Data Science Program

What is Data Science?

Data Science sits at the intersection of mathematics and computer science and is applied to a boundless set of disciplines – including health, physical sciences, business, environmental studies, sociology, and political science.

Data Scientists collect, synthesize, and analyze big data to drive scientific discovery and business opportunities. Data Scientists are skilled in programming languages like R and Python and leverage advanced knowledge in statistics, machine learning, and data visualization to meet the demands of modern business and science.

Who Hires Data Scientists?

In short… everyone! Companies in almost every business sector imaginable recognize the need to leverage data to predict trends, inform decisions, and make breakthroughs. Data Scientists are employed by hospitals, pharmaceutical manufacturers, financial and trading firms, sports teams, marketing agencies, and of course tech companies.

Data Scientists entering the job market with skills in programming, statistics, machine learning, and data visualization have their pick of high paying, high quality jobs at some of the most prestigious and exciting companies in the country.

The LinkedIn August 2018 workforce report found a 150,000+ labor shortage for Data Scientists, with particularly elevated demand in NJ/NY, SF, and LA metro areas. Glassdoor ranked Data Scientist as the #1 job in America in 2019, with a median base salary of 108K/year, and has been ranked the #1 best paying job out of college in 2019. Pricewaterhouse Coopers has estimated that 27% of employers are looking for a Master’s degree when filling Data Science positions. That same study identifies New Jersey and New York as the #1 region in terms of number of job postings.

Want to see who is hiring Data Scientists now? Take a look at the following job boards that focus on data science jobs:

• AnalyticTalent.com
• DataJobs.com
• Kaggle
• KDnuggets
• icrunchdata

Learn more about Ramapo’s undergraduate and graduate programs in Data Science.

Ramapo’s New Data Science Programs-Launching Fall 2020

Ramapo College of New Jersey (RCNJ) is launching Bachelor of Science and Master of Science programs in Data Science for the Fall of 2020. We are excited to establish ourselves as a premier destination for students with high-tech aspirations, and to do so in a liberal arts setting with plentiful opportunities to apply data science across a diverse set of fields.

The curriculum is technically focused, with strong foundations in mathematics and computer science. Students will acquire advanced skills in Mathematical Modeling, Visualization, Big Data, and Machine Learning.  In addition to an entire course on Ethics for Data Science, ethics is embedded throughout the curriculum to ensure we are graduating responsible and well-informed citizens.

A signature feature of the program is field work experience, giving students opportunities to work in close collaboration with faculty and industry sponsors on real-world projects. The model gives industry sponsors access to our students and faculty to help create business insights, explore new ideas, and build new products – while developing a recruitment pipeline for talented employees.

RCNJ is adding five new faculty in these disciplines, and many of our existing faculty in Mathematics and Computer Science will be playing lead roles in course design and research initiatives.

RCNJ Data Science Contacts