Data Science, BS

The Bachelor of Science in data science is designed to meet the rising workforce demand on professional in data management, big data and data analytics fields. It prepares students for careers in the data science with a broad knowledge of the tools, techniques and methods needed to work with data and information in an information intensive environment. Some of the areas this program is concerned with include data management, data modeling, big data, data analytics, data and information visualization, information organization, Internet applications development, game design and technology. The program helps students to acquire the type of skills, critical thinking, and competencies needed in data science and digital data management, as well as one of the professional fields. The program will educate a new generation of information professionals, particularly those students with science background pursuing an analytic related field.

Hours required and general university requirements

A minimum of 120 semester hours, of which 42 must be advanced. See University Core Curriculum in the Academic policies section of this catalog.

Pre-data science requirements, 15 hours

Major requirements, 24 hours

Professional field, 24 hours

A professional field of 24 hours from information science or a related field, such as business analytics, computer science, digital communications analytics, education analytics, health data analytics and statistics.

Information science professional field

Business analytics professional field

Minor

None.

Electives, 15 hours

Hours required for electives may vary based on course selection and the University Core Curriculum requirements . Electives may be required to satisfy the advanced hour requirement (42) and/or the minimum total hours required for the degree.

Advanced courses in a related field such as business analytics, computer science, digital communications analytics, education analytics, health data analytics and statistics.

Other requirements

A grade of C or higher is required in all Pre-Data Science, Major courses, Professional field, and Supporting field courses. A 2.0 UNT, 2.0 Overall, and 2.7 Professional/Supporting Field GPA is required for graduation.

Four-year degree plan (example)

The following four-year plan is one example of a variety of ways in which you can complete your chosen degree in four years, and will serve as a guide for you to design your pathway to degree completion. Variations will depend on whether you need to take prerequisites or have college credit from exams or dual enrollment.

Year 1

Semester 1		Semester 2
MATH 1650 - Pre-Calculus	5 hours	MATH 1680 - Elementary Probability and Statistics	3 hours
Communication core	3 hours	Communication core	3 hours
American History core	3 hours	Government/Political Science core	3 hours
Government/Political Science core	3 hours	Social and Behavioral Sciences core	3 hours
BCIS Elective	3 hours	BCIS Elective	3 hours
Total	17 hours	Total	15 hours

Year 2

Semester 1		Semester 2
CSCE 1030 - Computer Science I	3 hours	CSCE 1040 - Computer Science II	3 hours
American History core	3 hours	MATH 1710 - Calculus I	4 hours
Language, Philosophy and Culture core	3 hours	Creative Arts core	3 hours
Life and Physical Sciences core	3 hours	Life and Physical Sciences core	3 hours
Data Science Professional Field	3 hours	Data Science Professional Field	3 hours
Total	15 hours	Total	16 hours

Year 3

Semester 1		Semester 2
DTSC 3010 - Introduction to Data Science	3 hours	DTSC 4050 - Statistical Methods for Data Science and Analysis	3 hours
DTSC 3020 - Introduction to Computation with Python	3 hours	DTSC 4501 - Principles of Data Science and Analytics	3 hours
Component Area Option B core	3 hours	Data Science Professional Field	3 hours
Data Science Professional Field	3 hours	BCIS Elective	3 hours
BCIS Elective	3 hours	BCIS Elective	3 hours
Total	15 hours	Total	15 hours

Year 4

Semester 1		Semester 2
INFO 4670 - Data Analysis and Knowledge Discovery	3 hours	INFO 4730 - Digital Curation and Preservation	3 hours
INFO 4707 - Data Modeling and Data Warehousing	3 hours	Data Science Professional Field	3 hours
INFO 4709 - Data Visualization	3 hours	Data Science Professional Field	3 hours
Data Science Professional Field	3 hours	Elective	3 hours
Data Science Professional Field	3 hours
Total	15 hours	Total	12 hours