Data Science and Analytic Storytelling (MS)

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Affiliation: School of Science and Mathematics

An interdisciplinary team of faculty offers a 30-credit hour Master of Science in Data Science and Analytic Storytelling. This degree will focus on the study of Data Science and Communication, including several courses that bring together material from Statistics, Computer Science, Communication, and Art and Design. A successful graduate will be well prepared for careers in a variety of industries in Data Science, Data Analytics, and related fields.

This degree is intended for students with undergraduate degrees, whose interest is in developing communication skills along with learning more about data science. Graduates will be ready to pursue a career in data science and data analytics fields, particularly in positions that require regular presentations of conclusions from data to other professionals.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

To be considered for admission, students must meet the following requirements:

Students must complete an application for Graduate Studies.
Students must possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited post-secondary institution (or its international equivalent).
Students must have at least a 2.5 cumulative undergraduate GPA or demonstrate sufficient professional experience to prepare them for the proposed field of study.
Students must complete the equivalent of STAT 190 - Basic Statistics and CS 170 - Introduction to Computer Science I before enrolling in any courses in the program. Students with workplace knowledge of statistics or programming may request a waiver of the prerequisite from the Program Director.
Applicants are encouraged to submit a copy of undergraduate and/or graduate transcripts to demonstrate sufficient preparation at the time of application. Students may not enroll beyond their second course without providing an official transcript. Transcripts not in English must be accompanied by a certified translation.
Assessment and enforcement of student qualifications shall be at the discretion of the Dean of School of Science and Mathematics or his/her designee.
The language of instruction at Truman State University is English. With some exceptions, international applicants must submit language proficiency scores. (TOEFL, IELTS or equivalent. Truman State’s institutional code for the TOEFL examination is 6483.)

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

No more than one grade of “C” may be counted toward the degree. Grades lower than a “C” are considered failing grades.
Students must earn a “B” or higher in PDAT 630G - Data Science and Analytic Storytelling Thesis .
Students may retake a course to raise a grade not meeting minimum program requirements.
Students must complete all of the courses in the program within six years of the date of admission or matriculation in the first course, whichever comes later. Students may petition the Dean of the School of Science and Mathematics or his/her designee for a leave of absence, or an extension, should extenuating circumstances warrant.

CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT

Students currently enrolled in a Truman graduate degree program may simultaneously participate in a graduate certificate program provided they receive approval from both the graduate program advisor (or Department Chair, as applicable) and the administrator in charge of the certificate program.

COMBINED ACCELERATED 4+1 PROGRAM

Students who have completed certain undergraduate coursework in Statistics may apply for the accelerated 4+1 Program, which allows some courses to be simultaneously included in both the undergraduate and graduate degree requirements, including the allowance of up to 12 graduate hours to be counted towards the 120 credits required for a Bachelor’s Degree. Some undergraduate STAT courses give placement into higher-level PDAT coursework, but not graduate credit towards the Master’s Degree.

Truman undergraduate students wishing to enroll in the accelerated 4+1 Program must apply to the Master’s in Data Science and Analytic Storytelling and be admitted as provisional graduate students. Typically, this happens by the end of the sophomore year.

Admission requirements include:

An overall GPA of at least 3.00.
A grade of ‘B’ or better in STAT 190 /STAT 290 , CS 170 /CS 180 , STAT 220 , and STAT 250 or permission of the program director consulting with the PDAT committee.

Students interested in the Accelerated 4+1 Program are encouraged to talk to the Professional Data Science Program Director, the Chair of the Statistics Department, and their advisor early in their career.

ASSISTANTSHIPS

None available at this time.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Required Courses: 24 Credits or more

PDAT 610G - Introduction to Data Science Credit(s): 3
PDAT 611G - Big Data Management Credit(s): 3
PDAT 613G - Data Mining Credit(s): 3
OR STAT 520G - Data Mining and Multivariate Statistics Credit(s): 3
PDAT 615G - Machine Learning Credit(s): 3
PDAT 622G - Narrative, Argument, and Persuasion in Data Science Credit(s): 3
PDAT 624G - Principles of Design in Data Visualization Credit(s): 3
PDAT 625G - Big Data Ethics and Security Credit(s): 3
PDAT 630G - Data Science and Analytic Storytelling Thesis Credit(s): 3-6

Elective Courses:

To 30 credits total.

PDAT 617G - Python for Data Science Credit(s): 3
PDAT 620G - Data Science Capstone Credit(s): 3
PDAT 626G - Practicum in Data Storytelling Credit(s): 3
PDAT 629G - Topics in Data Science and Analytic Storytelling Credit(s): 1-3
STAT 500G:590G: Up to six graduate hours, excluding STAT 570.
CS 500G:699G OR LDRS 500G:699G: Up to three graduate hours.

Total Credits: 30

Note:

Students who have taken STAT 220 - Fundamentals of Data Science , STAT 250 - Statistical Computing , and other undergraduate courses in Data Science may be allowed to substitute another graduate course in the place of PDAT 610G - Introduction to Data Science . Students who have take STAT 320 - Data Visualization may be allowed to substitute another graduate course in place of PDAT 624G - Principles of Design in Data Visualization .