Data Science Major (Bachelor of Science)

The faculty of science, with the departments of statistics and actuarial science and of mathematics, the beedie school of business, and the school of computing science, offers a major in data science (data) leading to a bachelor of science (bsc). This is a highly structured program providing a multidisciplinary approach to quantitative methods for business and industry in an environment of rapid changes in technology. 

• The program is overseen by the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science. A steering committee consisting of representatives from the above mentioned departments and faculty serve as liaison between participating departments and the program director.
• Students formally apply to be admitted into the program. Applications can be considered both for students entering Simon Fraser University, and for students already enrolled. Admission into the program is decided on a competitive basis. Students must maintain a 2.7 cumulative grade point average (CGPA) in DATA program course work to remain in the program and to graduate. It is strongly recommended that students contact the statistics advisor or program director early about admission and scheduling.

Program Requirements
Students complete 120 units, as specified below.

• Under program and university regulations, a general degree requires a total of 120 units, 44 of which are in upper division courses. Completion of all lower and upper division courses shown below is required. However, students should be aware of particular department requirements for course entry. Contact those departments for information.

Lower Division Requirements
Business Administration
Students complete both of

• BUS 217W - Critical Thinking in Business (3)
• BUS 272 - Behaviour in Organizations (3)

Computing Science
Students complete all of

• CMPT 120 - Introduction to Computing Science and Programming I (3)
• CMPT 125 - Introduction to Computing Science and Programming II (3)
• CMPT 225 - Data Structures and Programming (3)

Mathematics and Computing Science
Students complete both of

• MACM 101 - Discrete Mathematics I (3)
• MACM 201 - Discrete Mathematics II (3)

Data Science
Students complete

• DATA 180 - Undergraduate Seminar in Data Science (1)

Mathematics
Students complete one of

• MATH 150 - Calculus I with Review (4)
• MATH 151 - Calculus I (3)
• MATH 154 - Mathematics for the Life Sciences I (3)
• MATH 157 - Calculus I for the Social Sciences (3)
• MATH 152 - Calculus II (3)

And one of

• MATH 232 - Applied Linear Algebra (3)
• MATH 240 - Algebra I: Linear Algebra (3)

And one of

• MACM 203 - Computing with Linear Algebra (2)
• MATH 208W - Introduction to Operations Research (3)

Statistics
Students complete both of

• STAT 240 - Introduction to Data Science (3)
• STAT 260 - Introductory R for Data Science (3)

And one of

• BUS 232 - Business Statistics (3)
• STAT 201 - Statistics for the Life Sciences (3)
• STAT 203 - Introduction to Statistics for the Social Sciences (3)
• STAT 205 - Introduction to Statistics (3)
• STAT 270 - Introduction to Probability and Statistics (3)

Upper Division Requirements
Business Administration
Students complete all of

• BUS 343 - Introduction to Marketing (3)
• BUS 360W - Business Communication (4)
• BUS 439 - Analytics Project (3)
• BUS 445 - Customer Analytics (3)

Computing Science
Students complete all of

• CMPT 307 - Data Structures and Algorithms (3)
• CMPT 310 - Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (3)
• CMPT 353 - Computational Data Science (3)
• CMPT 354 - Database Systems I (3)

Mathematics
Students complete one of

• MATH 308 - Linear Optimization (3)
• MATH 309 - Continuous Optimization (3)

Statistics
Students complete one of

• ECON 333 - Statistical Analysis of Economic Data (4)
• STAT 302 - Analysis of Experimental and Observational Data (3)
• STAT 305 - Introduction to Biostatistical Methods for Health Sciences (3)
• STAT 350 - Linear Models in Applied Statistics (3)

And both of

• STAT 403 - Intermediate Sampling and Experimental Design (3)
• STAT 452 - Statistical Learning and Prediction (3)

And one of

• STAT 445 - Applied Multivariate Analysis (3)
• STAT 475 - Applied Discrete Data Analysis (3)
• STAT 485 - Applied Time Series Analysis (3)

Upper Division Recommended Courses

• BUS 345 - Marketing Research (3)
• BUS 362 - Business Process Analysis (4)
• BUS 437 - Decision Analysis in Business (3)
• BUS 440 - Simulation in Management Decision-making (4)
• CMPT 308 - Computability and Complexity (3)
• CMPT 373 - Software Development Methods (3)
• CMPT 376W - Professional Responsibility and Technical Writing (3)
• CMPT 405 - Design and Analysis of Computing Algorithms (3)
• CMPT 417 - Intelligent Systems (3)
• CMPT 419 - Special Topics in Artificial Intelligence (3)
• MACM 316 - Numerical Analysis I (3)
• MATH 343 - Applied Discrete Mathematics (3)
• MATH 345 - Introduction to Graph Theory (3)
• STAT 342 - Introduction to Statistical Computing and Exploratory Data Analysis - SAS (2)
• STAT 445 - Applied Multivariate Analysis (3)
• STAT 475 - Applied Discrete Data Analysis (3)
• STAT 485 - Applied Time Series Analysis (3)

University Degree Requirements

• Students must also satisfy University degree requirements for degree completion.
• Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements
• Students admitted to Simon Fraser University beginning in the fall 2006 term must meet writing, quantitative and breadth requirements as part of any degree program they may undertake. See Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements for university-wide information.

Residency Requirements and Transfer Credit

• At least half of the program's total units must be earned through Simon Fraser University study.
• At least two thirds of the program's total upper division units must be earned through Simon Fraser University study.

Elective Courses

• In addition to the courses listed above, students should consult an academic advisor to plan the remaining required elective courses.

Double Majors and Minors

• Students wishing to complete a second major or a minor in addition to a Data Science (DATA) major must satisfy all DATA requirements. At least 34 upper division units must be allocated exclusively to the DATA major.
• This includes at least nine units from each of the lists under the sub-headings Business Administration, Computing Science, and Statistics. Units used to satisfy DATA upper division requirements beyond these 34 can be applied simultaneously to the other major, minor or honours.