Harvard launches Data Science master’s degree program

Harvard will offer a Master of Science (SM) degree in Data Science beginning in fall of 2018. The new degree, under the joint academic leadership of the faculties of Computer Science in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), and of Statistics in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), will train students in the rapidly growing field of data science.

Prospective students will apply to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for admission to the program, which will be administered through the Institute for Applied Computational Science (IACS) at SEAS.

Beyond the fundamental computer science and statistics methodologies that underpin data science, the new master’s program will educate the next generation of leaders to be knowledgeable about advanced topics such as the principles of experimental design, causal inference, visualization, massive and distributed computing, and applications drawn from the breadth of Harvard’s faculties. The program is also designed to provide an understanding of the broader legal, ethical and societal context associated with data science.