Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Southern Methodist U Debuts Online Grad Program in Data Science

To help meet a growing demand, Dallas' Southern Methodist University will launch a new Master of Science degree in data science in 2015, with courses drawn across its schools of humanities and sciences, engineering, and the arts.

Although the program is online only, students will take synchronous classes on a weekly basis on subjects like computer science, statistics, strategic behavior, and data visualization. The format is designed to foster more collaboration between teachers and students. Lecture materials will still be available on demand through a platform developed for the university by 2U, an online course management provider for higher ed.

"We look forward to building an innovative online data science program that will prepare students to effectively manage and analyze data as well as communicate and visualize findings," said SMU Provost and vice president for academic affairs Paul W. Ludden in a statement.

Students in the program, named DataScience@SMU by the university, will complete a total of 30 credits of core coursework in statistics, data mining, and data visualization, and a 1-credit, in-person class on the SMU campus in Dallas.

About the Author

Stephen Noonoo is an education technology journalist based in Los Angeles. He is on Twitter @stephenoonoo.

Featured

  • Businessman using laptop analyzing data and growth graph chart

    AI Budgets in Education Show No Sign of Decline

    The vast majority of education organizations (98%) expect their AI infrastructure budgets to either increase or hold steady over the next year, according to a recent report from cloud storage provider Wasabi.

  • silhouette of business person facing wall of data

    Why AI Strategy Belongs in the President's Office

    Institutions that are succeeding with AI share one thing in common, and it is not a better committee, a larger budget, or a more sophisticated technology stack. It is a president who never handed off the steering wheel.

  • Interface buttons of Generative AI tool

    Report: No Foolproof Method Exists for Detecting AI-Generated Media

    Microsoft has released a new research report warning that no single technology can reliably distinguish AI-generated content from authentic media, and that deepening reliance on any one method risks misleading the public.

  • Student classroom scene with diverse learners attentively engaging in lecture, using laptops

    The AI Literacy Gap No One Expected

    While Gen Z may be advanced at generating quick outputs or using free LLMs for surface-level tasks, they need to develop critical thinking, communication, and analysis skills.