Did you know that Southwest Airlines once saved $100 million by using data? That’s the power of leveraging data in today’s data-driven world. And thus, an online masters in data science is good option for those who want lead in data-driven business realm.
In God we believe, all others must bring data.
W. Edward Deming
W. Edward Deming, Father of Total Quality Management, was also an American engineer, statistician, management consultant, author, professor, & lecturer.
His enthusiasm for data-based analysis is celebrated across the global sphere and who can resonate with this better than a Data Science student?
Data enthusiasts, you got it!
Both, the exponentially growing data and its handling, have created a great market buzz for data scientists. As per the reports by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), this field will show a 27.9% increase in demand by the year-2026.
Further, as per Glassdoor’s 50 Best Jobs in America, With 4000 job openings, salary standards, & job satisfaction, Data Scientist is among the Top-3 tier jobs– one of the several reasons for you to step into the field!
You may refer these books to learn about data science.
You may read our below articles to learn more about data science
- Introduction to Data Science
- Languages and Tools you should know to become a Data Scientist
- Tools for Data Science
- Statistics for Data Science – Descriptive Statistics
- Complete Data Science Roadmap – With resources
- Introduction To Natural Language Processing
10 Online Master’s in Data Science
Note 1:
Data Science has its seeds deep in the alley of Computer Science, Mathematics, & Statistics. But if you’re not from similar subjects in bachelor’s, don’t sweat it! Hang in there firmly.
Try to attend a few coursework that establishes your proficiency in Computer programming, data structures, algorithms, & computational theories. This will strengthen your portfolio undeniably and make the admission officials assess your application carefully.
KIE has crafted our first-string listing of the 10 best online master’s in data sciences. Moreover, we have tried to enlist (& not rank) the following programs
Note 2:
When you’re selecting a college for an online master’s program in data sciences, select one that suits YOU the best. Consider their- admission norms, course details, faculty members, fee structure, career guidance cell, & other specific information you need (in-depth).
Again, choose one that suits you the best, above all!
And finally, Come & follow up with us!
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- University of California- Los Angeles
- University of Maryland
- University of Wisconsin
- University of Michigan
- University of California- Berkeley
- Texas Tech University
- University of Houston
- Johns Hopkins University
- Northwestern University
1. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has secured rank-1 on most authoritative websites because of its highly educated experts & research faculty members in data science. Certainly, this helped them to serve one of the finest quality academic reputations.
An overview of its online data science master’s course structure:
The data science master’s program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is completely online. It offers 4-core area mentioned following: data visualization, machine learning, data mining, & cloud computing.
Further, you can also study statistics & information science through courses taught in collaboration, with your major course chosen. The 32-credit hours can be completed in a minimum of 1-year or a maximum of 5-year.
Admission process for the online data science master’s program:
Candidates applying for the program must have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in computer science background. The applicants must show a GPA of 3.2/4.0 or higher for the last 2-years of their UG studies.
If you don’t have a bachelor’s in a related field, you can submit papers proving your data structure knowledge-for example, a certified data science course where you studied algorithms, theory of computation, data mining, analysis, etc.
If you fail to do both, take it easy. The university gives you one more chance- To win i.e. you can attend their Data Science Proficiency Exam to prove your abilities.
You are required to submit your duly filled online application. Try to follow all the instructions mentioned there. This will certainly strengthen your profile for the screening process.
As per their online portal, GRE isn’t required to attend this particular program. Eager beavers! You feel it.
You can apply by October 15 to join their Spring 2023 cohort soon.
All the Best!
Fee structure for online master’s in data science:
The University of Illinois charges $670 per credit hour, summing up to $21,440 for the entire 32 credits.
Most of their MCS-DS (Master of Computer Science in Data Science) have one or more proctored exams & fees for these exams will be charged separately- as ProctorU Fees.
The ProctorU fee varies with the duration of any exam e.g., 30-minute; 1 hour; or 90-minute.
Additional courses will have additional fees e.g., AWS cloud programming platform used for cloud computing courses.
You can also explore their student financial aid & schemes.
Career cell for online data science programs:
The dedicated cell for career consultation at the university is an extra edge as the team arranges various consultation calls, meetings, & associations between- newly graduated students & established companies & recruiters.
Their CS-ECE section collaboration with corporate partners is worth mentioning herein.
Their alumni are working with many global companies & MNCs. Microsoft, Yelp, Optimizely, YouTube, C3, and PayPal to name a few.
You can scan their career cell working mechanism on its official website.
2. University of California- Los Angeles
University of California- Los Angeles (UCLA) is a dominant college for online data science programs across the globe.
Its well-composed online programs will charge a bit more compared to the above university. But it’s worth investing!
Let’s see its silhouette for online data science masters:
An overview of its online data science master’s course structure:
UCLA’s online data science master’s program has 36 credits in total. It has 9 courses in it. 5 of which must be at the graduation level.
You can select 4-core courses- for example, database systems, advanced data mining, data management system, algorithms, analytics & many others.
The remaining courses are electives. And, the student has the freedom to choose a maximum of 2-elective courses outside the data science major.
