Online Bachelor of Science in Data Science

The behavioral sciences track positions you for data science careers centered on human behaviors and attitudes, cognitive science, human development and medicine, as well as prepares you for graduate training in quantitative psychology, human development, education and biostatistics. In the behavioral science track, you'll learn about behavioral science research design, as well as foundational and advanced data analytic techniques. These will enable you to determine underlying causes of behavior, generate predictive models using supervised learning algorithms and cluster individuals using unsupervised learning techniques. In addition to gaining core data science skills, you'll obtain an in-depth understanding of human behavior.

Bioscience

The bioscience track teaches you how to apply computational skills to life sciences research. In the life sciences, employers need professionals who can understand and interpret data. In even higher demand are people who also have experience using new, computational approaches and computer programs to process data. As a student in the biosciences track, you’ll learn a variety of computational approaches to analyze, visualize and interpret life sciences data. This enables you to delve into the ethical implications of collecting, analyzing and sharing the results of computational life sciences data.

Business analytics

In the business analytics track, you’ll learn how to be an effective data scientist within a business environment. You’ll be capable of answering questions related to business concerns such as forecasting, customer classification, demand prediction, yield management and pricing optimization. These questions drive strategy and define success for enterprises and industries alike. The demand for business-savvy data scientists is growing exponentially, along with their earning potential. In the business analytics track, you’ll discover the intersection of business and data science within a top-ranked program.

Social science

The social science track provides you with the knowledge and skills to understand and analyze how macro-scale patterns of organization and social structures emerge from individual behavior and decentralized decision-making. As a student in the social science track, you’ll develop competencies in recognizing signatures of complex adaptive systems in which macro-scale patterns emerge from micro-scale interactions in social science applications, such as the spatial patterning of human settlements and the emergence of cities, the evolution of culture and the dynamics of social networks.

Spatial science

Everything happens somewhere. The spatial science track will offer you a unique angle for analyzing the world with geospatial big data that’s being generated in real-time today. Types of geospatial data might include streaming data from the IoT (Internet of Things) related to smart cities, satellite remote sensing imagery depicting the Earth’s changing environment, business transaction records or GPS (Global Positioning System) tracks of vehicles in a supply chain. This track will broaden and deepen your horizon in data analytics and data science and empower you to become very competitive in the future job market.

What data science skills will I learn?

You’ll develop a strong background in data-related skills that are beneficial to solving practical issues in a variety of fields. You’ll learn how modern science and technology use sophisticated mathematical, statistical and computational tools to extract patterns from large, complex and often unordered data sets. Students in the program will become proficient in machine learning and data mining; invaluable technologies with applications as diverse as detecting fraudulent online credit card transactions, understanding the dynamic of social movements and personalizing medical treatments based on a tumor’s unique genetic profile.

The program has a mathematical core consisting of linear algebra, statistical inference and classification, data mining, machine learning and associated computer methods. Additionally, you’ll expand your teamwork, critical thinking, programming, research and coding skills.

Is a data science degree worth it?

It’s estimated there’s a shortage of more than 100,000 data analysts in America. This creates a high demand for individuals who can think critically and provide use analysis of the world around them through large data sets. Earning a data science degree and becoming a proficient user and producer of data will assist you being an ideal candidate to fill these in-demand, high-earning roles. You’ll graduate prepared for a career that inspires global change through data science.