New Data Science Minor

August 23, 2021

Our department has introduced a Data Science minor in Fall 2021 that is designed to appeal to students majoring in a broad array of disciplines. The minor is an important component of the soon-to-launch data science initiative, a pan-University effort.

To minor in data science, a student will take five courses in all. Three of the courses fulfill core requirements: Data and Computational Thinking; Data and Statistical Thinking; and Data, Culture and Society. Each core requirement can be met by taking one of several courses. For example, four courses fulfill the computational thinking requirement — two in computer science, one in geography and one in political science.

Beyond fulfilling the three core requirements, students take two elective courses, selecting among dozens of offerings from more than 20 departments — from anthropology to English to linguistics to biology, as well as STOR. Most of the electives are in College academic departments, but the Gillings School of Global Public Health, the Hussman School of Journalism and Media, and Kenan-Flagler Business School also have elective courses in the minor.