Brad Haft is an intern at Fortune Recommends, writing on topics such as education, business, budding technologies, and emerging career paths. He also produces videos for the team's social media. A proud alumnus of the University of South Florida, he majored in broadcast journalism and minored in entrepreneurship.
Jasmine Suarez is a senior editor at Fortune Recommends, where she was hired to build and launch the department in 2022. Before joining Fortune, she was a senior editor at Business Insider, where she led various verticals on the personal finance team. In the past, she’s worked for Red Ventures, Adweek, McGraw-Hill, Pearson, and more.
Despite data science being a relatively new field, many universities now offer online master’s degree programs to meet the growing interest of those looking to enter the industry. The employment of data scientists is projected to increase by 35% by 2032, surpassing the average growth rate for all other professions in the nation.
Recognizing the increasing significance of data science education and that more and more people are eager to chase massive $125,000 annual data engineering salaries, the Fortune Recommends Education team evaluated 23 programs to bring you the top online data science master’s programs for 2024.
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The online Master of Information and Data Science (MIDS) program is preparing the next generation of experts and leaders in the data science field and providing students with a UC Berkeley education without having to relocate. Students graduate with connections to UC Berkeley’s extensive alumni network in the Bay Area and across the world. All international applicants will be required to submit official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores.
In addition to consulting a panel of two industry experts, we ranked programs based on a robust methodology that comprises a number of indicators that best judged the online master’s in the data science ecosystem for 2024. Below are the data points we used:
Data that Fortune collected:
School-provided data:
During the preparation and development of our methodology, we consulted with two experts well-versed in online data science master's programs. One of them leads a team of data scientists and has earned a master’s degree in data science from Southern Methodist University. The other has almost 20 years of experience in online learning and currently shapes the curriculum for virtual data analytics and data science bootcamps.
By asking questions about the price of an online master's in data science program and substituting the degree for a bootcamp, we hoped to understand better how to guide those interested in earning the degree. It’s noteworthy that neither expert was directly involved in ranking any programs.
It can be difficult to compare each program without first learning about the program and meeting with the program’s instructors and other students face-to-face. This is the plight of online learning, and it’s especially problematic when choosing between online master’s in data science programs.
Unfortunately, Thota says, it's commonplace for online programs to focus on teaching theory, sometimes asynchronously, rather than implementing valuable hands-on and scenario-based learning. That’s because some programs are geared toward people working at their own pace.
He advises degree-seeking students to opt in for the latter.
“If you go to a school that teaches you just about statistical algorithms and machine learning theory, you’ll get into a situation where you're not ready to code and implement what you learned,” Thota tells Fortune. He adds that if you want to get a job in data science, you need experience solving problems––but even that might not be enough to get you a senior position.
A well-rounded master’s graduate possesses more business communications skills than one might expect.
“I want [my candidates] to be able to articulate the value of a solution. I look for problems that they solved previously using data. Contrary to popular belief, data science has a lot to do with stakeholder management and communications.”
If you learn better face-to-face with your instructors and have time to commute, you may want to consider an in-person master’s in data science over the online version.
So, how does one ensure an online master's in data science program is worth the investment and will help them become well-rounded and hire-worthy? Check these four items off when looking for a perfect program:
When weighing the lower price and shorter duration of a data science bootcamp against the cost, length, and prestige of a master's degree, the right choice depends on an individual's goals, needs, and interests.
For Bergin, it’s not a question of bootcamp vs. masters––it’s a matter of doing what you need to do to get ahead, and that can look like doing both.
"I think about it like apples and oranges. A bootcamp is not a replacement for a [master's in data science], but I think starting small with a bootcamp can still be a viable pathway to a dream job. What you learn in both are fundamentally different, and they can definitely complement one another," Bergin says.
Plus, with a single search on Indeed, you’ll see there’s no across-the-board formula to becoming a perfectly packaged hire. Hiring managers are looking for a mix and match of experiences ranging from bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and bootcamp certifications to years of on-the-job training, apprenticeships, and AI specializations.
Even if you have all of these neatly packed into a resume, more senior roles might require master’s degrees, years of equivalent work experience, and definitive proof you can do the job.
"There are varying degrees of success on all levels of those [experiences and pathways], but, still, a lot of people don't really have clarity of what they want to be," he says.
But how does one achieve career clarity? Bergin advises that it comes after experiencing and trying new things.
Both experts agree that for those switching to data science from another field who don't have a related background at all, jumping into a nearly $40,000 online data science master’s degree on a whim can be intimidating. Bergin suggests one careful approach for dipping your toes in the water:
It’s worth noting that this is just a hypothetical route. Some people may be more confident that they want to pursue data science and, as such, have no problem jumping from a bachelor’s of economics, for example, to a master's in data science.
Your journey into a successful career as a data scientist is entirely unique to your situation.
Getting an online master’s in data science may be challenging for some students but easier for others. One advantage of studying online is the convenience of completing assignments from home. Nevertheless, a good program should offer a high level of rigor and challenge.
Ultimately, when comparing a master’s in data science and an MBA, the decision relies on your individual strengths, interests, and needs for growing in your career. Data science focuses squarely on making data-driven insights, analyses, and communicating your findings with stakeholders, whereas an MBA provides you with expertise in business strategy and leadership capabilities.
In Fortune’s 2024 ranking, the University of California–Berkeley has the most comprehensive online MBA program, considering factors like Google search volume, acceptance rate, graduation rate, yield, retention rate, total program cost, and size of the graduating class.
Check out all of Fortune’s rankings of degree programs, and learn more about specific career paths.
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Brad Haft is an intern at Fortune Recommends, writing on topics such as education, business, budding technologies, and emerging career paths. He also produces videos for the team's social media. A proud alumnus of the University of South Florida, he majored in broadcast journalism and minored in entrepreneurship.
Jasmine Suarez is a senior editor at Fortune Recommends, where she was hired to build and launch the department in 2022. Before joining Fortune, she was a senior editor at Business Insider, where she led various verticals on the personal finance team. In the past, she’s worked for Red Ventures, Adweek, McGraw-Hill, Pearson, and more.
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