Building Out Data Science at Small Colleges: (Abstract Only)

Abstract: Data science is on the rise, being a high-demand skill for a number of employers, both in the tech field and in various scientific disciplines. Since it is a new field, only a handful of schools offer a data science program, most of those being large research institutions. This presents a unique opportunity for smaller schools to combine an exciting and highly relevant topic with the personalized education, small class sizes, and individual attention they are known for. On the flip side, building out data science at small schools also presents numerous challenges, including finding sufficient faculty time and expertise, attracting a sufficient number of students, forging interdepartmental connections, and convincing the administration to approve the new courses and program. In this poster, we present lessons learned from data science efforts at three small institutions, including one which recently successfully developed a data science certificate (containing four new data science courses).