Data Science Programs in Georgia
Overall, there are a number of different colleges in Georgia that have a data science degree.
The most popular degree at Georgia universities is the Master's in Data Science degree. There are a number of options within the state, but there are also two in-state universities with an Online Master's option for Data Science related coursework.
You might also consider other featured universities that are accepting applicants for their online Masters in Data Science program.
Syracuse University - Master of Science in Applied Data Science
University of Denver - Master of Science in Data Science
University of California Berkeley - Master of Information and Data ScienceOnline Data Science Programs in Georgia
Georgia Institute of Technology Online MS in Analytics
The Online Master of Science in Analytics at Georgia Tech gives students an education in big data, business intelligence, and operations research to be completely prepared in any analytical situation they find themselves in. Along with 15 hours of core courses, 15 electives will be needed depending on the track taken: Analytical Tools, Business Analytics, or Computational Data Analytics. Additionally, a six-hour practicum is needed to satisfy the degree and can be completed through the school or employment.
All courses will be completed fully online and will feature on-demand lectures, discussion boards, and more for convenience. Assignment rate and due dates vary by course and some exams may need to proctored. Students frequently travel to Atlanta for the commencement to meet with faculty and other classmates. A basic computer with a multi-core processor, 8 GB of RAM and 500 GB of storage is recommended process datasets and complete programming coursework, along with the latest updates to browsers and operating systems.
Georgia Southern University: MS in ComSci with Concentration in Data Mining and Warehousing
The Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Information Technology offers an online Master of Science in Computer Science. A concentration of Data Mining and Data Warehousing is automatically selected for students, and coursework includes theory and application in AI and database systems. 30 credits are needed to complete the degree and while most of this is done online, there are two residencies required for orientation and to finish the program. There is only a part-time option for students and the curriculum can be completed within 20 months. The school only allows admission into this program in the fall.
Work experience is not required to be admitted into the program, but students will need a Bachelor's degree with a 3.0 minimum GPA (or two years of professional experience with a 2.4 minimum GPA) and will need to send in a GRE. Students that reside in Washington DC, New York, and Wisconsin are not eligible to be admitted. Frequent job positions taken after completing the MSDS include software development, network engineering, and database design.
Scholarship Opportunities within Georgia
Georgia Tech offers the Donald V. Jackson Fellowship for first-year students pursuing a Master's degree in information systems. The award is chosen by the university faculty and the awarded varies each year. At Georgia Southern University, even for online students there are graduate assistantships available, such as teaching assistants as research assistants, but they must meet the same requirements as traditional graduate students. A standard tuition waiver is given for the awarded students but they are still required to pay premium tuition, technology fees, and must have health insurance.
Another university that offers a scholarship is Georgia State with the Cotterman Outstanding Student Award. Graduate students that are completing a Master of Science in Information Systems are eligible and a cash reward is given to the most outstanding academic record. The Rozelle Outstanding Programmer Award also receives a cash reward for the best academic record among programming classes. Kennesaw State University features a CarMax Auto Finance Scholars Program for graduates that are completing a Master of Science in Applied Statistics.
Data Science Events, Meetups, and Conferences in Georgia
Global TechMining Conference
The ninth annual edition of this event will be taking place in the Fall of 2019 at the Georgia Tech Global Learning Center in Atlanta. This event focuses on bibliometrics and text mining, which is a statistical method used to comb through books, articles, and other sources with fields of text. Highlighted software tools used are VantagePoint and DDA. VPInstitute sponsors a Measuring Tech Emergence contest and the conference has given out a TechMining for Global Good award for the past three years, both recognizing groups for technical advancement in bibliometrics.
Data Science and Business Intelligence Society of Atlanta
Boasting with over 4,500 members, this meetup group gets together almost once per month to share experiences, education, and insights in big data. They explore and discuss various software and toolsets used in the field to become comfortable with them. Previous meetings include a deep dive into the Algorithmia machine learning software company, preparing data sets for AI and ML, and detecting anomalies with Apache Spark. Manny meetings have taken place at the Microsoft Technology Center in Alpharetta.
Data Science Careers in Georgia
Georgia is the eighth-best state in terms of job rate growth across the country according to CompTIA. Over 360,000 workers are employed in the tech industry, and the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area is at the heart of it counting for over 70 percent of that figure. Median wages are 99 percent higher than the national average at just over $80,300 per year, and that is better than all the other states in the Southeast — North Carolina and Alabama are within $3,000 before a significant dropoff.
Most of those workers in the tech industry, which represent 7.7 percent of the state workforce, are in software and web development. That result is nearly double compared to computer support specialists and network admins. IT services is the leading tech industry sector with positive 2.4 percent year-over-year growth, but engineering and research and development has experienced a 4.5 percent boost.
