Data Science Education: Paving Way for A Better Life

Data science has grown exceptionally fast over the last decade. The idea to make decisions based on data is fast, reliable, and convincing. So it’s no wonder that the adoption of data science across the industry is increasing at a fast pace. Data-driven decision making is replacing the experiential decision-making process, so irrespective of how much experience you have in your trade, a rookie relying on data-driven decisions may beat you. Thus, data science education has become essential to excel in every discipline; doesn’t just remain a standalone area that is transforming all areas of business and life.

Data science education

Data science is a multi-disciplinary domain that aims to quantify all aspects of business and human life. It requires cross-functional knowledge and understanding of statistics, mathematics, and computer science. Unquestionably, data science is hard to get our heads around.

The intersection of data science and all major industries is proving highly beneficial for companies. For instance, in the pharmaceutical industry, it eliminates testing procedures and accelerates drug development. Similarly, data-driven procedures are faster to detect cancer, tuberculosis, and other deadly diseases. Naturally, this wouldn’t be possible without data science education. Unfortunately, talent in data science is short in supply across the globe.

Universities and colleges are opening up to the demand for data science talent in the industry. The University of California Berkeley, The University of Florida, NYU (New York University), and more universities now offer bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. programs in data science. Additionally, online universities including Cornell University, Vinnova university, and more, offer online data science certification programs. Short –duration training and courses are available from online education providers.

Organizations like WDSI (World Data Science Initiative) are extending support to colleges and universities in propagating data science education. The initiative collaborates with the university to set up a center of excellence, where students can practice and participate in research. In addition, the initiative assists universities, colleges, and/or any academic institutions to get their student's data science certification from DASCA (Data Science Council of America). WDSI grants as much as $250,000 in university grants to facilitate data science education at the secondary level. More than 100 countries across the globe including the Kenyan Central University are part of the initiative that are enjoying the support for data science education.

The U.S. federal and state governments offer subsidies for higher education that further encourage students to take data science education.

Data science research

Data science is slowly maturing into a well-defined field. Data science research at the intersection of biosciences, aviation, manufacturing, across universities is a key reason for the advancement of data science.

Global corporates including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Intuit, and more are increasingly supporting data science research by university funding and several subsidies for higher education. World Data Science Initiative (WDSI) works in collaboration with universities to accelerate research by setting up a center of excellence. A few universities have developed a co-partnership with other universities to delve into data science research.

Some of the prominent universities leading data science research and are paving way for innovation and advancement are:

1.Harvard University
2.The University of Florida
3.New York University
4.University of California, Berkeley
5.The University of Washington
6.University of Illinois

In brief, data science is revolutionizing the industry. Research and education are the pillars of the advancement lead by it. The responsibility lies with both corporates and academia to promulgate data science further by enabling state-of-the-art education and training. Data science education and research will be torchbearers of development in the 21st century.