Harnessing the power of data

Majors: Data Science
Minors: Data Science

“Data isn’t units of information. Data is a story about human behavior — about real people’s wants, needs, goals, and fears. Our real job with data is to better understand these very human stories, so we can better serve these people.”

Daniel Burstein

Data science at Lycoming College combines the principles of multiple fields, including data science, computer science, and mathematics, to form an interdisciplinary major that teaches students how to turn raw data into meaningful and actionable information. Lycoming’s data science minor is accessible and well-suited to students in a wide variety of majors such as mathematics, business, finance, economics, political science, sociology, criminology, physics, and even art and music. Quantitatively oriented students with strong interests in data, math, and computer science will be drawn to the data science major (B.S.), and will use calculus, algebra, statistics, and mathematics, as well as computer programming languages and statistical software, to manage, model, and analyze data, and to interpret and apply their findings to solve a wide range of problems. Students also learn to effectively communicate their work to a broad audience. Many will go on to work as data scientists, data analysts, data engineers, business analysts, market researchers, or database administrators.

What do data scientists do?

Karl Haviland '06
Principal at Haviland Software, UM Data Science
Meet Karl →
Zack Collevechio '16
Data scientist, WildFig
Meet Zack →

Student Opportunities

  • Combine your data science studies with another major or minor, such as mathematics, to tailor your focus and follow your interests.
  • Learn programming languages such as R, Python, and SQL.
  • Collaborate on research projects with a professor and present findings at a regional or national conference.
  • Gain teaching experience as a course tutor.
  • Explore data science careers through internships and other hands-on experiences.

Why Lycoming?

  1. Small class sizes allow for individual attention from professors and a personalized education experience.
  2. Close student-faculty mentorship leads to personal and professional growth.
  3. All classes are taught by published faculty who hold the highest degree in their field, and whose top priority is teaching.
  4. Embedded career advisors work with a broad array of organizations to secure local and national internship opportunities for students.

Why Lycoming is the Right Choice →