Help transform information into insights that shape the world. Gain the technical skills, knowledge, and ethical perspective you need with a bachelor's degree in data science.
Undergraduate Bachelor of Science
Major, Minor
124
4 Years
Salem
Henry Dalton BS '24 turned his passion for photographing local fungi into an interdisciplinary community education project.
By leveraging Willamette's liberal arts approach to education, Henry was able to work with students and faculty in other departments to launch the Willamette Fungi Project. His data science studies were instrumental to building the project as he tracked the varieties of fungi he documented in a mushroom database.
Curious where this major can take you? These are the real internships, graduate opportunities, and careers our Data Science students have gone on to.
With skills in statistical analysis and data visualization, our alumni have expanded organizations and inspired policymakers. They're analyzing cultural trends, tracking the spread of diseases, and developing algorithms to improve the gaming experience.
High school teacher utilizes Data Science
Colleen Smyth BA ’15, MS ’21 leveraged her data science master's capstone project to predict on-time graduation factors, applying her findings to improve her school's strategies while pioneering new data-focused curricula, underscoring the increasing importance of data science in education.
Willamette graduates first 3+1 dual degree student
Zach Haroian BS/MS ’21 secured a position as an Associate Machine Learning Engineer at PitchBook Data before graduating. At PitchBook, Haroian builds models to analyze text data, applying his expertise in natural language processing and his skill in communicating technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
Learn from professors who are experts in computer science, math, statistics, and the social and natural sciences. As leaders in their fields, they offer a breadth of knowledge and resources. Work with professors one-on-one through small class sizes to solve problems while analyzing data.
Dr. Kristen Gore specializes in data science and statistics with extensive experience in both academia and industry. She is passionate about engaging students in real-world STEM applications through courses in data science and statistical inference.
Dr. (Fletcher) Hank Ibser has extensive teaching experience, including positions at UC Berkeley and Reed College. Passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration, his research reflects his belief in the broad applicability of statistical methods.
Embrace the core principles of data science while exploring other concepts through our liberal arts college. Learn core computer programming languages like R and Python. Explore topics like linear algebra, data analytics, and machine learning.
Discover the essential skills for managing and processing diverse datasets. Learn more about relational databases, file-based databases, cloud storage, and data streaming to harness the power of SQL.
In this project-based course, explore cutting-edge techniques for modeling and predicting real-world data from diverse applications. Become proficient in using R packages to implement techniques like logistic regression, decision trees, and neural networks.
Data Science requires 40 semester hours to complete the major, with a total of 124 credit hours required to complete the degree. Core courses make up 28 semester hours. Each student pursuing a major will be required to complete 12 semester hours of electives at any level chosen from classes with CS or DATA prefixes.
Students pursuing a Data Science minor will need to complete 20 semester hours. Course requirements include CS 151, DATA 151, DATA 152, and eight hours of electives at any level, chosen from courses with a DATA prefix.
Our Data Science program is open to first-year students, transfer students and international students. Learn more about Willamette’s undergraduate admissions process to get started.
Willamette University provides Data Science majors with generous merit scholarships and financial aid, with no separate application needed. All admitted undergraduates are automatically considered for scholarships starting at $28,000 per year.
Additionally, students may receive up to $10,000 annually through the NSF-supported STEM Fellows Program, which offers mentorship and extra opportunities for those with financial need and academic promise.
Willamette University