Data science comprises the science of planning for, acquisition, management, analysis of, and inference from data. The aim of the data science program is to teach computational and statistical thinking, mathematical and statistical foundations, model building and assessment, algorithms and software foundation, data curation and knowledge transference.

Data science at Memorial

We employ undergraduate students in the Math Help Centre and to mark course assignments. Some of our students qualify for summer research employment funded by the National Science and Engineering Research Council.

We offer major program leading to a bachelor of science (B.Sc.) and bachelor of arts (BA) in data science. The department is currently exploring joint major programs with other departments.

Admission requirements

You may apply for admission into the Faculty of Science or the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences by indicating bachelor of science or bachelor of arts, respectively, as your program choice on the undergraduate application for admission.

Direct entry into the Faculty of Science or the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences from high school is subject to meeting the general admission requirements for Memorial University, including appropriate courses in mathematics and a laboratory science for bachelor of science. Applicants without a laboratory science subject should apply for bachelor of arts.

Admission to the major for B.Sc. students

You cannot choose data science as your major at the time of application. After completion of 15 credit hours of study, you may request permission to declare a major in data science from the Department of Mathematics & Statistics. 

B.Sc. students must complete the following core degree requirements:

• six credit hours in critical reading and writing (CRW) courses, including at least three credit hours in English
• six credit hours in mathematics
• six credit hours in courses from each of two sciences other than mathematics

It is recommended that you complete the core degree requirements in your first year of study.

Admission to the major for BA students

You cannot choose data science as your major at the time of application. After completion of 15 credit hours of study, you may request permission to declare a major in data science from the Deputy Head (Data Science and Statistics) in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics.

Students are strongly recommended to complete the BA core degree requirements in the first year of study.

Your first year

Check out the typical courses that, as a data science student, you would take in your first year.

Sample courses beyond first year

STAT 2530 - Statistical Data Analytics
STAT 3486 - Statistical Learning
STAT 4486 - Neural Networks and Deep Learning

Career opportunities

A bachelor of science degree, with a major in data science, prepares students for a variety of careers including:

• data scientist
• data analyst
• data modeler
• business intelligence analyst
• machine learning engineer
• risk analyst
• statistician

Note: some of these careers may call for supplementary education or preparation in the form of graduate studies, experiential learning or professional courses and exams.

Harvard Business Review in 2022 reported that “By 2019, postings for data scientists on Indeed had risen by 256%, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, predicts data science will see more growth than almost any other field between now and 2029. The sought-after job is generally paid quite well; the median salary for an experienced data scientist in California is approaching $200,000.”