New College of Florida Named to Fortune’s ‘Best Master’s in Data Science Programs in 2022’ List
“We are extremely happy that our program is now recognized in national rankings as one of the top in-person master’s programs in this field,” said Burcin Bozkaya, Ph.D., the director of the Applied Data Science graduate program at New College.
New College’s program is one of only 28 listed in the 2022 ranking. The signature 36-credit-hour, four-semester program includes a rigorous two-year curriculum with many practical components—including a summer internship, a full-time paid practicum, and an industry-led capstone project course.
“These components allow our graduates to have substantial real-world experiences before they join the workforce,” Bozkaya said.
Fortune reported that data scientist job openings have grown by 480 percent since 2016, according to Glassdoor. Companies are offering six-figure salaries to vie for top data science talent (the mean salary for data scientists is $108,660, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics).
And ambitious students have enrolled in New College’s Applied Data Science graduate program from across the globe, pursuing data science as a lucrative pathway to begin solving the planet’s greatest problems— from improving transportation to creating cancer treatments.
New College’s program blends interdisciplinary theory and practical skill application through courses such as “Exploratory Data Analysis,” “Applied Statistics” and “Data Visualization.” Undergraduates at New College can combine their primary major with a secondary focus in applied data science to earn both a data science bachelor of arts (B.A.) and master of science (M.S.) degree in five years, instead of the usual six.
The career outcomes for New College’s program are part of the appeal. In fact, every student from the Class of 2021 secured a full-time job in data science within one month of graduation. Those students gained experience applying both R and Python to develop solutions for corporate partners, all while cultivating the industry knowledge and technical skills to thrive after college.
“We plan to add more partnerships and industrial collaborations to our already highly affordable program to further increase the value we offer,” Bozkaya said.
For more information on the Applied Data Science graduate program at New College of Florida, visit ncf.edu/academics/graduate-program.