science

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• Tuition: CAD $32,473
• Program Duration: 10 months
• Location: Vancouver or Okanagan, British Columbia
• Credits: 30
• Courses: Programming for Data Science, Statistical Inference and Computation I, Data Science Workflows, Data Visualization II, Collaborative Software Development, Advanced Machine Learning, Web and Cloud Computing

University of Toronto — Master of Science in Applied Computing Concentration in Data Science

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• Tuition: CAD $11,220*
• Program Duration: 16 months — 8 months of courses, 8 months internship
• Location: Toronto, Ontario
• Credits: N/A
• Courses: Communications for Computer Scientists, Technical Entrepreneurship

University of Waterloo — Master’s of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence

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• Tuition: CAD $27,000
• Program Duration: 16 months
• Location: Waterloo, Ontario
• Credits: 36
• Courses: Exploratory Data Analysis, Introduction to Machine Learning, Data-Intensive Distributed Computing, Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, Data Visualization

University of Calgary — Master of Data Science and Analytics

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• Tuition: CAD $33,660
• Program Duration: 12 months
• Location: Calgary, Alberta
• Credits: 36
• Courses: Integrated Topics in Data Science and Analytics, Professional Internship in Data Science and Analytics/Research Internship in Data Science and Analytics

Simon Fraser University — Professional Master of Science in Computer Science Concentration in Big Data

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• Tuition: CAD $31,144
• Program Duration: 16 months
• Location: Burnaby, British Columbia
• Credits: 30
• Courses: Machine Learning, Distributed and Cloud Systems, Natural Language Processing, Data Mining, Programming for Big Data, Statistical Machine Learning, Deep Learning

Thompson Rivers University — Masters of Science in Data Science

• Tuition: CAD $24,480
• Program Duration: 24 months
• Location: Kamloops, British Columbia
• Credits: 32
• Courses: Data and Database Management for Data Science, Theoretical Machine Learning, Linear Models for Data Science, Statistical Design and Inference for Data Science

Western University — Master of Data Analytics

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• Tuition: CAD $28,500
• Program Duration: 12 months
• Location: London, Ontario
• Credits: N/A
• Courses: Business Skills for Data Scientists, Data Consulting, Databases, Introduction to Data Science, Statistical Modelling I, Statistical Modelling II, Unstructured Data

Ryerson University — Master of Science in Data Science and Analytics

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• Tuition: CAD $10,105*
• Program Duration: 12 months
• Location: Toronto, Ontario
• Credits: 32
• Courses: Designs of Algorithms and Programming for Massive Data, Machine Learning, Management of Big Data and Big Data Tools, Data Mining and Prescriptive Analysis, Advanced-Data Visualization, Deep Learning

University of Alberta — Master of Science in Statistical Machine Learning

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• Tuition: CAD $16,008*
• Program Duration: 24 months
• Location: Edmonton, Alberta
• Credits: 24 credits
• Courses: Statistical Quality Control and Industrial Statistics, Applied Statistical Methods for Data Mining, Discrete Data Analysis, Introduction to Natural Language Processing, Reinforcement Learning II

Rarely discussed compared to the data science programs in the United States or elsewhere in the world, Canada holds a treasure trove of data science master's degrees equal to those found anywhere else. Where better to study data science than in one of the most beautiful and welcoming countries in the world?

The next time you’re considering a data science master’s, consider Canada.