your adventure in

Data Science

View PDF

Overview

Data Science is a rapidly growing academic discipline fueled by the proliferation of rich and complex data emerging from activities in science, industry, and governments. As a result, there is strong demand for data science professionals today in Iowa as well as across the nation and globe, and this market is expected to continue to grow in the next decade. The data science programs are intended for students who wish to study the data science discipline for its own sake as well as for students studying any discipline at Iowa State University with the goal of enabling them to work in data science. The courses in the data science program are designed to provide students with the requisite background that would enable them to take jobs with significant data science components, e.g., establishing and operating data analysis pipelines. The capstone will provide an opportunity for students to apply data science concepts to a domain problem while working in a multi-disciplinary team setting.

The Data Science major is intended for students with strong quantitative backgrounds and has the goal of educating students on the technical fundamentals of Data Science, with a focus on developing the knowledge and skills needed to transform data into insights. The major is an excellent opportunity for individuals who want to prepare themselves for the exciting Data Scientist positions that are in high demand today.

The Data Science minor is intended for students studying any discipline at Iowa State and is designed to give students an in-depth understanding of data science as it is applied to a variety of domains.

The Data Science certificate is intended for current Iowa State students or anybody who has already earned baccalaureate degree. The program is designed to prepare students for future work with significant Data Science components. The capstone will provide an opportunity for students to apply data science concepts to a domain problem while working in a multi-disciplinary team setting.

Student Learning Outcomes for Data Science Major

After successfully completing the program, students majoring in Data Science will demonstrate:

  1. An understanding of and an ability to apply the following data science concepts, tools and methods to data analysis pipelines:
    1. ​data acquisition
    2. data preprocessing
    3. exploratory data analysis
    4. inferential and predictive thinking, modeling and analysis
    5. computational thinking, data structures, and algorithms
  2. An understanding of ethical, legal, societal, and economic concerns in the application of data science concepts.
  3. An ability to visualize, interpret and communicate the output of data analysis pipelines to stakeholders.
  4. An ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams using concepts and tools from data science.

See Undergraduate Minor and Undergraduate Certificate subpages for the respective learning outcomes.