Degree Requirements

Data Analytics Major

The major in Data Analytics (DA) requires a minimum of 46 credits of coursework and an approved summer experience.  The detailed requirements are organized in three parts, as follows.

(a)  First, students must complete the following 34 credits of core coursework:

(b)  Second, students must complete a DA summer experience (internship or research project).  This experience must be approved by the Data Analytics Program Committee, and is normally undertaken during the summer before the senior year.

(c) Third, students must acquire some depth in a domain of Data Analytics.  They will then carry this disciplinary knowledge into their summer experience and senior seminar.  Students may satisfy this requirement in one of two ways.  First, they may choose to take the designated set of courses from one of the following departments.

Alternatively, a student may submit an individualized 3-4 course domain elective plan, which must include at least one analytics-intensive course, to be considered for approval by the Data Analytics Program Committee.  A successful one-page proposal will clearly describe the student’s desired learning goals and how the proposed courses together achieve these goals.  The proposal should also demonstrate the feasibility of completing the proposed courses in the time remaining before graduation.  Proposals must be submitted prior to the end of the sophomore year.

Additional Points of Interest

Data Analytics majors wishing to study abroad should do so in the spring semester of their junior year.  Data Analytics courses are not normally taken at other institutions, although on rare occasions, a suitable substitute may be found for DA 350 - Advanced Methods for Data Analytics.

If a student uses AP credit to skip a course in their chosen domain area, that course must be replaced with a suitable substitute, determined in cooperation with the appropriate department.

We recommend that students who wish to acquire deeper technical skills in data analytics and/or prepare for graduate work in data science, take additional courses in Mathematics and Computer Science.  In Mathematics, students should begin by taking MATH 145 - Multi-variable Calculus and MATH 213 - Linear Algebra and Differential Equations.  In Computer Science, students may take CS 173 - Intermediate Computer Science, CS 234 - Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science, and CS 271 - Data Structures.  Beyond these, students may pursue additional advanced courses such as

 Students may also pursue a minor or second major in Computer Science or Mathematics. Due to some course overlaps, these options require only 6-7 additional courses.