Data Science, M.S.
| Degree: | Master of Science (M.S.) |
| Major: | Data Science |
| Certificates: | Advanced Data Science Data Science |
| Department: | Mathematics & Statistics Building 4, Room 223 850-474-2276 http://uwf.edu/mathstat |
| College: | Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering |
| CIP Code: | 11.0802 |
| Semester Hours Required For Degree: 30 | |
The M.S. in Data Science (M.S.D.S) offers students who hold bachelor’s degrees in mathematics, statistics, computer science, engineering, business, health or related fields an opportunity to broaden their knowledge in the field of data science. Data Science is an interdisciplinary field consisting of mathematics, statistics, computer programming, data management, machine learning, and visualization. Data scientists are trained to capture, maintain, process, and analyze data from large and complex data. Students in the M.S.D.S. program will learn to extract and communicate meaningful information from data sets and become capable of communicating their findings in a way that positively affects decisions in business, healthcare, industry, government, and the defense industry. Graduates with the ability to understand and use big data are already being employed by institutions and industries including government, healthcare, scientific research facilities, and colleges and universities. Students who graduate with the M.S.D.S. will be able to manipulate, manage, and interpret data suitable to the employer's needs. The M.S.D.S. program is designed for students seeking careers in science, industry, or government; or for students who plan to pursue doctoral studies.
Admission Requirements
The selection of the applicants in Data Science tracks is based on the appropriate department approval. Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering will determine the selection of applicants in the Analytics and Modeling track. The Lewis Bear Jr. College of Business will determine the selection of students in the Analytics of Business Decisions track; and the Usha Kundu, MD College of Health will determine the selection of students in the Health Analytics track.
In addition to the University graduate admission requirements described in the Admissions section of the catalog, the applicant must meet the following minimum departmental admission requirements for regular admission:
- have obtained a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
- have a minimum of 3.0 GPA ("B" or better average) on the undergraduate credits.
If an applicant does not meet the above requirements, they may be considered for conditional admission. Please contact the department for more information.
- An applicant may be fully admitted if the student has all required undergraduate proficiency courses.
- An applicant may be provisionally admitted subject to completing the required undergraduate proficiency courses.
With the approval of the department, a maximum of six credit hours may be transferred into the program.
Prerequisite Course Requirements
Students seeking the M.S. in Data Science must have completed the following courses below prior to admission:
All students in the Master of Science in Data Science program must complete the following core courses. A grade of 'C' or better is required in all courses with an institutional GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Core Requirements
| STA 5176 | Statistical Modeling | 3 |
| STA 6235 | Modeling in Regression | 3 |
| IDC 6940 | Capstone Projects in Data Science | 3 |
| Total Hours | 9 | |
Track Options
In addition to fulfilling core requirements, students will choose to pursue one of three tracks:
Analytics and Modeling Track
| Department approved 5/6000-level electives. A maximum of 9 semester hours may be at the 5000-level. | 9 | |
| Choose four courses from the following list. Selection is based on Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering advisor approval. | 12 | |
| Database Systems | ||
| Machine Learning * | ||
| Machine Learning for Data Science * | ||
| Advanced Big Data Analytics ** | ||
| Big Data Analytics for Data Science ** | ||
| Data Mining | ||
| Multivariate Methods | ||
| Complex Networks | ||
| Time Series Analysis | ||
| Applied Bayesian Analysis | ||
| Deep Learning for Data Science | ||
| Total Hours | 21 | |
Analytics of Business Decisions Track
| Department approved 5/6000-level electives. A maximum of 9 semester hours may be at the 5000-level. | 9 | |
| Choose four courses from the following list. Selection is based on Lewis Bear Jr. College of Business advisor approval. | 12 | |
| Operations Management Problems | ||
| Advanced Business Intelligence Applications | ||
| Big Data Mining: A Managerial Perspective | ||
| MBA Foundations: Financial Management I * | ||
| MBA Foundations: Management Skills and Applications * | ||
| Accounting for Decision Making ** | ||
| Total Hours | 21 | |
Health Analytics Track
| Department approved 5/6000-level electives. A maximum of 9 semester hours may be at the 5000-level. | 9 | |
| Choose four courses from the following list. Selection is based on Usha Kundu, MD, College of Health advisor approval. | 12 | |
| Bioinformatics and Data Science | ||
| Epidemiology for Public Health Professionals | ||
| Disease Surveillance and Monitoring | ||
| Health Informatics | ||
| Quantitative Foundations and Data Analysis for Health Admin | ||
| Quality Improvement Processes in Health Organizations | ||
| GIS Applications in Public Health | ||
| Total Hours | 21 | |
Certificate in Advanced Data Science
The Certificate in Advanced Data Science is an online program. Online courses are offered asynchronously. Students admitted to the certificate program must complete the three courses (for a total of 9 semester hours) listed below earning a grade of "C" or better in each course and secure a combined grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Students are expected to complete the program in at most 3 semesters.
Admission Requirements
To be considered for admission into the University of West Florida’s online Data Science Certificate program, you must be admitted into the University as a graduate non-degree seeking student.
Program Requirements
Prospective students for this certificate must contact the graduate advisor from the Department of Mathematics & Statistics to start the Declaration of Certificate process before the drop/add period of the semester of completion. To earn the certificate, students must complete the courses listed below within five years of admission into the program, earn a grade of 'C' or better in each of the three courses, and have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher for the combined courses.
All students in the Advanced Data Science certificate program must complete the following three courses:
| IDC 6210 | Machine Learning for Data Science | 3 |
| IDC 6146 | Deep Learning for Data Science | 3 |
| IDC 6145 | Big Data Analytics for Data Science | 3 |
| Total Hours | 9 | |
Certificate in Data Science
The Certificate in Data Science is an online program. Online courses are offered asynchronously. Students admitted to the certificate program must successfully complete the four courses (for a total of 12 semester hours) listed below earning a grade of "C" or better in each course and secure a combined grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Students are expected to complete the program in at most 3 semesters.
Admission Requirements
To be considered for admission into the University of West Florida’s online Data Science Certificate program, you must be admitted into the University as a graduate non-degree seeking student.
Program Requirements
Prospective students for this certificate must contact the graduate advisor from the Department of Mathematics & Statistics to start the Declaration of Certificate process before the drop/add period of the semester of completion. To earn the certificate, students must complete the courses listed below within five years of admission into the program, earn a grade of 'C' or better in each of the four courses, and have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher for the combined courses. Students who obtain the certificate of Data Science must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 for the four core courses to be eligible for the Data Science Master’s program.
All students in the Data Science certificate program must complete the following four courses.
Core Requirements
Students will take the following four courses:
| CAP 5756 | Tools for Data Science | 3 |
| STA 5126 | Statistics for Data Science I | 3 |
| STA 6232 | Statistics for Data Science II | 3 |
| CAP 5775 | Databases for Data Science | 3 |
| Total Hours | 12 | |