Minnesota State Mankato to Offer Master’s Degree in Data Science Starting in Fall 2019
New program is first and only graduate program in data science in the Minnesota State system.
Mankato, Minn. – Minnesota State University, Mankato will offer a new Master of Science degree program in data science beginning in the 2019 fall semester, and the program is currently accepting applications for admission.
Minnesota State Mankato’s M.S. in data science program is the first and only graduate program in data science in the Minnesota State system.
Minnesota State Mankato added the new program in response to a workforce demand and because few graduate programs in data science currently exist in Minnesota, said Brian Martensen, dean of Minnesota State Mankato’s College of Science, Engineering and Technology.
“We’re proud to offer this new graduate program in the emerging field of data science at Minnesota State Mankato,” said Martensen. “The rapid growth of ‘big data’ has created the need for more professionals with an advanced education in data science. Organizations are increasingly looking for data scientists who have the technical and business skills needed to solve complex problems that guide decision-making in today’s industries.”
According to IBM, the number of jobs for all U.S. data professionals will increase by 364,000 openings to 2,720,000 by 2020.
According to Glassdoor, there were more than 500 jobs posted for “data scientist” positions in Minnesota in February 2019.
Minnesota State Mankato’s M.S. in data science program is designed to be completed within two years, however many students should be able to complete the program in 18 months.
The program is designed for students who have a significant interest in learning data science and analytics concepts, methods and software tools. The coursework incorporates emerging trends in big data, machine learning and artificial intelligence. The program is suitable for both recent graduates as well as professionals interested in developing data science competencies.
The curriculum of the M.S. in data science program focuses on building the core competencies and technical and business/professional skills that were identified through research and industry interviews. In addition, the coursework emphasizes real-word problem solving and applications related to data science. The curriculum is designed to foster experiential learning and critical thinking.
For more information on Minnesota State Mankato’s new M.S. in data science program, please contact Rajeev Bukralia, assistant professor of computer information science at Minnesota State Mankato, by phone at 507-389-1437 or by email at rajeev.bukralia@mnsu.edu.
The new program is part of Minnesota State Mankato’s Department of Computer Information Science—one of 10 academic departments within the University’s College of Science, Engineering and Technology.
Minnesota State Mankato, a comprehensive university with 14,227 students, is part of the Minnesota State system, which includes 30 colleges and seven universities.
