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Master of Science in Data Science

Interpret Data and Solve Real-World Problems

100% Online, Customizable Coursework

Small Class Sizes and Online Thesis Option

Qualify for In-Demand Careers

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  • Duration 2 years
  • Cost per Credit $830
  • Credit Hours 30

Program Benefits

  • Four career-focused specializations
  • No GRE or GMAT required
  • Experienced faculty
  • In-demand skills for a variety of industries

Shape Business Strategy With Data

The Big Data market size is projected to grow from $162.6 billion in 2021 to $273.4 billion in 2026.1 Shopping centers, social media, health care service providers, and educational institutions — everyone is collecting data. In fact, 90 percent of the world’s data was created in the last two years.2

When you graduate in less than two years with your online master’s degree in data science from Utica University, you’ll have the skills to analyze data, gain valuable insights, and develop innovative solutions in a variety of fields.

Utica’s 30-credit, 100% online master’s degree in data science will prepare you to influence strategy and policy-making across organizations and industries. You’ll also learn to evaluate data science regarding ethics, social responsibility, and personal bias. This comprehensive curriculum helps Utica’s program stand out among other New York data science master’s programs.

With small class sizes, project-based coursework, and no residency requirement, our M.S. in Data Science gives you the personal attention and flexibility to meet your educational goals.

Our program was ranked in the top 30 online Data Science programs in 2022 by Data Science Degree Programs Guide.

Develop In-Demand Skills for Career Success

In 2021, the median salary for an entry-level data scientist was $100,560.

For experts with just three years of experience and a master’s degree in data science, the median salary rises to $155,000, with the top 25 percent of earners making $170,000.3

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that data science roles will grow 15% from 2019-2029, much faster than the average for all occupations.

Jobs and Income

Use Data to Solve Real-World Business Challenges

With Utica University’s online master’s degree in data science, you’ll explore models for collecting data and methods for diving deep into the numbers to identify trends — but that’s only part of the equation. You’ll also learn to use your findings to design and implement solutions to business problems.

Explore the basics through five core courses, then choose from the following career-focused specializations:

  • Business Analytics
  • Cybersecurity
  • Financial Crime
  • Social Science
  • General

You’ll bring everything together with a hands-on capstone project or online thesis involving independent research and data analysis to complete the program.

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Specialize Your Degree

Choose the general track or one of four specializations. Each will provide you with the most up-to-date skills and expertise to hit the ground running in the industry segment of your choice.

Business Analytics

Build business theory and practice into your data analytics expertise. You’ll complete this specialization ready to manage risk, predict market and workforce developments, and understand demographic trends and census data.

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Cybersecurity

Learn state-of-the-art cybersecurity and computer forensic practices, and apply your data science knowledge and skills in unique ways. This specialization features courses from our NSA-designated cybersecurity master’s program.

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Financial Crime

Enhance your ability to manage the corporate and advanced technological resources that combat economic crime. You’ll complete this specialization ready for positions in the compliance and fraud investigation fields.

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Social Science Analytics

Enhance your understanding of complex organizations and bureaucracy, social trends, voting data, and research design. You’ll complete this specialization with a macroscopic perspective on community dynamics.

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Admission Requirements

Applying to the online master’s in data science program is straightforward, with no GRE or GMAT required. Just submit the following:

  • Completed application
  • A bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • Official transcripts
  • Résumé
  • Personal statement
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Tuition and Financial Aid

This 30-credit program costs $830 per credit hour. Utica University is dedicated to making an advanced education accessible and affordable and offers many avenues for financial aid.

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Learn From Industry Experts

Our online master’s degree in data science faculty are well versed in the challenges that working with data can present, with hands-on experience in:

  • Health care
  • Geographic information systems (GIS)
  • Urban-rural dynamics
  • Cybersecurity

You’ll benefit from their decades of collective experience and graduate with a network of veteran data professionals who can help you in your career.

Michael McCarthy

Michael McCarthy, Ph.D.

Program Director and Assistant Professor, Data Science

Michael McCarthy, Ph.D., served in the U.S. Army from 2000 to 2007 as an aviation officer and Black Hawk pilot. Dr. McCarthy’s data science work extends to a technology startup, the health care and nonprofit industries, and the social science sphere. His current research focuses on the fair, ethical, and responsible use of data analytics within society.
As a recipient of numerous grants, Dr. McCarthy’s research focuses on the social impacts of COVID-19 within communities and the technical bias inherent in artificial neural networks.

Dr. McCarthy also worked as an analyst for a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He performed quantitative and qualitative analysis to improve inpatient and outpatient clinic flow, quantitative demographic analysis for strategic planning, coached and led Lean Six Sigma projects, and served as an innovation specialist.

