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Data Science Minor + Closely Related major/minor

The department has identified the following as closely related major/minor programs that require modification to the Data Science Minor requirements for students to do both programs.

Integrated Science Program (ISP) major + Data Science minor
Mathematical Methods for the Social Sciences (MMSS) major + Data Science minor
Statistics major + Data Science minor
Weinberg Computer Science major + Data Science minor
Weinberg Computer Science minor + Data Science minor

 

Integrated Science Program (ISP) major + Data Science minor

Students will complete all requirements for ISP major and requirements for Data Science minor are as follows:

Mathematical Methods for the Social Sciences (MMSS) major + Data Science minor

Students will complete all requirements for MMSS major and requirements for Data Science minor are as follows:

Statistics major + Data Science minor

Students will complete all requirements for Statistics major and requirements for Data Science minor are as follows:

Note: STAT 301-1, 301-2, 301-3, 302-0, 303-1, 303-2, 303-3, and any 300 level electives being used for the Data Science minor cannot be used to fulfill credit requirements for the Statistics major.

 

Weinberg Computer Science major + Data Science minor

Students will complete all requirements for Computer Science major and requirements for Data Science minor are as follows:

* Since Weinberg Computer Science majors may take an introductory computer science course other than COMP_SCI 110-0, the Director of Data Science will approve the alternative course that satisfies the introductory programming course requirement as well as the replacement elective course.

Weinberg Computer Science majors are responsible for learning Python at the level of STAT 201-0 or COMP_SCI 110-0 and the additional topics identified in this pdf prior to taking a STAT course for which STAT 201-0 is a prerequisite.

 

Weinberg Computer Science minor + Data Science minor

Students will complete all requirements for Computer Science minor and requirements for Data Science minor are as follows:

* Since Weinberg Computer Science minors may take an introductory computer science course other than COMP_SCI 110-0, the Director of Data Science will approve the alternative course that satisfies the introductory programming course requirement as well as the replacement elective course.

Weinberg Computer Science minors are responsible for learning Python at the level of STAT 201-0 or COMP_SCI 110-0 and the additional topics identified in this pdf prior to taking a STAT course for which STAT 201-0 is a prerequisite.

Expectations and coursework for Minor

Students will develop data acumen by learning how to ethically and effectively collect, process, explore, communicate, and make decisions with data and how to combine these components into an efficient data workflow.

The core courses (Data Science 1, 2, 3, and Data Visualization) are designed for students to develop the knowledge and skills needed to build an appropriate data workflow through project work. In each of these courses students will be expected to complete 1-2 weekly assignments and a final data project focused on a dataset they have sourced. Students should be prepared to dedicate approximately 7-12 hours per week outside of class to course work.

Declaring the Data Science Minor

There is a declaration period for the minor held annually in Spring quarter. However, the steps for declaring start with completing The Data Science Interest List as soon as possible after it opens on September 1.

Because the Minor in Data Science is very popular and space in the required courses is limited, the minor uses a cohort system to help ensure that students who declare will be able to complete the required STAT courses for the minor in the time available to them.

The Data Science Minor Cohorts reflect the academic year the students in the cohort are assigned to take the core Data Science courses. For example, students in the 2023-24 Data Science Minor Cohort would take their 4 core STAT data science minor courses in academic year 2023-2024. Students are only guaranteed seats in the 4 core data science courses in their assigned Cohort year.

Additionally, cohorts are broken into two tracks, the R track and the Python track. Students wishing to declare indicate if they have a track preference.

The assignment of students to a Data Science Minor Cohort and declaration of the minor happens annually in spring quarter. Assignment to a cohort is based on availability, track preference, and other factors. We begin filling cohorts up to three years in advance.

Read more about the cohort assignment process

Read more about the declaration process and get on the Data Science Interest List

Students who wish to declare the minor must follow the declaration process steps listed on the Declaring the Minor in Data Science page unless they have already taken the Data Science sequence courses as a Statistics Major. If you are a Statistics major who has already taken the Data Science sequence courses and would now like to declare a Minor in Data Science instead of using those courses toward your Statistics major electives requirement, please contact Deric Holloway at deric.holloway@northwestern.edu


Questions:

Please contact stats@northwestern.edu