Mar 28, 2024  
2021-2022 Undergraduate Academic Catalog 
    
2021-2022 Undergraduate Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Data Science, BS


Center Creatio Center for Technology and Design
Academic Award Bachelor of Science
Credits Required 125 semester credits
Faculty Lead Craig Chapman
CIP Code 11.0104

Graduates of Northwest University with a degree in Data Science will gain knowledge and experience in data acquisition, modeling, management and curation, data visualization, workflow and reproducibility, communication and teamwork, domain-specific considerations, and ethical problem solving. This major will incorporate studies in mathematics, business, statistics and computer science. The goal of this program will be to prepare students for a variety of careers focused on understanding data and making decisions based on the analysis of that data.

Graduates with a degree in Data Science are able to:

  1. Apply the iterative approach of “design thinking” methods to develop solutions to complex problems. 
  2. Identify techniques and methods for analyzing large amounts of structured and unstructured data. 
  3. Demonstrate proficiency with statistical analysis of data. 
  4. Construct a variety of data-based models for purposes of analyzing large amounts of data.
  5. Analyze the results of data-based models as a way of drawing conclusions about the underlying data.
  6. Apply the use of software programming tools as a way of performing complex data analysis.
  7. Apply data science concepts and methods to solve problems in real-world contexts and will communicate these solutions effectively.

Core Curriculum Requirements: 43


Humanities: 3


  • Credits in this area must be from Writing Practice courses* (see Course Descriptions  ​   for applicability) 
  • 3 additional credits selected from the following 3 credits
    • Art (ARTE), Bible (BIBL), Drama (DRAM), English (ENGL), History (HIST), Language (LANG), Music (MUSI), or Theology (THEO)

Social Sciences: 6


  • 6 credits in this area must be from Writing Practice courses* (see Course Descriptions    for applicability) 
  • Select a minimum of two disciplines from the following:
    • Business Administration (BUSM), Communication (except COMM 1213), Economics, Education (EDUC), Geography (GEOG), Health & Fitness (PEDU), Information Technology (INTC), Management (BMGT), Marketing (BMKT), Philosophy (PHIL), Political Science (PSCI), Psychology (PSYC), Sociology/Anthropology (SOCI), or User Experience Design (UXDE)

Formation and Calling: 6


Professional Readiness: 2


Two Core Curriculum elective credits are required to be Career Readiness credits. These credits can be earned by taking a combination of Career Readiness Courses and introductory internship and/or job shadowing experiences. 

  • This two-credit requirement is waived for students who transfer 60 or more credits to NU
  • Students with 47-59 transfer credits are required to take one Career Readiness credit

Core Electives: 5


Any college-level courses

Major Requirements: 66


General Electives: 16


Any college-level courses

Total: 125 Semester Credits