At UMass Dartmouth, the data science major is an interdisciplinary, integrating mathematics and computer science with disciplines such as business, engineering, healthcare, planning, science, and sociology.

Data scientists manage, mine, and analyze big data across multiple disciplines—and use computational thinking to gain new knowledge and solve real-world problems of high complexity.

In data science major, students will build a strong foundation in information theory and in the methods and tools of mathematics and computer science. They will gain skills in complex problem solving, data-driven discovery, decision support, machine learning, predictive and visual analytics, and statistics.

Graduates will be prepared for leadership positions in data analytics, discovery informatics, information management, and knowledge engineering. Businesses, government, healthcare, and the natural and social sciences need more data scientists to explore and explain complex information.

Offered jointly by the Computer Science Department and the Mathematics Department, the data science curriculum covers topics such as data visualization and matrix methods for data mining—as well as traditional courses in computer and information science and mathematics. Students will acquire skills in computer programming, statistics, data mining, machine learning, data analysis, and visualization needed to solve challenging problems involving large, diverse data sets.

During the senior year, graduates will complete a team capstone project that focuses on real-world, industry-specific challenges. They have classified gravitational wave signals, analyzed attendance patterns at NBA games, and classified and predicted the effectiveness of cancer drugs.