Data science is a key factor in the advancement of the industry today. Data-driven strategies are increasingly being adopted to solve business problems. Between 2015 and 2018, big data adoption grew at a cumulative rate of 36% annually. The majority of the industry is reliant on data scientists, data analysts, and visualization experts to meet its data science goals.
Data science professionals, thus, are in great demand. However, our education system needs an upgrade to meet its demand for professionals. To solve this problem, data science education needs an upgrade. Data science initiatives, research, and fund programs are playing a significant role in promoting data science education.
How does data science help?
Data science is a multidisciplinary field that uses sophisticated mathematical and statistical techniques to solve business problems. These techniques can be applied in all aspects of life, business, and work to make things better. Using data science eliminates the need for guesswork and minimizes failure and loss that often accompany the cases of hit and trial methods. In some cases, it completely eliminates the need for hit and trial methods, thereby reducing failure to complete zero.
Currently, retail, supply chain, pharmaceutical, healthcare, and even agriculture are using data science to solve major industry problems. Drug discovery, cancer prognosis, and consumer behavior are a few areas where data science is making a large impact. One of the ways it has been possible is due to the increased focus on data science education. University, colleges, and corporate actively involved in preparing data science talent. Steadily, there’s a growing focus on introducing data science education in the K-12 education system.
Leading data science education
American collegiate education is one of the most expensive in the world. The cost of education is prohibitive for many to take up to the graduate level. Universities and colleges have introduced various data science education programs at master’s and PhD levels which make them costly. Federal and state-level higher education subsidies are helpful for students who want to study data science, thereby propagating data science education.
World Data Science Initiative (WDSI) offers up to $300 million in university grants for universities to set up an international center of excellence and impart high standard data science education. Keeping up with the need of the industry, the program aims to build a pool of 2,50,000 data science professionals. As part of the university grants, it covers tuition fees and other infrastructure needs. More than 30 universities around the world are currently part of the program.
As universities, colleges, and other academic institutions are increasingly realizing the growing need for data science education and its cost prohibitive nature, the need for initiatives like WDSI and data science fund programs is emerging.
Renowned data science education programs
The following are a few globally known education programs that offer high standards of data science knowledge.
1.Harvard’s Data Science Initiative
Harvard University offers one of the best data science education in the world. With state-of-the-art labs and cross-collaboration, the university opens opportunities for students to get exposure to various applications of data science including healthcare, social science, and more. The university currently offers a master’s in data science.
2.University of California, Berkeley
One of the best public universities in the world, UCLA, Berkeley offers a robust data science education. The university invites students from all over the world to participate in its master’s level data science degree program. The university has several data science research projects underway and many already gracing the walls of the hall of fame.
3.University of Florida
The University of Florida is best known for its high–level data science research and education. Currently, the university has several data research projects sponsored by Google, Adobe, Microsoft, and many global tech giants that aim to revolutionize the tech industry.
