
Center for Data Science
Supporting research in the production, analysis, and storage of 21st Century data types.
Learn the skills to meet growing demand for advanced data scientists—in the area with the highest US concentration of data science jobs—in a program where you can start from any level, choose your own specialty, and execute real-world projects demonstrating job readiness.
Choose from primary coursework tracks including
Those preferring the Online MS Program can choose tracks in Business Analytics or Specialized Methods. While pursuing their primary track, students will master both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills used by data scientists in academia, industry, and government.
Core courses such as Statistical Machine Learning, Data Science, and Statistical Programming in R will train students to clean, process, visualize, and archive modern datasets, including text, imagery, and biometric data, apply machine learning algorithms to real data, and use the mathematical and statistical language of data scientists, leading to the DATA-793 Practicum, working directly with faculty and other researchers' ongoing projects.
Learn more about the Data Science MS admissions and coursework details or sample Data Science MS Course Plan.
Courses are taught by the same knowledgeable, innovative, and widely published professors who teach our master of arts, master of science, and undergraduate courses. You will learn the theories of data science and practical skills from respected experts in the field: Data Science Faculty.
Faculty research interests include
Consistently ranked as one of the best cities for job seekers, Washington, DC, offers data scientists unparalleled access to private– and public–sector opportunities. AU's campus is minutes from industry giants such as Deloitte Consulting, Amazon, Booz Allen Hamilton, National Institutes of Health, BNY Mellon, Cambridge Associates, Lockheed Martin, and the Peace Corps. Our graduates start with a foot in the door, thanks to the Data Science Center and university's institutional relationships with government agencies, locally-based companies, and nonprofit organizations.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks DC as the area having the nation's highest concentration of data science positions and annual mean wage in surrounding areas of $122,740.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 36% increase in data science jobs from 2021 to 2031 — with DC having the nation's highest concentration of data science positions. Forbes and Glassdoor consistently rank Data Scientist at or near the top of all professions for job-satisfaction and median base salary at $120,000. There are limitless applications for the skills you will gain from an MS in Data Science.
Recent graduates now have positions with
Marketable skills include how to
See more about our outcomes and graduation data.
Explore our MS in Data Science
The program is open to all students with a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution that have a cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale). Students without sufficient mathematical background as determined by the program directors may be required to complete a mathematical boot camp prior to starting the program.
You can find information about application deadlines here.
Start your application to the MS in Data Science. If you have any questions please email spaapp@american.edu.
Supporting research in the production, analysis, and storage of 21st Century data types.