By Claire Galvin, UConn School of Engineering Manager of Communications and Digital Strategy
The University of Connecticut School of Engineering is pleased to be on the forefront of workplace trends and demands, this time with the unveiling of a new undergraduate major.
The Computer Science and Engineering department will launch the Data Science and Engineering Bachelor of Science in the fall 2023 semester.
The field of data science has evolved dramatically over the past decade. According to data available through the career website dice.com, Data Scientists and Data Engineers have experienced more than 40 percent year-over-year growth in the first 10 months of 2022. In addition, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 40,500 new Data Scientist positions are anticipated between 2021 and 2031.
Computer Science and Engineering Professor Ion Mandoiu said organizations ranging from large technology companies to small nonprofits need assistance in managing and understanding their data.
“When companies evolve to make data-driven decisions, they start building toward a specific, clear goal based on all information they already have, but maybe weren’t using to potential in the past,” Mandoiu said.
Data science is a field that combines statistics, scientific computing, algorithms and other numerical systems to analyze or extrapolate insights from structured or unstructured data.
The UConn College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has recently developed two bachelor degrees in data science areas of study, and the School of Engineering has carefully designed this plan of study to complement the CLAS degrees, from the lens of computer science.
“Students in this program will have access to interdisciplinary curriculum and initiatives throughout the School of Engineering,” said Computer Science and Engineering Department Head Sanguthevar Rajasekaran. “We’re leveraging our professors to offer a holistic education in this rapidly advancing field.”
The Data Science and Engineering degree will apply theory, techniques and tools through the data science lifecycle and employ the resulting knowledge to satisfy stakeholders’ needs.
Required Data Science and Engineering courses will include “Introduction to Computing for Engineers,” “Data Structures and Object-Oriented Design,” “Introduction to Discrete Systems,” “Introduction to Data Science and Engineering,” “Contemporary Issues in Computer Science and Engineering,” “Cybersecurity Lab,” “Algorithms and Complexity,” “Big Data Analytics,” “Principles of Databases,” “Introduction to Machine Learning,” and “Senior Design I & II.”
These courses are supplemented by engineering and university electives to meet the minimum of 120 credits required for graduation.
The plan of study is designed for new college entrants, not upperclassmen looking to change majors.
For more information, especially for incoming freshmen, contact Educational Program Assistant Rebecca Cretella at rebecca.cretella@uconn.edu.
