Prerequisite Requirements
An applicant must hold a bachelor’s degree conferred by an accredited college or university. Proof of degree conferral issued by the undergraduate institution is required before an admitted applicant may start the program. Degree conferral is defined as official certification and confirmation of the date of degree completion from the undergraduate institution’s Student Records or Registrar office and is typically signified by receipt of a diploma or degree certificate and/or an official final transcript.
Regardless of the applicant’s undergraduate degree or major, completion of the following prerequisite courses are required:
- Single variable calculus
- Linear algebra or matrix algebra
- An introductory statistics course
- An introductory programming course
Prerequisite knowledge may be obtained through summer session courses at UVa, courses at another institution, online, or other forms of instruction as approved by the Office of Admission.
Prospective students must complete all parts of the application and submit it by the stated deadlines on the program website. Upon matriculation to the graduate program, the applicant must provide official transcripts of their baccalaureate record and any graduate-level work completed, and all official reports for test scores on their application.
Applicants whose first language is not English must complete the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), which is administered by ETS, or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The minimum TOEFL (iBT) score requirement is 100 (including minimum section scores of 22 in speaking, 22 in writing, 23 in reading and 23 in listening). The minimum IELTS score requirement is 7.0 (including minimum section scores of 6.5). This requirement is typically waived for applicants who will have received a baccalaureate degree or its international equivalent entirely from a college or university in which English is the primary language of instruction.
Masters Degree
The degree of Master of Science will be conferred upon the holder of an approved baccalaureate degree who has fulfilled within the designated time limit all requirements set forth in the Graduate Record.
Academic Requirements
MSDS students must complete a minimum of 32 graded credits, which include 26 graded credits in core MSDS courses and 6 graded graduate-level elective credits with a grade of B- or higher.
The requirements of the master’s degree must be completed in the original modality of study to which the student applied. Students are not permitted to deviate from their original modality of study unless for extenuating circumstances or compelling reasons. Approval is conditional on School resources such as enrollment limits. Petitions are granted upon approval of each MSDS program director and the Associate Dean for Faculty & Academic Affairs.
A student’s elective courses are selected in consultation with the program manager and program director. Additional discipline-specific requirements for the master’s degree are noted in the entries for the specific program.
Time Limitation
All requirements for the master’s degree must be completed within five years from the first term of enrollment.
MSDS Core Requirements
Course Requirements for the MSDS Program:
Electives (Residential Modality)
Students must select two courses (six credits minimum) of elective coursework in the spring term. Selection of elective courses is done in consultation with the program director. There are a variety of electives available, including (but not limited) to those listed below. Elective courses must be at the 5000-level or higher to count for elective credit.
Electives (Online Modality)
Students must select two courses (six credits minimum) of elective coursework. There are a variety of possible electives available, including (but not limited) to those listed below. Elective courses must be at the 5000-level or higher to count for elective credit in the program unless further approval is obtained.
Requirements for the MSDS/MBA Combination (Formerly “Dual”) Degree Program
The School of Data Science offers a combination (formerly termed “dual”) degree program with the University of Virginia Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, in which the student may obtain the MS in Data Science (MSDS) degree and the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in two years, instead of the three years that would be required if each were undertaken separately. All MSDS/MBA students complete a minimum of 60 credits for the MBA and a minimum of 32 credits for the MSDS. Students who complete all coursework to the satisfaction of each respective school and meet the graduation requirements of each school will be awarded two degrees: the Master of Science in Data Science and the Master of Business Administration.
Transfer Credits
The graduate programs normally require students to complete all requirements of the program during their period of enrollment in the program at the University of Virginia. Students must receive prior approval for transfer credit from the program director; if the course was taken prior to enrollment in the M.S. in Data Science, the student should make the formal request using the Transfer Credit Request form.
Students who enter the University of Virginia specifically as non-degree seeking School of Data Science students may apply up to 6 credits to the M.S. in Data Science program. The 6 credits are limited to courses within the M.S. in Data Science curriculum.
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