Enrollment for the first session will open on April 19, 2021!
*Academic Ranking of World Universities, 2019
Learn valuable job skills for in-demand data science careers by pursuing a full Master of Science in Data Science degree from the University of Colorado Boulder. This fully online MS in Data Science is an ideal choice for career-focused learners eager to benefit from a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach. This program leverages unparalleled faculty expertise across statistics, data science, computer science, natural language processing, information science, and more. You’ll gain broadly applicable foundational skills as well as develop specialized competencies tailored to specific career paths.
With performance-based admissions, there is no application process—simply demonstrate you can do the work. With pay-as-you-go tuition, you can craft the learning journey that’s right for your goals. You can build specific skills through independent courses, or complete a series of stackable courses to gain admission into the full degree program. Complete a series of for-credit courses in a “Pathway Specialization” maintaining a grade point average of 3.0 (B) or better to be admitted into the degree program. Combine the credits earned from the Pathway Specialization with additional for-credit courses totalling 30 credit hours.
This program offers you the opportunity to receive a world-class education while crafting a personalized learning journey tailored to your individual goals and needs. You can enroll in short, four-to-six week courses right away to start earning academic credit, and ultimately complete the full 30-credit hour program to earn your master’s in data science—at your pace. Plus, there is no application requirement. Simply demonstrate you can do the work, and start learning!
Learn from top-tier faculty whose decades of experience encompasses statistics, computer science, information science, and more. Gain access to real-world big data sets, participate in hands-on projects that utilize cloud-based programming environments and Jupyter Notebooks, and design and implement your own statistical models. You will interact with domain experts from academia, business, government, and nonprofits, and do work in more advanced topics like natural language processing, geospatial analytics, and high-performance computing.
In this degree, you can prepare for a career as a data scientist, data analyst, machine learning engineer, data engineer, and more—regardless of your previous academic background. Graduates from CU Boulder go on to work at top companies including Amazon, Apple, Boeing, Disney, Google, IBM, Lockheed Martin, NASA, NBC, Twitter, and Yelp.
For full degree | Each credit hour is $667 USD
8 week sessions (usually 4-6 weeks for an individual course) | 1-3 courses per session recommended
Enrollment will open on April 19, 2021. The first session begins on May 3, 2021.
Contact the CU Boulder MS-DS team at datascience@colorado.edu if you have any questions.
Choose from courses in applied mathematics, statistics, computer science, data ethics, and more. Learn at your own pace in term-based sessions with video lectures and hands-on projects. Build specific skills, and even start earning credit towards a degree.
Try "Introduction to High-Performance and Parallel Computing" today and experience a real graduate-level course from CU Boulder.
Any student interested in growing their data science knowledge can enroll and start learning today. With performance-based admissions, simply earn a GPA of 3.0 or higher in a set of pathway courses to be admitted into the degree.
Learn more about AdmissionsLearn theory and methods of data science, including data structures, programming fundamentals, and statistics through 3-6 week modular courses.
Learn more about AcademicsDevelop in-demand data science and machine learning skills highly sought by recruiters and hiring managers at top-ranked companies.
Learn more about CareersStudy at your own pace with flexible, 8-week sessions while connecting with your peers and instructors through Slack, discussion forums, and office hours.
Learn more about Student ExperienceWith five Nobel Prize winners, five National Medal of Science winners, and 51 Fulbright fellows among its graduates, the University of Colorado Boulder is committed to excellence.
Learn more about University of Colorado BoulderPreview courses taught by the same world-class faculty that teach on-campus before committing to a full degree. You can upgrade to a for-credit learning experience at any time.
Try a course todayInformation Webinar @ 9 am Mountain Time | Sign up now
Enrollment begins for the MS-DS program
Classes start for the first session of the MS-DS program
Yes. The diploma is a degree conferred for a Master of Science in Data Science, which is the same degree students receive in the on-campus program.
Graduates with a degree in data science are well-prepared to enter the workforce as data architects, analysts, and engineers; machine learning architects and engineers; business intelligence developers; and statisticians, among others.
Yes. The online MS-DS program falls under the University of Colorado Boulder’s overall accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Yes. Simply enroll in any course and take as many as you like. No commitment is required. You can also enroll in the non-credit course on the Coursera platform and upgrade to for-credit at a later time by paying the associated tuition.
If you have any questions about the program, email us at datascience@colorado.edu.
Students can access course materials on the Coursera platform – lecture videos, quizzes, and readings – anytime and anywhere. Courses have been designed by CU Boulder’s faculty specifically for an online learning environment.
If a course uses proctoring for the final exam, the exam will be administered by ProctorU, a proctoring service that allows students to complete exams or project-based assessments online.
The MS-DS degree takes approximately 2 years to complete. This may vary depending on your learning pace. An individual course can take between 3-6 weeks to complete. Courses are offered during 6 sessions per year.
The coursework for each course you enroll in may take 4-6 hours of work per week depending on your knowledge and skill.
You can learn at your own pace in a flexible and fully online format. Take only the coursework you need to build credentials that will advance your career, from individual courses to the full master’s degree.
30 credits are required to earn the Master of Science in Data Science degree. Each course has a different designated credit attached to it.
You can take as many courses as you would like at the same time. You must complete all for-credit coursework and exams by the last day of each session. We recommend that you start with one course and decide from there if it is feasible to take more at the same time.
Yes. When you successfully complete the online MS-DS degree, you may come to campus to participate in the graduation ceremony.
No. You cannot switch between online and on-campus programs.
Yes. The same renowned and expert faculty at CU Boulder teach both online and on-campus courses.
Yes. There are weekly online office hours where you can interact with course facilitators and ask questions.
No. Online students do not have access to on-campus facilities.
CU Boulder will assign you a student ID and email address. There is no physical ID card.
Yes. The Slack channel and discussion forums are ways to connect and network.
Yes. Admitted degree-seeking students have access to Handshake, a comprehensive resource for all things career related.
No. Internships are not part of the program.
Admission is performance-based and there is no application. To get started, you will need to complete the enrollment form during an enrollment window. Indicate you want to earn the master’s degree if applicable, and pay the tuition for the course you are taking. Simply complete a series of for-credit courses with a GPA of 3.0 or higher then you will automatically be admitted into the master’s degree.
No. There is no application or application fee.
No. Transfer credits from other institutions are not accepted.
There are currently no scholarships or financial aid available for this program.
Tuition is $667 per credit hour and $20,010 for the full 30-credit master’s degree. With “pay-as-you-go” tuition, you only need to pay for the courses you are taking in the upcoming term at the time of enrollment.
There are no formal prerequisites for the MS-DS, but students are expected to be proficient in Calculus II, Linear Algebra, R, and Python.
To be admitted to the MS-DS as a degree-seeking student, you must enroll in and complete a “Pathway Specialization” with a 3.0 GPA or better. Your pathway is a series of three, one-credit courses in either statistics or computer science. All the courses in these pathways are part of the core degree curriculum, so your progress will directly stack toward a full degree.
No, you do not, although previous experience in statistics and computer science is helpful.
Coursera does not grant credit, and does not represent that any institution other than the degree granting institution will recognize the credit or credential awarded by the institution; the decision to grant, accept, or transfer credit is subject to the sole and absolute discretion of an educational institution.