It’s possible to land an entry-level job in data science with a bachelor’s degree. However, graduates who are new to the field are likely to find that many jobs in data science do require a master’s degree. Even if a master’s degree isn’t a strict requirement, employers often prefer to hire data scientists who hold one.
A master’s degree, like an MS in Data Science, is also a must-have for aspiring data scientists who earned a bachelor’s degree that wasn’t specifically focused on data science. Individuals may decide to immediately move on to graduate school after earning a bachelor’s degree. Alternatively, they might choose to pursue entry-level employment while working toward a degree in their spare time.
The average master’s degree takes two years of full-time study to complete. Those who choose to work while attending school on a part-time basis may need about three years to complete their degree. A master’s degree program will take a deep dive into the critical topics that aspiring data scientists need to know, such as the following:
- Foundational principles in predictive modeling
- Methods and applications of linear regression and multivariate analysis
- The development and use of data mining algorithms
- The design and creation of software applications