The interdisciplinary degree is accessible to professionals with technical and non-technical backgrounds
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Data scientists who can interpret today’s massive flood of data, extract actionable insights and communicate them to diverse audiences are in demand in nearly every sector — from retail and industry to healthcare, government, education and more.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the number of jobs for data scientists will grow 36% by 2031. Nationwide, nearly 125,000 data scientist jobs were created between 2013 and 2023. Yet many of these positions—and many more will open—remain unfilled due to a shortage of trained data scientists. Bottom line: Almost every industry needs data scientists today, and the number of these jobs is expected to continue to grow.
Purdue University’s new 100% online Master of Science in Data Science addresses the need and high demand for trained data science professionals who can harness the power of data to drive innovation, efficiency and competitiveness. The interdisciplinary master’s program is designed for professionals with technical backgrounds but also offers an entry-level path for professionals from non-technical fields.
“This master’s degree in data science is specifically designed for online delivery and optimal online learning, making it accessible to professionals around the world,” said Dimitrios Peroulis, senior vice president of partnerships and online at Purdue. “The interdisciplinary curriculum is diverse, adaptable to students’ needs, and tailored for immediate practical application.”
Purdue’s online Master’s in Data Science includes core courses in the fundamentals of data science, machine learning and data mining, big data technologies and tools, data analytics, and data visualization and communication.
Students complete a capstone project where they work with an industry mentor and team to oversee a data science project from start to finish. This includes developing project timelines, allocating resources, and adapting strategies as the project evolves. The capstone project, modeled after the curriculum of The Data Mine, Purdue’s award-winning data science learning community, provides an opportunity to apply the knowledge gained throughout the master’s program to solve complex, real-world problems.
The online master’s program also offers the opportunity to earn industry-specific certificates alongside the master’s degree. Options include education, leadership and policy, smart mobility and transportation, data science in finance, spatial data science, geoinformation science, information technology project management, IT business analysis, and applied statistics.
The program was developed by an interdisciplinary group of faculty from Purdue University’s main campus, which includes the schools of Agriculture, Education, Engineering, Health Sciences and Humanities, Liberal Arts, Pharmacy, Natural Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine, as well as the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Polytechnic Institute, Purdue Libraries, and the Office of the Vice Provost for Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellows.
“Purdue’s new online master’s in data science leverages the real-world experience of faculty working in several different disciplines,” said Timothy Keaton, assistant professor of practice in Purdue’s statistics department, who helped develop the new degree. “This collaboration between experts in the application of data science in different fields provides a great opportunity to create engaging and meaningful curricula that cover many different potential areas of interest for our students.”
Students develop expertise in programming languages and are able to design and implement data-driven solutions. They learn to apply advanced technologies such as cloud computing and big data frameworks to effectively handle and process large data sets. They develop a deep understanding of machine learning algorithms and models and apply them to real-world scenarios. They also become competent in collecting, cleaning and analyzing diverse data sets.
The curriculum is also designed to teach learners data visualization and communication methods that enable them to create compelling visual representations of complex data to effectively communicate insights. It also applies storytelling techniques to clearly communicate insights to both technical and non-technical audiences. The program also covers compliance with ethical standards in data science, privacy, transparency, and fairness.
The program draws on Purdue’s expertise in myriad aspects of data science. Known for its focus on practical programs with proven value, Purdue has been ranked among the top 10 most innovative schools by U.S. News & World Report for six years in a row. According to the latest QS World University Rankings, Purdue is the eighth best public university in the U.S.
“The breadth and depth of topics encompassed by data science requires graduate programs that bring together expertise from a variety of disciplines and then integrate that into a curriculum to meet student needs,” said John Springer, a professor of computer science and information technology at Purdue University who helped develop the new degree. “Purdue’s unique approach to developing and delivering its new online master’s program fully meets these needs by leveraging a highly interdisciplinary team of Purdue faculty supported by Purdue’s outstanding team of curriculum designers.”
For more information about Purdue’s 100% online Master of Science in Data Science, visit the program website.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among the top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge at a quality and scale that is unmatched. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue University in all modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person at the West Lafayette campus. Purdue University’s main campus is committed to affordability and accessibility, freezing tuition for 13 consecutive years. Learn how Purdue never stops taking the next big step—including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes, and the One Health initiative—at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.
