The MSDS program was ranked No. 13 on Fortune Education’s “Best Master's in Data Science Programs in 2022” earlier this year.
The Master of Science in Data Science (MSDS) program at the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business was ranked No.13 on the “Best Master's in Data Science Programs in 2022” list by Fortune Education.
“I would like to congratulate the faculty who developed and who teach in this program,” said Margaret L. Williams, dean of Rawls College. “This recognition is a tribute to their expertise, commitment, and hard work.”
Fortune created the rankings list in response to the rapid exponential growth and demand for data scientists.
“There is a fast-growing demand for data science,” said Jaeki Song, associate dean of graduate programs and research, “not only nationwide but also in the state of Texas. Currently, many tech corporations are relocating to Texas.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), data science-related jobs are projected to grow 28% per year. The BLS also projects an average wage of $103,930 for data scientists.
To meet the booming industry demands, the MSDS program at Rawls College has been constantly improving.
Williams sees this constant progress as a point of pride among the MSDS faculty.
“The faculty have devoted extensive time and effort to make sure the curriculum is up-to-date and relevant. This is not a one-time activity for a data science program. They stay on the cutting edge of research and industry practice.”
Song also noted that the student body serves as a big motivating factor in keeping the MSDS program adaptable.
“We believe in admitting students with diverse educational backgrounds,” said Song. “This strategy enabled us to better position our data science program as a hybrid discipline that can transform data insights into actionable business plans.
Students enrolled in the MSDS program are equipped with a rich set of big data and machine learning tools to become more competitive in the job market.
“The MSDS program is an example of our efforts to update our graduate degree offerings to satisfy the current and future needs of business,” said Williams. “The skills taught in this program are in high demand, and we are committed to maintaining our competitive edge in this area.”
Fortune Education Methodology
Fortune determined its rankings based on two components: Selectivity Score (75%) and Demand Score (25%).
Selectivity Score focused on the incoming class of MSDS students. Fortune looked at the average GPA of incoming students and each program's acceptance rate. Stronger scores were given to programs that were challenging.
Fortune believed a more selective a program leads to a stronger cohort and more successful alumni and so put as much weight into Selectivity Score as it did.
Demand Score measured the total enrollment size of the program and the number of applicants
for the most recent year. The thinking here was that by comparing the size of the
student body to the applicant pool, Fortune could determine how much a program was
in demand by potential students.