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Undergraduate Major

The Bachelor of Science in Statistics and Data Science is a four-year degree that provides students with foundational training and marketable skills in statistics and data science.

Program Description

Degree Type

Bachelor of Science

Credit Hours

120

The Bachelor of Science in Statistics and Data Science is available to Freshman applicants. We are currently not accepting transfer applications.

The Bachelor of Science in Statistics and Data Science equips students to execute all stages of data analysis, apply common techniques in statistics and machine learning, respect the principles and best practices of reproducible data science and articulate the role of statistics and data science in a just and ethical society. The program provides a strong foundation in the established field of statistics while reaching into the modern and emerging field of data science.

Admissions

For Fall 2022, applicants admitted to a major in the College of Natural Sciences were contacted by the Office of Admissions about the opportunity to change the entering major to the new Statistics and Data Science major. Those who indicated interest in the new major have been selected and notified of the decision.

The Statistics and Data Science major will be available as an option on the application for Fall 2023.

SDS held a virtual information session for eligible applicants on April 7, 2022:

 

Degree Requirements

The bachelor's degree requirements total 120 credit hours comprised of the following: 

See the suggested arrangement of courses for a 4-year plan.

  1. 1

    Seven courses in the major (22 credit hours) beginning in the first semester

    • SDS 313 Introduction to Data Science
    • SDS 315 Statistical Thinking
    • SDS 431 Probability & Statistical Inference
    • SDS 334 Intermediate Statistical Models
    • SDS 336 Practical Machine Learning
    • SDS 354 Advanced Statistical Methods
    • SDS 357 Case Studies in Data Science
  2. 2

    Five foundational courses in Mathematics and Computer Science (17 credit hours)

    • M 408C Differential Calculus, M 408K Differential Calculus or M 408N Differential Calculus for Science
    • M 408D Sequences, Series and Multivariable Calculus, M 408L Integral Calculus or M 408S Integral Calculus for Science
    • M 340L Matrices & Matrix Calculations or M 341 Linear Algebra and Matrix Theory
    • C S 303E Elements of Computers and Programming
    • C S 327E Elements of Databases (prerequisite: C S 313E Elements of Software Design)
  3. 3

    Four courses to fulfill the breadth requirement (12 credit hours)

    • Must be from a single field of study outside of SDS
    • At least 6 hours must be upper-division coursework
  4. 4

    Two courses of SDS Electives (6 credit hours)

  5. 5

    Ten courses of Free Electives (30 credit hours)

  6. 6

    Eleven additional courses for the Core Curriculum (33 credit hours)

Careers

Graduates of this program may be hired as statisticians or data scientists who are able to collect and curate large volumes of data, bring statistical and machine learning methods to bear on new questions and create data pipelines and workflows that transform digital information into actionable insights. Perhaps most importantly, employers are looking for individuals who are equipped with the foundational training needed to ensure that the individuals they hire into these roles are readily able to learn and critically assess new tools as they become available. Students will also be prepared to succeed in graduate studies.

 

For further questions, email the department at stat.admin@austin.utexas.edu