Bachelor of Science in Data Science

As a Data Science major, you will develop quantitative and computational skills to solve real-world problems. Customize the degree to fit your interests by choosing a focus area to create a degree with practical applications. Data is being collected constantly, whether we realize it or not. “Big data” is more than numbers – it’s images, tweets, locations. New industries like digital humanities and computational social sciences are appearing at the intersection of traditional fields of quantitative study, and this major is training students to understand and support these emerging needs. Data science is an interdisciplinary field with roots in applied mathematics, statistics and computer science. With increasing employment demands across many STEM, health, social sciences and humanities fields, WVU seeks to meet this need with a new Bachelor of Science in data science. A key component to the Data Science major is its 12-hour focus area. Working with their academic advisers, Data Science students will take classes in a discipline related to their interests and career goals. Students can choose their area of emphasis among academic areas including the social sciences, humanities and sciences. Examples include astronomy, biology, criminology, geography, geology, GIS, physics, public health, psychology and sociology. We are in the midst of a data science revolution. The mining, analysis and visualization of large data sets are now front and center and influencing all aspects of our daily lives. From how we shop to how we travel, and all the decisions made in between, the need for professionals who can apply the techniques of modern data analysis to solve problems across the public and private sectors has opened up tremendous potential for employment immediately upon graduation. While many graduates will go on to work with big tech, others will find careers across industries including healthcare, business and government.

First Time Freshmen are admitted to the major directly. For the timely completion of the degree, it is recommended that students have a minimum MATH ACT of 22, a MATH SAT of 540, or an ALEKS score of 45.
Students transferring from another WVU major with fewer than 29 credits must have completed MATH 126 with a grade of C- or higher; students who have completed 30 or more credits must have completed MATH 154 or MATH 155 with C- or higher and have earned a 2.0 overall GPA.

English Language Requirements: TOEFL Internet-Based = 79; IELTS = 6.5; Duolingo English Test = 105, Pearson Test of English Academic = 53. In some cases, SAT reading or ACT English test scores may be used to meet English Proficiency.