Montana State offers new bachelor’s degree program in data science

BOZEMAN - When fall classes began last week at Montana State University, senior Henry Jacobson was the first student to declare a major in data science, a new undergraduate degree designed to equip graduates with in-demand career skills they can apply in any domain that deals with data.

Jacobson is on track to graduate with a bachelor's degree in data science in May because he has been taking courses for the degree since he was a freshman. When he learned that the degree program was approved from John Paxton, professor and director of MSU's Gianforte School of Computing in the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, he immediately switched programs.

The interdisciplinary course of study - primarily encompassing mathematics, statistics and computer science - "checked all my boxes," said Jacobson, who had previously designed a degree path for himself through the Directed Interdisciplinary Studies program in the Honors College.

"I was taking mathematics courses, business courses and coding courses - the data science program hit all three for me," he said.

The new program adds a baccalaureate component to MSU's data science curriculum, which already offered a minor in data science through the school of computing and a master's degree in data science through the Department of Mathematical Sciences in the College of Letters and Science.

Data science combines statistical analysis, computer science and machine learning to discover trends in large sets of information that can help people make decisions.

"By processing massive amounts of data, data science provides a new technique for gaining knowledge," said Paxton. For example, he said, data science lets scientists sift through millions of images or recorded measurements to discover patterns. Similarly, government agencies use data science to devise plans for improving services or allocating resources, and businesses analyze data to gain marketing insights or identify fraud.

Paxton said data scientists can use their skills to help people, the environment and the economy. Scenarios he imagines include compiling the medical conditions, treatments and outcomes of people around the world to determine the most effective remedies for an individual's given condition or developing real-time routing systems for urban drivers to save time, reduce congestion and minimize vehicle emissions.

John Sheppard, distinguished professor of computer science, said developers of MSU's data science curriculum felt strongly that students should be taught about the ethical and privacy issues pertaining to the field.

"We hope students coming out of our degree programs will have the tools not only to do analysis, but the realization of the need to be careful," said Sheppard, whose research interests include machine learning, algorithms, health management, data mining and ethics in artificial intelligence.

For instance, he said, data scientists must take care when working with large datasets to ensure they aren't introducing bias, which can occur when algorithms are trained on data that reflect societal prejudices or are poorly designed. That could lead to algorithms unfairly influencing decisions that affect people's lives, such as in hiring, lending or law enforcement.

"Students need to know how to look at a data source and know if it's valid, and they need to be able to figure out whether the conclusions they're making are or aren't valid," added Stacey Hancock, associate professor of statistics, who served with Sheppard on the committee that developed MSU's master's in data science program. "That kind of literacy is crucial."

Paxton said required courses in statistics, business analytics, and data-related ethics and privacy have been built into the data science core curriculum.

The new degree program is also structured to allow students the flexibility to take related courses that integrate data science into their specific interests, he said. Some may double-major in data science and another field or select data science as a primary degree and another subject as a minor.

"We're going to advise students to be strategic in selecting their courses, to mix and match based on their career and personal goals," Paxton said.

In that vein, Jacobson plans to pursue a graduate degree in a different field to acquire the specific background he needs to one day start his own company. He feels confident that the bachelor's he will earn in data science will "set me up for future success."

"At the end of the degree at MSU, you have three different skill sets. It sets it apart from other universities," said Jacobson, who has spoken with friends enrolled at other institutions whose programs don't require the advanced math, statistics and computer science courses that MSU's does.

According to MSU faculty members who have worked to develop the program, that's no accident.

"Our goal is to provide a solid, technical foundation in these three disciplines," Sheppard said.