Honors and Distinctions

  • Ph.D. and M.A. in Geography, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  • B.S. in Geographic Information Systems, United States Military Academy at West Point

Selected Publications

Gregory Fulkerson

Gregory Fulkerson, Ph.D.

Adjunct Lecturer, Data Science

Gregory Fulkerson, Ph.D., focuses on issues related to globalization, rurality, community, agriculture, and the environment. His current research investigates the local and global processes leading to environmental degradation and the social response to these problems, particularly in relation to urban-rural processes.

Dr. Fulkerson has extensive expertise in quantitative statistics, qualitative and textual analysis, and big data techniques employing Excel, IBM SPSS Statistics, IBM SPSS Modeler, SAS, PSPP, R, RapidMiner, Atlas Ti, Trackur, InsightMaker, and AMOS analysis software packages. He has published research in several peer-reviewed academic journals, authored books, and edited book volumes.

Dr. Fulkerson is also an Associate Professor of Sociology at the State University of New York at Oneonta and has been a member of the Rural Sociological Society since 2002, serving as Program Chair in 2015.

Dr. Fulkerson has won the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Scholarship and the Scholar of the Year Award in the School of Social Sciences at SUNY Oneonta (2016). He currently serves as co-editor and author for a book series with Lexington Books, called Studies in Urban-Rural Dynamics.

Honors and Distinctions

  • Outstanding Service Award, Rural Sociological Society
  • More than 16 years of sociology teaching experience
  • B.A. in Sociology from Michigan State University
  • M.A. in Sociology from Western Michigan University
  • Ph.D. in Sociology from North Carolina State University

Selected Publications

  • Fulkerson, G.M. and Thomas, A.R. (2016). Reimagining Rural: Urbanormative Portrayals of Rural Life. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books.
  • Fulkerson, G.M. and Thomas, A.R. (2016). Reinventing Rural: New Realities in an Urbanizing World. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books.
  • Fulkerson, G.M. and Thomas, A.R. (2016). Urbanormativity and the spatial demography of suburbia: a response to Meyer and Graybill. Urban Geography, 38(2). 164-169.
  • Fulkerson, G.M. and Thomas, A.R. (2013). Studies in Urbanormativity: Rural Community in Urban Society. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books.
  • Fulkerson, G.M., Thomas, A.R., Lowe, B.M., and Smith, P.J. (2011). Critical Rural Theory: Structure, Space, Culture. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books.

Benefits of Being an Online Student

Whether you are advancing your career or switching it, online learning gives you a unique perspective from your instructors and fellow students. You’ll get the same high-quality education, credentials, and faculty support without slowing down your life.

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Planning Your Budget

Paying for an online education doesn’t have to be stressful. We’ve compiled helpful resources that can get you well on your way to financing your education. Learn more about available options and how you can get started.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Advancing your life and career with an online data science master’s degree comes with many questions, and we want to ensure your search for answers is effortless. If you have a question we haven’t covered, call (866) 295-3106 to speak with an enrollment counselor.

The online program is designed for professionals who work full-time and is offered part-time, which allows you to achieve a realistic balance between work, school, and personal responsibilities and gives you the opportunity to fully absorb the information in your coursework. To see the curriculum, view our courses page.

The first step toward applying to the M.S. in Data Science is to start your online application. Then, you’ll need to gather official transcripts, a personal statement, two letters of recommendation, and a résumé. Read more about admission to the M.S. in Data Science.

In addition to starting your online application, you’ll need to gather official transcripts, a personal statement, two letters of recommendation, and a résumé. Read more about admission to the M.S. in Data Science.

Yes, the M.S. in Data Science offers specializations in Social Science Analytics, Cybersecurity, Business Analytics, or Financial Crime. You can also design your own specialization and put the data to work in the field of your choice. You can review courses now.

To complete the M.S. in Data Science, you can choose a specialization in Social Science, Cybersecurity, Business Analytics, or Financial Crime. You can also choose to create your own specialization with courses tailored to your ideal career path. You can review courses now.

There are many applications for an M.S. in Data Science across the business, nonprofit, and governmental sectors. You can pursue a career as an operations research analyst, cybersecurity analyst, market research analyst, public health analyst, computer and information research scientist, chief data officer, and more. Explore potential career paths here.

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Sources

  1. https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/02/21/big-data-market-2026/
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4103576/
  3. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-and-information-research-scientists.htm#:~:text=in%20May%202019.-,Job%20Outlook,are%20expected%20to%20be%20excellent