{"id":139108,"date":"2024-05-07T13:46:38","date_gmt":"2024-05-07T18:46:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=139108"},"modified":"2024-05-07T13:46:46","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T18:46:46","slug":"data-science-degree-program-at-ole-miss-aims-to-address-industry-demand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/data-science-degree-program-at-ole-miss-aims-to-address-industry-demand\/","title":{"rendered":"Data Science Degree Program at Ole Miss Aims to Address Industry Demand"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Program to address need for specialized professionals with computational skills<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Recognizing the increasing need for data-savvy professionals, the University of Mississippi<\/strong>\u00a0School of Engineering<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is launching a new Bachelor of Science degree program in data science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Job demand is very high in data science, so it’s a high priority for our department,” said Yixin Chen<\/strong>, chair of the\u00a0Department of Computer and Information Science<\/strong><\/a>. “About four years ago, we created a data science emphasis and a data science minor, which were both very successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We saw the potential for growth and increased industry need, so we began developing a bachelor’s degree program in response two years ago.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning<\/strong> recently approved the program, which will welcome its inaugural class in fall 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of data science occupations was expected to grow by 35%<\/a> from 2022 to 2023, which is much faster than average.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Data scientists use statistical methods, machine learning and advanced data analysis techniques to extract insights from complex data sets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A bachelor’s degree in data science will give graduates flexibility to seek jobs in virtually any field, said Timothy Holston<\/strong>, instructional assistant professor and assistant chair of computer and information science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The need is for people who have computational skills as well as training in a particular subject,” Holston said. “For instance, a data scientist trained in journalism could assist in fact-finding missions to determine what news is real and what’s false.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other applications include predicting patient outcomes in health care, personalizing customer experiences in retail and optimizing service quality in telecommunications, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To that end, the curriculum will incorporate courses in a focus area of a student’s choosing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This will allow students to use the skills that they’ve learned in the data science intro courses and apply them to a specific area,” Holston said. “The coursework also revolves around the application of mathematics. Data science can be heavily math-influenced.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A significant number of current computer science students are opting to enroll in the data science program, but the degree is open to anyone, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The department’s next step is to pursue accreditation through ABET<\/a>, which is the accrediting body for all Ole Miss engineering programs, Chen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Once the first students have graduated, we can begin the accreditation process,” he said. “We have a well-defined curriculum, and we are all excited about the first group of incoming students.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Erin Garrett<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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