Universities Taking on Data Science
Here’s what NYU and other universities in the U.S. are doing to incorporate Data Science in their schools
The term “data science” was first coined by Dr. DJ Patil and Jeff Hammerbacher in 2008 to describe the process of extracting alternative meanings and insights from data collected from retail and business sectors. Now, data science is like an umbrella term for subject areas such as programming, statistics, data visualization, business intelligence, etc.¹ The data science career has been gaining heavy traction over the past 10 years, with an upwards growth of 650%².
Several universities have taken advantage of the field’s high demand and evolving job market by offering a course of study for those wanting to pursue a career in data science.
There are currently over 50 universities that offer a data science or similar degree for undergraduates, and this count reaches 100 when including universities offering a graduate data science degree³.
Besides making it possible for their students to obtain a data science degree, universities such as New York University (NYU) have dedicated labs to data science-related research. The NYU Center for Data Science (CDS), established in 2013, offers PhD, Masters, and Bachelors’ degrees in data science, as well as non-degree opportunities such as professional education and research⁴. One of the services hosted by the CDS includes the Data Science and Software Service (DS3), designed to give NYU researchers and faculty access to experts in data science and software engineering. The CDS also hosts seminars and speaker series for the NYU community⁵.
Some aspiring data scientists, rather than just seeking research openings or exploring coursework in their degree, also desire a sense of community. Fortunately, the Data Science Club (DSC) at NYU brings together students pursuing a data science minor, major, joint-major, or simply an interest in data science. They host hackathons, datathons, invite prominent speakers, and provide several learning opportunities for their members! They also have a blog called Random Forest, as you may already know, but in case you didn’t and would like to learn more about submitting your own work, you can follow this link. DSC is one of several student groups under CDS, and some others include Women in Data Science (WiDS) and the Diversity Affinity Student Group, both of which aim to promote inclusivity among the data science community at NYU⁶.
While I touch upon NYU heavily, partly because I am a student at NYU, other universities have also paved the way for future data scientists. Boston University (BU), for example, is building a 19-story Center for Computing and Data Sciences building in the middle of its campus. The exterior of the building resembles a stack of books, and the center will house statistics, mathematics, and computer science programs⁷.
University of Pennsylvania’s data science building, named after longest-serving Penn President Amy Gutman, was established just last year in October. The building includes a data science hub and research centers for cross-disciplinary models for computing, while also serving as the school’s form of outreach to data science and artificial intelligence⁸.
Northeastern University, Purdue University, Tufts University, and Drexel University, just like NYU and BU, offer extensive undergraduate data science degree programs that expose students to predictive analysis, data visualization and data mining while also covering foundational subjects such as probability, mathematics, and computer science.⁹ Other universities, such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Case Western Reserve University, offer undergraduates a joint data science major, which is data science accompanied by a subject of a related discipline such as computer science, economics, or data analytics.¹⁰
Data science varies school to school, but when it really comes down to it, the value doesn’t come from the degree, but the experiences that it comes with. Even so, the efforts universities are currently undertaking to embrace students passionate about data science suggests a promising future workforce.
References
[1] H. Esteves, Data Science What? (2019), Medium
[2] LinkedIn
[3] Bachelor Degree in Data Science — Guide to Choosing a Great Program, Discover Data Science
[4] About the NYU Center for Data Science, New York University
[5] Data Science and Software Services (S3), New York University
[6] Student Groups, New York University
[7] Center For Computing and Data Sciences Building, Boston University
[8] R. Ozio, E. Lerner, Penn Engineering reveals new data science building will be named Amy Gutmann Hall, Penn Today
[9] Best Colleges for Data Sciences and Analytics, College Transitions
[10] 6–14: Computer Science, Economics, and Data Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
