Data Science and Information Systems Concentration
The Data Science and Information Systems concentration provides you with the flexibility to tailor your studies within the realms of information systems, data engineering, and data science. These fields are experiencing rapid growth and high demand in the job market. Through the interdisciplinary course electives in computer science, mathematics, and business, students may choose to emphasize either technological, theoretical, or practical aspects in these fields according to their interests and goals.
In this concentration, you will have the opportunity to:
- Attain solid software development skills through the Introduction to Computer Science, Data Structures, and Programming Language series of courses. By the third course in the series, you will develop a programming language interpreter through a semester-long project. In the Programming Languages course, you will additionally gain experience in Web development languages.
- Develop a software system through a semester-long team project system using development life cycle processes end-to-end through planning, requirements, design, implementation, and testing in the Software Engineering course.
- Implement a database system for a non-profit organization end-to-end through the system development life cycle using entity-relationship modeling, SQL, and a relational database system.
- Gain related business skills through Management Information Systems, Business Analytics, Accounting, Microeconomics, and Finance courses.
- Use R and Python in Programming for Data Science.
- Think biblically about the use of Data through assignments involving data privacy and ethics.
- Build a strong theoretical foundation in math courses such as Introduction to Probability and Statistics or Biostatistics.
In addition to the program-specific core curriculum courses in data structures, programming and software engineering, students will complete 39 credits to be equipped with the foundational knowledge and skills in data science and information systems. Some course highlights include the following:
- Management Information Systems
- Business Analytics
- Programming for Data Science
- Database Management
- Topics in Computer Science
- Discrete Structures
- Probability and Statistics
- Biostatistics
Students will get to dive deeper with elective courses in operating systems, interface design and programming, algorithms, computing, microeconomics, accounting, business finance, statistics and more.
Please refer to courses for highlights and the catalog for curriculum details.
For more information on learning opportunities for students in the B.S. in Computer Science program, explore biola.edu/degrees/u/computer-science-bs/learning-opportunities.