Data Science (BS)

Interested in creating data-driven solutions for society? Whether you want to take your talents to academia, government, or industry, the data science program develops your expertise in statistical and computational methods, builds a foundation in statistics and statistical programming, and provides advanced skills in modeling and machine learning/artificial intelligence (ml/ai). 

Work with top faculty engaged in cutting-edge research in data science and AI, learn advanced methods, and build a project portfolio to gain a competitive edge in starting your data science career. Learn more about the Data Science program outcomes and see graduation data.

Career Outlook

• With its median base salary of $103,500 nationally and $128,000 in the DC metro area, Data Scientist is consistently ranked near the top for job satisfaction by US News and other sources. There were 30 million job ads for data scientists in the US alone in 2020 — and these numbers continue rising. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 36 percent increase in data science jobs from 2023-2033.
• DC offers the nation's highest concentration of data science positions, more than double any state, and unparalleled access to private and public sector opportunities. AU's campus is minutes from industry giants such as Deloitte Consulting, Amazon, and Lockheed Martin. Our graduates start with a foot in the door, thanks to AU’s relationships with DC-area institutions and our ever-expanding alumni data science network.

Top employers for AU BS Data Science grads:

• Alvarez and Marsal
• Banco General
• Copa Airlines, Inc.
• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
• Institute of Defense Analysis
• SIG Susquehanna
• The MITRE Corporation
• U.S. Government

Accreditation

• This program has been accredited by the Applied and Natural Sciences Commission (ANSAC) of ABET under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Data Science
• ABET is a specialized accreditor who accredits college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering and engineering technology.
• With ABET accreditation, students, parents, employers, and the society we serve can be confident that a program meets the quality standards that produce graduates prepared to enter a global workforce.
•  See “Why ABET Accreditation Matters” for more information about ABET Accreditation.

Admission to the Program

• New first-year and transfer students are admitted through the university's Admissions Office. Students currently enrolled in the university who wish to transfer into the Department of Mathematics and Statistics or develop a double major or minor should have a grade point average of 2.00 or higher and the approval of the undergraduate academic advisor.

University Requirements

• 120 credit hours with minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 2)
• Completion of all requirements for a major (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 9)

AU Core Requirements

• Completion of AU Core foundation requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.2-8.6)
• Completion of AU Core Habits of Mind requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.7)
• Completion of AU Core integrative course requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.8-8.11)
• For additional information, see AU Core Curriculum.

Major Requirements

• 38 credit hours with grades of C or better, including at least 18 credit hours at or above 300-level
• Minor or second major exclusive of Data Science (Minor)
• Note: Substitution of an interdisciplinary second field may be possible with the permission and guidance of the program advisor.

Course Requirements
Statistics (4 credit hours)
Complete 4 credit hours from the following:

• STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4)
• STAT-203 Basic Statistics with Calculus (4)
• STAT-204 Introduction to Business Statistics (4)

Intermediate Statistics (3 credit hours)
Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

• STAT-302 Intermediate Statistics (3)
• STAT-320 Biostatistics (3)

Data Science Essentials (13 credit hours)

• CSC-148 Introduction to Computer Science I (4)
• DATA-412 Statistical Programming in R (3)
• DATA-413 Data Science (3)
• STAT-415 Regression (3)

Ethics (3 credit hours)
Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

• BIO-275 Neuroethics (3)
• PHIL-275 Neuroethics (3)  
• COMM-409 Journalism Ethics (3)
• CSC-484 Ethical and Legal Issues in Computing (3)
• LIT-262 Literature and the Ethical Life (3)
• MGMT-205 Business Ethics (3)
• PHIL-240 Ethics in the Professions (3)
• PHIL-241 Bioethics (3)
• SOCY-210 Power, Privilege, and Inequality (3)
• WRT-200 Persuasion, Power, and Responsibility: Ethics and Rhetoric (3)

Communication and Online Influence (3 credit hours)
Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

• ECON-440 Communicating Economics (3)
• GOVT-464 Politics and Policy in the Digital Age (3)
• GOVT-465 Politics and the Internet (3)
• ISCI-401 Communicating Science to the Public (3)
• ITEC-335 Social Networking, Social Media, and Web 2.0 (3)
• ITEC-350 Digital Leadership and Strategy (3)
• ITEC-423 Organizational and Social Network Analytics (3)
• MKTG-250 Fundamentals of Marketing and Business for Communications (3)
• MKTG-311 Foundations of Digital Marketing (3)

Capstone (3 credit hours)

• STAT-427 Statistical Machine Learning (3)

Electives (9 credit hours)
Complete 9 credit hours from the following, or other courses approved by program director:

• CSC-460 Tools of Scientific Computing (3)
• MATH-460 Tools of Scientific Computing (3)
• DATA-312 Data Science Applications (3)
• DATA-425 Python for Data Science (1)
• DATA-441 Applied Natural Language Processing (3)
• DATA-442 Advanced Machine Learning (3)
• ECON-345 Introduction to Game Theory (3)
• MATH-345 Introduction to Game Theory (3)
• MATH-221 Calculus I (4)
• MATH-222 Calculus II (4)
• MATH-310 Linear Algebra (4)
• MATH-313 Calculus III (4)
• MATH-321 Differential Equations (3)
• MATH-401 Probability (3)
• MATH-403 Foundations of Mathematics (3)
• MATH-404 Advanced Calculus of Several Variables (3)
• MATH-405 Mathematical Logic (3)
• MATH-410 Geometry (3)
• MATH-412 Abstract Algebra (3)
• MATH-413 Rings and Fields (3)
• MATH-415 Number Theory (3)
• MATH-416 Cryptography (3)
• MATH-420 Real Analysis (3)
• MATH-421 Measure Theory and Integration (3)
• MATH-427 Scientific Programming with Python (3)
• MATH-428 Competitive Mathematics (1)
• MATH-431 Information Theory (3)
• MATH-440 Topology (3)
• MATH-450 Complex Analysis (3)
• MATH-451 Partial Differential Equations (3)
• MATH-461 Harmonic Analysis (3)
• MATH-465 Numerical Analysis: Basic Problems (3)
• MATH-470 History of Mathematics (3)
• MATH-480 Advanced Topics in Mathematics (3)
• STAT-402 Introduction to Mathematical Statistics (3)
• STAT-405 Introduction to Survey Sampling (3)
• STAT-422 Advanced Biostatistics (3)
• STAT-423 Topics in Biostatistics (3)
• STAT-425 Statistical Software (3)
• STAT-426 Data Analysis with Statistical Software (3)
• STAT-428 Spatial Data Analysis (3)
• STAT-484 Introduction to Stochastic Processes (3)

Minor or Second Major

• Note: Substitution of an interdisciplinary second field may be possible with the permission and guidance of the program advisor.

Combined Bachelor's and Master's Degrees

• American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor's/master's programs