Working Towards a Data Science Associates Degree Program

Abstract

As data science continues to grow and become intertwined into many domains, its application becomes increasingly relevant. Data science is becoming a part of an interdisciplinary web of methodologies that can be used to extract essential insights from many types of data and are used in numerous occupations. Due to the rising importance of this emerging field, additional educational opportunities to learn data science will be beneficial in the future. In this chapter, the authors discuss the development of an associate's degree program in data science that provides students with specific coursework required to transfer to other institutions that offer bachelor's degrees in data science. Alternatively, students could also use this program to learn new skills in data science to change career paths or to continue their education. First, the general development of the data science program is discussed, followed by development challenges and opportunities, specific courses, and future directions.