Data Science, Minor

Expanding your career opportunities with the skill sets in data science and machine learning that can be applied across a diverse range of professional fields and settings.

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The Data Science minor will build upon the skills you develop in your major to deepen your understanding in the areas of statistics and computer science that form the foundation of data science. The minor will empower you to develop the knowledge and skills that are essential to thrive in high-paying, high-growth fields such as data science, data analytics, bioinformatics, and machine learning.

Empowering You to Excel in Your Chosen Profession

Discover the empowering experience here for you.

Statistics and data science represent some of the fastest growing career fields in the country, and the Data Science minor will prepare you for high-growth, high-pay opportunities in settings ranging from agriculture to business to psychology to artificial intelligence.

Alumni of the Data Science program have achieved the highest levels of success at top employers, some of which include:

  • Alive5
  • Apple
  • Capital Insurance Group
  • Central California Lettuce Cooperative
  • Connor Group
  • Cooperative Economic Empowerment Movement
  • Digital NEST Inc.
  • Driscoll's
  • Google 
  • Grizzly Peak Farms, LLC
  • Kaiser Permanente
  • Language Line Solutions
  • Looker
  • Mavenlink
  • Merrill Farm
  • Meta
  • Metis
  • Nonprofits Insurance Alliance Group
  • Papas
  • Perspecta
  • Precision for Medicine
  • Rare Diseases and Oncology
  • Rescare
  • S&P Global
  • Sentient Energy
  • Slalom
  • The Trade Desk
  • United Way of Kern County

The program offers exceptional preparation for taking your education to even greater heights, as many of our alums are accepted into elite graduate programs and institutions, including:

  • Arizona State University
  • Brown University
  • Colorado School of Mines
  • CSU East Bay
  • North Carolina State University
  • Oregon State University
  • Penn State University
  • San Jose State University
  • UC Berkeley
  • UC Irvine
  • UC Santa Cruz
  • University of Texas, Austin
  • University of Washington
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Public University Price, Private University Experience

A Lifetime of Value

The Data Science program overlaps with requirements of many majors, with students immersing themselves in the combination of advanced modeling, data visualization, with R and Python programming to prepare for careers in industry or research.

Educational Objectives

Our collaboration between Statistics and Computer Science will provide you with a cross-section of courses that provide in-depth training in these two key components of data science. 

Our focus on both R and Python programming will equip you with essential knowledge and skills in two of the leading languages used in business and industry.

Our carefully aligned curriculum and academic path through the minor means you’ll be able to complete the program within 12-13 units if you plan correctly with your major.

Our streamlined approach to pairing the minor with specific majors offers students majoring in Statistics, Biology, and Environmental Science a specialization in data science, depending on the concentration.

Complete one of the following courses:

*Indicates courses that require Math 150 as a prerequisite

Complete one of the following courses**

**Note that each course has prerequisites outside of the minor, but that may be completed as part of your major or general education coursework.

Complete one of the following courses:

Complete one of the following courses:

Complete one of the following courses:

Complete one of the following courses not already completed above:
Note that some courses may have prerequisites outside of the minor.

Our location will add a rich dimension to your overall experience in the Data Science minor, putting you in close proximity with Silicon Valley. Additionally, NOAA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, both major employers in our region, use data science to help better grow our food and understand our environment.

Faculty & Staff

Discover the empowering experience here for you.

Our faculty are dedicated to the success of their students and regularly mentor them on student research projects, often providing paid experiences through their own grants or CSUMB’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center (UROC).

Lipika Deka

Lipika Deka

Professor

Lipika Deka

Lipika Deka

Special Consultant

Lipika Deka

Lipika Deka

Department Chair AY

Cynthia Bush

Cynthia Bush

Administrative Support Coordinator

Two students looking up to a teacher at a desk

Questions? We’re Here to Help!

Don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions you have about the Data Science program.

Admissions & Student Support

Our experienced and supportive admissions staff is here to provide all the individualized guidance you need.

Apply Now