3. Data Science Masters Education Requirements

Data Science Masters Education Requirements

TLDR; the road ahead is tough, especially if you're working. You're at a significant disadvantage without a math or CS background and will have to work extra hard to catch up. It's possible, but painful.

This was me exactly. BA in Management, then went directly into MBA. Discovered I love data and innovation and gradually (and painstakingly) shifted my career in that direction over 8 years via lots of online courses. There's a MSDS program offered by the university in the city I live, but I didn't have the prerequisites (Calc III and Linear algebra) so I took those courses online from South New Hampshire University and I took the GRE. I don't know how, but I pulled off a 4.0 with those courses and did okay on the GRE (likely that spending a couple months with calc I and II via kahn academy helped). Somehow, I got into the program after being wait-listed and basically the last person allowed in.

Not gunna lie—I'm in my 3rd quarter, we're building machine learning algorithms from scratch, and the stress is killing me. I'm proficient with R, but I wish I'd have known Python coming into this course. Also, the math... by god... the math. Know your linear algebra and your calculus and know it well. I forgot basically all of it in the 1.5 years between finishing the courses and starting this program. Everyone else is a CS, Math, Engineering, or Stats undergrad so I have to work extra hard just to know wtf is going on. Pretty sure I'm going to fail this course. I enjoyed last quarter (applied stats with R), but this program is causing a SIGNIFICANT negative effect on my well-being overall. I'm questioning if I should continue. I want to innovate cool products with data (and do currently), but data science isn't required for that. I know I can succeed, but I also know part of the reason I wanted the MS is for the self-respect I don't get from my MBA.

I'm very biased right now with a hw due tonight that I don't understand and a midterm coming up. Who am I kidding though—this degree + an MBA is a golden ticket to any startup... getting back to that hw...

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