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University of Pittsburgh    
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
 
  Mar 29, 2024
 
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog [Archived Catalog]

Data Science, BS


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Data Science


The rapidly expanding collection of massive amounts of data is leading to transformations across broad segments of industry, science, and society. These changes have sparked great demand for individuals with skills in managing and analyzing complex data sets. Such skills are interdisciplinary, involving ideas typically associated with computing, information processing, mathematics, and statistics as well as the development of new methodologies spanning these fields. The undergraduate Data Science major establishes a framework to train University of Pittsburgh students to participate fully in this data revolution.

This major will allow students to gain skill sets that span key areas of statistics, computer science and mathematics, with foundational training providing literacy in four areas (data, algorithmic, mathematical, and statistical) that every student needs to master data science; the development of expertise that connects theory to the solution of real-world problems; and specialization towards more specific career focuses. Completing this major will prepare students to work as a data science professional or to pursue graduate study in a direction involving data in a significant way.

Program Requirements


The Data Science major requires the completion of 61 credits distributed as follows.

Specialization


Students will have the opportunity to pursue an area of specialization through the selection of elective courses in one of the targeted directions - Data Analytics, Modeling, Computer Systems, or Data in Context. Students should select three courses from the same category for optimum focus. However, students may choose courses from across the categories to suit their interests.

Data Analytics


Students pursuing a data analytics specialization will enhance their ability to make sound inferences and decisions using the science and art of learning from data: specifically, the design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data in an uncertain world, and the communication of findings.

Computer Systems


Students pursuing this specialization will gain depth of knowledge in the development, deployment, and analysis of the complex computer and information systems necessary for tackling large-scale data science problems

Data Science in Context


Students pursuing this specialization will gain depth of knowledge in both the technical and organizational aspects of the management, curation, description, preservation, and application of digital datasets of varying sizes in specific business, professional, or scientific contexts. We expect the collection of courses within the specialization to expand as more domain-specific data science courses begin to be offered across campus.

Capstone


Select a capstone course, relevant to the chosen specialization, from the following list.

Grade Requirements


Students must earn at least a C grade in each course required for the major.

Writing requirement


The writing requirement for Dietrich School students will be fulfilled by enrollment in the writing-intensive course  CS 0590 - SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF COMPUTING TECHNOLOGY .

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