The minimum time assigned to the program is- 2 years 3 months (including summer sessions) & maximum is 3 academic years, excluding summer sessions. You can check out their website portal for online data science engineering. To build in-depth insights.
Admission requirements for the online data science master’s programme:
Students preparing for the program must clear a comprehensive exam. To verify your abilities. This exam has 2 options. You can choose either.
Option:1 Take & pass ENGR-299 Capstone Project Course; Option:2 Take 3 different graduation-level written exams. This exam will be in your specialisation area only.
A constant GPA of 3.0 or higher is important in the previous two years of academics. More importantly, a GRE score is asked. Educational transcripts, 3 Letters of Recommendation (LoRs) & a Statement of Purpose (SoP) are also needed.
If you’ve any queries or need some additional information, check it out!
Fee structure for online master’s in data science:
Each course has a fee of $4,200. $37,800 for the entire 9 courses. And textbooks & other miscellaneous elements’ charges vary from course to course.
The exact amount can be guessed once the program actually begins. Though an additional $100 could be added per course.
Career cell for online data science programs:
UCLA ensures well-oiled machinery of career counselling for each of its students. Its career programs have various horizons.
For example, Alumni mentorship, career guidance, sessions with Bruins, career coaches, entertainment networking with alumni, & many others.
Their distinguished alumni, particularly in the field of Data Science, at UCLA, are very valuable. to name a few of them:
Allen Adham (Founder of Tenfold Capital Management & co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment), Vladimir Braverman (Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University), Josephine Cheng (VP, IBM corporation).
3. University of Maryland
University of Maryland, Green Park is an excellent public research university. The land-grant Institute was founded in 1856.
The National Science Foundation said that the university has invested a combined budget of $1.1 billion in its research & development programs. In the year-2020.
The total fee of this program is among the least.
The post-baccalaureate online master’s in data science at UMD will teach you: to manage sample surveys, data analysis, survey methodology, data management, & representing the results.
An overview of its data science master’s course structure:
The 30-credits coursework has 2 sub-parts as explained along the lines. The first part has 19 credits.
These credits will be derived from the core-courses: research questions, the process of data generation, data curation & storage, data analysis, & data output/access.
Students are free to choose their preferred set of core courses from the list & the remaining 11 credits will be through elective courses.
Most courses have 1-2 credits & are designed such that a student will have the maximum grasp of the subject. The program is semester-based with an International reach.
The 19 credits will be concluded from 5 core courses. You can check out their course overview to have a better understanding of the program.
Admission requirements for the online data science master’s programme:
The 30-credit data science master’s degree is titled: MPDS at the University of Maryland i.e. Master’s of Professional Studies in Survey & Data Science.
Just go to their Graduate School at the University of Maryland portal. Scroll & find MPDS- online master’s in Data Science.
Requirements are fundamentally similar-for example, Previous course transcripts, SoP, resumes, & a full-fledged application form. Description of research and/or work experience is asked but is not mandatory.
Here, we’d recommend you submit a well-articulated description of your work or research experience, with their references. Of course, if you don’t have any, you can avoid this part. And be more careful with your SoP.
TOEFL/IELTS/PTE is asked if you’re an international graduate student. Know their in-depth official needs at their MPDS admission requirements, online.
The good news, again, is that GRE, GMAT, or LoR is not required.
Fee structure for Online master’s in data science:
The course is 30-credits long (as mentioned above) & the tentative fee for each course is $1,125. For its 2-year-long term. You can get their detailed fee chart by clicking here.
Career cell for online data science programs:
University of Maryland’s career programs helps its students a lot. The cell provides information on the latest job opportunities, on & off-campus. Their career guides help students in preparing CVs & cover letters.
Other career fairs & meet-ups, workshops, panels, and interviews are also held frequently. You can visit its online career portal herein.
4. University of Wisconsin
In the KIE list of 10 best colleges for online masters in data science, the University of Wisconsin won the position-4 & there’re many reasons to grab this spot.
The program offered by the university is accredited by its Board of Regents & Higher Education Commission. Let’s look at the reasons one by one.
An overview of its data science master’s course structure:
The University of Wisconsin (UW) offers a complete online course in the Master of Science in Data Science. The online master’s in data science is offered by UW extended departments & others campuses partnered together.
Students with Computer Science, Maths, Statistics, management & communication are welcomed. The 12 courses-36-credits, 100% online can be completed in 1 year minimally.
The detailed timeline is variable and is dependent on the campus you select when admitted. The courses offered in the master’s program have produced Data Analyst, Data Engineer, Data Scientist, Programming Analyst, Software Engineer, etc.
Admission requirements for the online data science master’s programme:
GRE/GMAT is not required, same as the above university. A GPA of 3.0 or higher is needed for your bachelor’s. If you scored less than a 3.0 GPA, you can apply for the program, if you want because you might be selected based on the analysis of your entire application portfolio. If it instils their admission officials!
Prerequisites: Prerequisite courses in these 3 areas- elementary statistics, computer programming, & databases are required & appropriate work experience is always a plus.
Note: the officials at your home centres can waive one or two requirements based on their portfolio & experience.
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