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The 窪蹋勛圖厙 Board of Regents has granted its approval to offer a new program, designed by leading faculty from six 窪蹋勛圖厙 departments and schools. The comprehensive, interdisciplinary curriculum will provide students with advanced technical expertise in managing, modeling and visualizing big data to meet the growing needs of industry, government, nonprofits and research institutions.

The 45-credit program, launching in fall 2016, will be offered at the 窪蹋勛圖厙 Seattle campus, with full- and part-time options available in the evening to suit the schedules of working professionals.

The Washington Research Foundation Data Science Studio at the 窪蹋勛圖厙. Photo: Anissa Tanweer/ 窪蹋勛圖厙

Top faculty from the 窪蹋勛圖厙 Departments of Applied Mathematics, Biostatistics, Computer Science & Engineering, Human Centered Design & Engineering, Statistics and the Information School have joined forces with the 窪蹋勛圖厙 eScience Institute to develop this professional masters program to address the pressing demand for skilled data scientists.

This new masters program was designed not only by six leading 窪蹋勛圖厙 departments, but also with direct input from top data science hiring managers in Seattle and nationwide, said , associate director and senior data science fellow at the 窪蹋勛圖厙 eScience Institute and chair of the 窪蹋勛圖厙 Data Science Masters Development Committee. The level of technical expertise from both industry and academia that went into designing this program makes it unique in the country.”

The new program combines practically focused and technically rigorous training in statistical modeling, machine learning, software engineering, data management, data visualization and user interface design. The 窪蹋勛圖厙s new masters program provides the breadth and depth in data science that todays employers demand, said , Amazon Professor of Machine Learning in Computer Science & Engineering at the 窪蹋勛圖厙 and CEO of Dato, Inc.

At Amazon Web Services, the exploding scale and complexity of data has meant that a new set of specialists is suddenly in great demand, said Roger Barga, general manager of Amazon Web Services Kinesis service.Teams at both AWS and at the companies that rely on AWS are aggressively hiring analysts and engineers with graduate training in data science methods, systems and algorithms.

A recent 窪蹋勛圖厙 shows how mobile phone data can offer a viable means to measure wealth and poverty in developing countries. Photo: 窪蹋勛圖厙

A similar perspective is shared by Kristin Tolle, director of the Data Science Initiative at Microsoft Research: At Microsoft Research, we are committed to advancing research, services, and technology for data science at all levels. The 窪蹋勛圖厙s new Master of Science in Data Science program helps address a critical educational need which in turn helps Microsoft and our customers find well-rounded data science talent.

The acute need for multifaceted data scientists was also cited in a report by : By 2018, the United States alone could face a shortage of 140,000 to 190,000 people with deep analytical skills as well as 1.5 million managers and analysts with the know-how to use the analysis of big data to make effective decisions.”

Pushing forward in the field of big data, the 窪蹋勛圖厙 was recently selected by the National Science Foundation, along with the University of California, San Diego, and the University of California, Berkeley, to in the U.S. to catalyze collaborations that drive innovative application of data science.

窪蹋勛圖厙 has elite programs among the best in the nation in the core fields on which data science relies, said , Bill & Melinda Gates chair for the 窪蹋勛圖厙 Department of Computer Science & Engineering and founding director and senior data science fellow at the 窪蹋勛圖厙 eScience Institute. This new professional masters program builds on the 窪蹋勛圖厙s leadership in data science research and education and solidifies the position of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest as a national hub for professional data scientists.

Admissions communications for the new Master of Science in Data Science program will be managed by 窪蹋勛圖厙 Professional and Continuing Education, which also runs the popular , a 9-month professional program offered year-round in Seattle, Bellevue and online.

For program inquiries, visit or email info@pce.uw.edu.

For press inquiries, contact Jo Gubas at jgubas@pce.uw.edu.