Jul 02, 2024  
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog

Data Science, B.S.


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Today’s world is data-driven. Data science is an exciting field, with its emphasis on using data to describe and understand the world around us. It applies ideas and methods from statistics, computer science, and optimization to find innovative solutions to important problems in many areas. Graduates that combine data science knowledge with fields like management science, humanities, social sciences, or engineering are in high demand.

The major in data science requires a minimum of 36 credit hours (12 courses). Given the interdisciplinary nature of the study of data science, students are required to take another major in any discipline. The data science major cannot be the first major declared by a student. Students obtaining a B.S. degree in data science may not also obtain a B.A. degree in mathematics.

Admission to a Data Science Major

To declare the major, students must complete two calculus classes, one of which must be MATH 1338 - Calculus II  or MATH 1340 - Consolidated Calculus , and the three data science core courses with an overall B average. 

SMU Degree Requirements

An SMU undergraduate degree requires a minimum of 120 credit hours and must include completion of the University’s Common Curriculum , one major and a combination of electives and/or other majors or minors. Completion of certain majors requires more than 120 hours to finish the degree. The credit hours within this curriculum are distributed as follows:

Requirements for the Major


Core Courses (18 Credit Hours)


Co-Curricular Requirement (3 Credit Hours)


Students must complete a course that carries the Civic and Individual Ethics (CIE) tag with an emphasis on ethics and technology or an ethics-based Philosophical, Religious and Ethical Inquiry (PRIE) course with an emphasis on technology.

One course from the following:

Advanced Statistics for Data Science (3 Credit Hours)


One course from the following:

Elective Course (3 Credit Hours)


One course from any of the following disciplines. (Students may not double-count any advanced course(s) taken from the above course lists.) Independent study courses may not be used to fulfill this requirement.

Total for the Major Only: 36 Credit Hours


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