Why Pitt and Coursera are launching an online master’s degree program in data science

Data science is among the fastest-growing fields in the US.

Now, after a year of planning, University of Pittsburgh has become one of the few local institutions offering an online master’s degree in data science through a collaboration with online education platform Coursera.

According to School of Computing and Information Dean Bruce Childers, the 30-credit program is designed to be as inclusive and accessible as possible. Participation does not require a STEM-related degree, graduate school or even an application — measures that university and Coursera leaders feel remove barriers that tend to keep adult learners from continuing their education.

“This is all about bringing forward opportunities for students, whether they’re entering into data science brand new, whether they want to advance in their current career … whatever the area is, from an app or a data science analytics perspective,” Childers told Technical.ly. ”Fundamentally … this is all about access. And that’s what we’re going for, is making it as available to as many learners as we possibly can.”

A part of that is setting the program’s cost at $15,000, making it about the cost of a coding bootcamp, and less expensive than the average online master’s degree program.

Coursera’s chief content officer, Marni Baker Stein, said another thing that makes the course stand out is that students are given the chance to absorb introductory data science content while figuring out if they have a broader passion for the field. Plus, Stein said, with adult working professionals, many aspects of the traditional application processes can alienate potential assets.

“I think that combination of performance-based assessment, as well as being able to dip your toe in the water through open content on Coursera, is a really great way to expand access to a much bigger audience of learners in this important field,” Stein said.

Discussions about the possibility of the course began in 2020, and Childers said they came to the realization that a residential program would limit the program to individuals already based in Pittsburgh, or with the means to pick up and move here. A virtual program appeals to what many adult learners are looking for, he said: a program they can complete while balancing other responsibilities.

In a traditional program, Stein said, “it becomes a very daunting task, because of the community, because of parking, because of childcare, because of changing work schedules.”

Enrollment will open in February, and the course will officially launch in fall 2024. The partners are hoping to enroll roughly 1,000 people per year.

Childers added that allowing individuals with bachelor’s degrees in any subject to participate doubles down on inclusivity. And since the course allows students who obtain B or better in the first online course to move on to the graduate degree program, he believes it’s a “seamless approach.”

“[If they] see the need for data skills in their current career, or they want to enter into a data-oriented career,” Childers said, “we want to make that possible.”

P.S. Carnegie Mellon University also dropped an online data science course this year: a certificate program focused on Computational Data Science.

Atiya Irvin-Mitchell is a 2022-2024 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Heinz Endowments.