Is getting a master’s in data science worth it? Data science is one of the fastest growing fields—job openings are expected to grow by 35% by 2023, according to the . And students graduating with a master’s in data science often land six figure salaries. The reason it’s aona🌳 🥂bet: fast growing field, with high paying jobs, is because companies across all industries want data-savvy professionals in this era of digitization. Data provides companies and organizations with the resources they need to make better decisions—and in turn, t﷽hey need professionals with data science skills who know how to understand and anal♉yze data.
What GPA do you need for a data science master’s program? The GPA you’ll need to get accepted into a master’s program for data science varies by school. For all of the programs ranked by Fortune for 2024, the average undergraduate GPA for enrollees was 3.27. Students at Harvard and ona bet:New York University had the highest GPA, with 3.87 and 3.75, respectively. ona bet:Marquette University enrollees had the lowest reported GPA—at 3.01.
Which is the best university to do a master’s in data science? Master’s degree programs in data science can be offered in person, online or in a hybrid format—and that might be the difference in what the “best program” for you means. Fortune ranks the top five in-person programs for 2024 as: Harvard University, the University of North Texas, New York University, University of Michigan—Ann Arbor, and Carnegie Mellon University. Additionally, our ranking of the top five ona bet:online programs in 2023 include: University of Southern California, UC—Berkeley, Bay Path Univeওrsity, New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Clemson University.
How long is a master’s degree in data science? On average, it takes about one-and-a-half to two years to complete a master’s degree program in data science—with most programs requiring roughly anywhere from 25 to 60 credits to graduate. So it does depend on each individual program and whether you choose to be a full-time or part-time student. That said, thanks to a boost in salary and expanded career options, many students find it worthwhile to obtain a master’s degree in data science—and Gen Z considers the role of data scientist to be ona bet:one of the most satisfying occupations.
What does a master’s in data science do? A master’s degree in data science will teach you how to understand and analyze data. But because it’s a recently defined career path, how it’s applied can vary significantly. As Maurizio Porfiri, a New York University professor, told Fortune: “It’s a weird thing because it’s very vague. I discovered after a while that I had ona bet:become a data scientist: people just started to refer to me as such.” But sometimes the first step to finding your place in the world of data science is picking a specialization—what type of problem you want to solve by using data. And a master’s degree can either help you find tha🦋ღt specialization, or if you’ve already got the answer, will teach you the skills to pursue it.
Where can I learn data science for free? Fortune compiled a list of seven universities that offer ona bet:free online data science courses, which offers prospective students an opportunity to learn more about this field. Each university—Harvard Univer🍨sity, the University of Michigan, UC Irvine, John Hopkins University, Columbia University, MIT, and Duke University—offers a different course, from linear regression to data science ethics to data science in real life. However, the common goal of these free courses is to give people an inside look into the field.
Do data scientists make good money? In 2022, ona bet:data scientists earned median salaries of $103,500, according to the . But a degree from a top program might mean even more money; New York University’s (ranked third on Fortune’s best in-person data science programs) 2022-23 graduates with a master’s in data science earned an average sa🎶lary of $143,000 four months after graduation, according to data provided by the university.
