YSU Will Offer Master’s in Data Science and Statistics
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A new Master of Science degree in data science and statistics will launch in fall 2024 at Youngstown State University.
It’s an interdisciplinary program designed to enhance knowledge and application of data science and statistics, including the use of “big data” to help solve problems and provide insight.
The program will take advantage of the collaborative relationship that already exists between YSU faculty members; the YSU Data Mine; and those involved with the Purdue University Data Mine, a living, learning and research-based community created to introduce students to data science concepts and equip them to create solutions to real-world problems.
“The program is unique in the utilization of real-world data analysis utilizing the YSU Data Mine and STEM internship projects,” recognizing the demand for a program geared toward data literacy, said Salvatore Sanders, assistant provost and dean of the College of Graduate Studies.
External initiatives in the region and state to attract employers, such as Ultium Cells in Lordstown and Intel in Columbus, will only increase the need for more employees trained in data science and statistics.
Data analytics courses will remain at the core of the program curriculum, with elective options from a variety of disciplines ranging from biological sciences, business, computer sciences, economics, geography, mathematics and statistics.
Timothy Wagner, professor and department chair of Chemical and Biological Sciences, said given the interdisciplinary nature of the program, students can “focus their new expertise in data analytics on an area related to their respective undergraduate programs.”
Wim Steelant, professor and dean of the YSU College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, said the program stresses the importance of experiential learning, an emphasis of the STEM College.
“We are excited about the prospect of adding data science and statistics to our portfolio of graduate degree options for students,” he said.
Applications are open now, with the program beginning in the fall 2024 semester.
For more information, contact Tom Wakefield in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at 330 941 3302 or [email protected].
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
