Data Science & Analytics @ UC Merced

Why choose the DATA SCIENCE & ANALYTICS (DSA) major? 

The data science and analytics (DSA) major addresses the increasing demand for adept data analysts by combining coursework in applied data science with coursework in economics and cognitive, political and management science — areas where real-world problem solving increasingly relies on data-driven analysis to inform decision-making.

Data are generated everywhere, increasingly enveloping human experience by mediating our interactions with the natural, social and built world. Yet data often require refinement, reformatting and critical analysis before they can become usable information. To make data-informed decisions, such as raising or lowering taxes, hiring or dismissing an employee or investing or divesting in a business sector, for example, people need understand how to appropriately and ethically harness, classify and analyze data, along with methods for extracting actionable insights and effectively communicating results.

The DSA major provides students with courses across the entire data analytics pipeline with series of refinements including identifying and integrating appropriate data; understanding the strengths and weaknesses of data and its sources; extracting valuable insights by way of advanced visualization and inferential methods; and strategically communicating recommendations based upon analysis to maximally inspire persons and groups to take action.

The data science and analytics (DSA) major addresses the increasing demand for adept data analysts by combining coursework in applied data science with coursework in economics and cognitive, political and management science — areas where real-world problem solving increasingly relies on data-driven analysis to inform decision-making.

Data are generated everywhere, increasingly enveloping human experience by mediating our interactions with the natural, social and built world. Yet data often require refinement, reformatting and critical analysis before they can become usable information. To make data-informed decisions, such as raising or lowering taxes, hiring or dismissing an employee or investing or divesting in a business sector, for example, people need understand how to appropriately and ethically harness, classify and analyze data, along with methods for extracting actionable insights and effectively communicating results.

The DSA major provides students with courses across the entire data analytics pipeline with series of refinements including identifying and integrating appropriate data; understanding the strengths and weaknesses of data and its sources; extracting valuable insights by way of advanced visualization and inferential methods; and strategically communicating recommendations based upon analysis to maximally inspire persons and groups to take action.

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Coursework

A typical student's course schedule in first-year and second-year:

Required Courses

• DSA 001: Foundations of DSA
• DSA 002: Thinking like a programmer
• MIST 050: Intro to Entrepreneurship -or- MIST 070: Creativity & Innovation
• ECON 010: Statistical Inference
• ECON 110: Econometrics
• MIST 130: Statistical Data Analysis in R for Decision Support -or- MIST 134: Methods of Data Science & Network Science
• DSA 101: Machine Learning & Natural Langauge Processing -or- DSA 102: Interactive Data Vis. -or- MIST 135: Technical Commun. & Vis.
• PHIL 123: Technology Ethics
• DSA 120/121: Senior Year Capstone

Elective Courses

By strategically selecting coursework electives, students obtain an EMPHASIS TRACK that appears on the diploma and identifies your DSA specialization:

• Business Analytics
• Policy Analytics
• Environmental and Sustainability Analytics
• Behavioral Modeling Analytics
• Default: Custom Emphasis Track 

DSA electives are offered by faculty from 4 different departments: