Richard A. Leipold, Ph.D., Chair
Majors
Overview
Data science is an interdisciplinary field of study that draws knowledge from areas of mathematics, statistics, computer science, and machine learning. A data scientist learns how to extract data from large collections and perform analyses of that data for various end results. This information can be used to answer questions or form strategies in many areas of our world, e.g., business, cultural, and societal and scientific. Such knowledge extractions and analyses can be delivered in several forms, both structured and unstructured, so visualization techniques are also important. With the continuing growth of data in our society, on the Web, in social media and from experimentation, our society needs more individuals who are trained in the techniques required to obtain appropriate data, develop methods for picturing that data and perform valuable statistical analysis.
The Data Science program at Waynesburg University is designed:
- to provide a coherent and broad-based coverage of the discipline of data science,
- to prepare students for the field of data science by providing the required fundamental courses in mathematics, statistics and computer science,
- to educate students in the main areas of data science, namely data analysis, visualization, data mining, data analytics and machine learning, and
- to provide an environment in which students are exposed to the ethical and societal issues that are associated with the field of data science and to prepare them as professional in that field.
A student majoring in the Data Science program at Waynesburg University, with careful selection of electives, may obtain a minor in mathematics, computer science, or both. The student may also with to pursue a double major in Data Science and one of the other majors within the Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Physics. In addition, the Data Science major is designed to allow the student the opportunity for further study at a graduate level.