Master of Science in Data Science

The M.S. in Data Science degree program educates students with the advanced knowledge, skills and tools necessary to analyze and interpret complex data and help solve real-world problems. Data science is an interdisciplinary field that combines expertise in statistics, computer science and domain-specific knowledge to extract valuable insights and knowledge from data. This degree program will prepare students to excel in using data to drive data-driven decision-making in various industries and domains. An M.S. in Data Science prepares students to work as data analysts, data scientists, machine learning engineers, data engineers, business analysts, research scientists, data consultants, etc. They may also specialize in specific domains like healthcare or biomedical data analysis and can find opportunities in government, startups, academia, and industry research.

In addition to the general admission requirements of the VCU Graduate School, the following requirement represents the minimum acceptable standards for admission:Applicants must have earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science, statistics, operations research, analytics, engineering, physics or a closely related quantitative discipline from an accredited institution of higher education. With program adviser approval, a maximum of six credits of graduate-level course work may be transferred from VCU’s non-degree status or from another accredited institution. Credits must be fewer than six years old from the time of admission and completed with a minimum grade of B (3.0). Credits applied to a degree previously earned at VCU or at another institution may not be transferred. Provisional admission may be granted when deficiencies exist. These deficiencies must be removed by the end of the first year of residence (or its part-time equivalent) when the student’s application will be re-examined. Courses that are remedial or designed to remove deficiencies will not be accepted for credit hours toward the fulfillment of the course requirements for the master’s degree.