Breadcrumb
Data Science, B.S.
Data scientists gather and investigate data and extract meaningful insights and hidden trends. They also use machine learning algorithms to build predictive models which have a wide range of applications, from TikTok recommendations to predicting the next COVID variant to surge. At Cal Poly Humboldt, we are particularly passionate about “Data for Good” and believe Data Science can help solve many challenges addressing our society from housing inequity to climate change.
Why this program
Students choose an area of application and take approved courses in a related discipline. This provides students a context to which they will apply their data science skills.
Students will have the opportunity to analyze real case studies of ethics in data science related to privacy issues and the biases that are often inherently built into data.
Courses are designed to help students create a portfolio of work they can show potential employers after graduation.
Academics & Options
Students will develop and practice skills applying contemporary statistics, data analysis, and computational science methods to solve social and environmental problems.
Did you know?
Data Science is a rapidly growing field. In 2019, posting for data scientist positions on Indeed had risen by 256% compared to ten years prior and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts data science will see more growth than any other field between now and 2029. Glassdoor ranked data scientist among the top three jobs in America, LinkedIn listed it as one of the most promising jobs of 2021. All in all, it is an exciting time to train in data science!
Whether it’s the protection of personally identifiable data or implicit bias in automated decision-making, the dangers of data science without ethical considerations are as clear as ever. Students explore the ethics aspect of data science, specifically how data is gathered and how it is protected to be aware of and remove biases from data.
Every day, approximately 1.145 trillion megabytes of data are produced and this will continue to grow. With this increase in data comes an increased demand for skilled professionals to analyze this data and use it to make predictions and suggest actions or policy.
Supercomputer
Cal Poly Humboldt hosts a supercomputer initially used to simulate nuclear fusion by parallel computing. Other research problems can also be addressed through its use. Students have the opportunity to work with the supercomputer-- both of its maintenance and upgrades as well as utilizing its computational resources for research questions.
Careers
Data science methodologies build skills and knowledge that are being applied to nearly every field in natural and social sciences and the humanities. The Data Science program provides a pathway for students to prepare for a growing number of data-rich professions.
- Data Analyst
- Data Manager
- Data Analytics Project Manager
- Risk Analytics
- Data Researcher
- Data Scientist
- Machine Learning Engineer
