New Data Science Minor at UBC Vancouver

After rigorous review and refinement, it’s official: UBC Vancouver is proud to announce a new minor in Data Science. The new program will launch in September 2021 with its first cohort of students.

Data is becoming essential across multiple domains. Fields like manufacturing, education, marketing, psychology, and health are all requiring data science expertise at unprecedented levels. Students who complete the minor will be able to offer employers a robust ability to wrangle, organize, summarize, and visualize their ever-increasing stores of data.

An interdisciplinary program

UBC's Data Science Minor at the Point Grey campus is an interdisciplinary program offered jointly via the departments of Computer Science and Statistics within the Faculty of Science. Students in the program will gain an understanding of key data science concepts like implementing reproducible data science workflows, applying statistical methods, and using machine learning with data. The ultimate goal of the minor is to augment the skills students learn in their chosen major.

Who can apply?

The program is open to any UBC Vancouver undergraduate student majoring in anything from Atmospheric Sciences to Zoology, and who is qualified to take a science minor. In particular, students do not need to be majoring in statistics or computer science to take the Data Science Minor. In fact, to encourage a diverse range of students, no more than 20% who enroll can come from any one home department.

Although registration is full for the coming academic year, students who are interested in applying to the minor for the 2022/23 academic year should visit the program’s website and check the admission requirements so they can register for the prerequisite courses during the 2021/22 academic year. Applications for the 2022/23 academic year will open in spring 2022.

Requirements for the Data Science Minor include existing courses in statistics and computer science as well as some newly created data science courses. Students also have the option to take one discipline-specific data science course as an elective.

Judging by student enthusiasm and enrollment for the Fall 2021 Data Science Minor, the program is already being recognized by students as an essential component of their chosen studies to prepare them to thrive within today’s data-rich world.

Questions? Visit the program website for additional information, frequently asked questions, and contact info.