Program(s) Available: B.S.
Are you interested in honing your technical, workplace, math and programming skills? Our data science major teaches students how to responsibly interpret, and present big data that support corporate leaders in making effective decisions.
The first of its kind in Missouri and the region, Northwest’s data science major is an interdisciplinary program with four areas of emphasis: computer science, business, molecular biology and geographic information systems. This major provides students with a balanced curriculum incorporating computer science, statistics, business, and social sciences.
Data scientists are in high demand! The employment of data scientists is projected to grow 35 percent from 2022 to 2032. About 17,700 openings for data scientists are projected to become available annually in the coming decade! This growth rate is well above average.
The business emphasis is designed for students interested in analyzing data and projecting the best option for a client. Faculty focus on ensuring students have tools to analyze big data and make proper business decisions.
The computer science emphasis focuses on ensuring students know the tools necessary to interpret and present data. With these skills, students can write a program, extract meaning from the data and construct the client’s project.
The geographic information systems (GIS) emphasis focuses on visualizing data through digital and physical maps, analyzing data for locational patterns and trends as well as presenting data in map-based and graphical formats to inform locational decisions in business, government and the non-profit sector.
The molecular biology emphasis focuses on bioinformatics, the crossroads between lab science and analytics. Today, scientists use a variety of approaches for characterizing cells and their interactions with each other and their environments. These approaches include genomics, the sequencing of whole genomes to determine the potential of a specific gene; transcriptomics, analyzing when and why genes are turned on or off at a given time; metabolomics, determining which metabolites are present or absent in a cell; and proteomics, determining which proteins are present or absent in a cell. Faculty focus on teaching how data are collected, analyzed and interpreted.
Career Ready
Computer Science
“I feel like I’ve been prepared for my career since day one. Northwest uses hands-on learning techniques and teaching methods, which are very beneficial for my major.” — Sneha Ojha
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The School of Computer Science and Information Systems annually hosts a professional advisory team that includes more than 40 professionals from various industries to review Northwest’s computer science curriculum. Professionals are updated about new technology and ensure the curriculum at Northwest is current with trends.
Northwest's esports team competes in League of Legends, Apex, Rocket League, Rainbow Six Siege, Call of Duty, Counter-Strike, Hearthstone, Super Smash Bros. Melee and more.
