Data Science at Western Michigan University

Data science is a rapidly evolving discipline at the intersection of statistics and computer science. The field’s progression has been driven by the surge in processing power available and the increasing amount of data collected, stored and made available in every facet of business, science and government. There is a rising need for big data, and moving forward, it is likely that most jobs available to computer science and statistics graduates will include a big data component.

Because of the field’s rapid expansion, it is projected that by 2018 there will be a shortage of 190,000 data scientists. In 2015, to meet this rising need, Western Michigan University launched the state’s first Bachelor of Science program in data science.

Offered jointly by WMU’s departments of Computer Science and Statistics, the data science major consists of 45 credit hours, with a statistics core of 16 credit hours and a computer science core of 15 credit hours. If you choose to enter this program, you will learn about statistics using R, R programming for data science, storage and retrieval of big data, machine learning, SAS, regression analysis, applied data mining and computer-based data analysis. In your capstone courses, Senior Design I and II, you will work in a group to design and implement a solution to a practical problem involving the handling and analysis of large data sets.