The List of All U.S. Colleges With a Data Science Major

Data science is a hot topic in the workforce but a relatively new field in academia. Data science is all about using programming languages, statistics, and other advanced tools to gain insights from data. When you’re doing data science, you have the tools to unlock truths about the world in any field, from proving institutional inequality to finding out which ice cream flavor is the most popular in the United States.

If you’re looking into a data science major for college, you have made an excellent choice. To see which colleges have been forward-thinking and offer a data science major, keep reading.

Why Should You Study Data Science In College?

Data Science is a fantastic interplay of many different fields. Through this major, you will learn key computer science techniques and coding languages, the ins and outs of data analysis, and the proper application of statistical methods. From your first introductory data science course, you will have the power to take a set of numbers and plumb it for insights about the world around you.

In addition, you will find that Data Science is incredibly lucrative and employable these days. Overwhelmingly, the world is becoming data-driven, with companies employing entire department just to collecting and analyzing data to help them make business decisions. The type of jobs in these fields are some of the highest paying jobs in the market right now, so a Data Science major will certainly set you up for financial success later on in life.

How Can You Increase Your Chances of Acceptance?

Develop A Specialized and Competitive Academic and Extracurricular Profile:

As always, to get into a well-ranked school in the United States, you will need to show colleges that you can handle a heavy academic and extracurricular workload. This is especially important for students who are applying for a Data Science major, as data science is one of the more rigorous and analytically challenging STEM fields. In order to prepare yourself and show admissions committees that you can handle an intense workload, you’ll need to dig into advanced courses that specialize in STEM fields, specifically math and computing. You should make sure you’re taking calculus, statistics, physics, and any coding class your school offers.

You can further demonstrate your commitment to Data Science by participating in extracurricular activities that will further develop your coding background and let you work with numbers. Some clubs that qualify include, robotics clubs, computer science courses, or mathletes.

Finally, the best way to set yourself up for success as a Data Science major is to get some coding experience. Most students who enter Data Science courses struggle as much with the coding basics as they do with advanced theory and statistics. So if you have the opportunity to learn various coding languages, you’ll be doing your future-self a favor. Some popular languages you ought to look out for are Python, R, Java, and MatLab.

Focus on Your College List:

As you begin your college research, you may find that not all colleges offer a data science major. Keep in mind as you’re looking, however, that you don’t need to pursue a data science major to be doing data science. You can pursue Computer Science, Econometrics, and other similar majors that let you work with datasets in different ways.

If you’re set on going to a college with a data science major, however, make sure to do your research. Some data science programs are more developed than others and therefore have more resources like tutoring and access to software than others. Most data science students utilize the resources offered to them, so it’s important that you research and find programs with as much institutional support as possible.

Finally, when you’re doing your research, pay attention to the location of the university. Most university based recruitment programs have direct ties with businesses and industries in the surrounding area, and you may want to attend a school in an area with a large tech industry. That being said, this is not required. You’ll be able to find tech jobs in most companies and areas around the country.

What Colleges Have a Data Science Major?

For More Information

Wondering how you can set up your academic and extracurricular resume to be a prime candidate for Data Science? Check out these previous blog posts:

Extracurriculars for Aspiring Computer Science Majors

Which SAT II Math Should You Take?

Introduction To The New AP Computer Science Principles Course

Curious about your chances of acceptance to your dream school? Our free chancing engine takes into account your GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and other data to predict your odds of acceptance at over 500 colleges across the U.S. We’ll also let you know how you stack up against other applicants and how you can improve your profile. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account today to get started!