Post Job

Data Scientist Education Requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a data scientist. Data scientists usually study computer science, statistics, or mathematics. 51% of data scientists hold a bachelor's degree, and 34% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,198 real data scientist resumes to see exactly what data scientist education sections show.

The most common colleges for data scientists are the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of California, Santa Barbara.

There are also many online data scientist courses to help get the education required to be a data scientist.

There are certain data scientist certifications that you should consider. These data scientist certifications include Associate - Data Science Version 2.0 and AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty.

What education do you need to become a data scientist?

What degree do you need to be a data scientist?

The most common degree for data scientists is bachelor's degree, with 51% of data scientists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 34% and master's degree degree at 13%.
  • Bachelor's, 51%
  • Master's, 34%
  • Doctorate, 13%
  • Associate, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a data scientist?

You should major in computer science to become a data scientist. 15% of data scientists major in computer science. Other common majors for a data scientist include statistics and mathematics.

Most common colleges for data scientists

Data scientists often get their degrees at University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California - Davis, and Teachers College of Columbia University. Here are the most common colleges for data scientists in the US based on their resumes.
Data Scientist Common CollegePercentages
University of California, Santa Barbara8.67%
University of California - Davis7.03%
Teachers College of Columbia University6.79%
University of Chicago6.32%
New York University5.85%

Best majors for data scientists

RankMajorPercentages
1Computer Science15.2%
2Statistics12.4%
3Mathematics11.7%
4Physics7.7%
5Electrical Engineering6.9%

Best colleges for data scientists

The best colleges for data scientists are Columbia University in the City of New York, Northwestern University, and Carnegie Mellon University.

A data scientist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for data scientists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become data scientists.

1. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

2. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

4. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

6. Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,530

Enrollment

4,571

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

9. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-State Tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

10. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

20 best online courses for data scientists

Advertising Disclosure

1. Data Science Immersive (Full-time)

general_assembly

Harness the power of data science to solve the world’s most challenging problems by developing your skills in predictive modeling, pattern recognition, data visualization, wrangling massive data sets, forecasting trends, and informing strategy across diverse industries like public policy, robotics, and FinTech...

2. Data Science (Part Time)

general_assembly

Create robust predictive models with statistics and Python programming. Build confidence and credibility to tackle complex machine learning problems on the job. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...

3. Programming for Data Science with R

udacity

Prepare for a data science career by learning the fundamental data programming tools: R, SQL, command line, and git...

4. Intro to Machine Learning with PyTorch

udacity

Learn foundational machine learning techniques -- from data manipulation to unsupervised and supervised algorithms...

5. Data Science:Data Mining & Natural Language Processing in R

udemy
4.7
(387)

Harness the Power of Machine Learning in R for Data/Text Mining, & Natural Language Processing with Practical Examples...

6. The Data Science Course: Complete Data Science Bootcamp 2023

udemy
4.6
(130,823)

Complete Data Science Training: Mathematics, Statistics, Python, Advanced Statistics in Python, Machine & Deep Learning...

7. Python Programming (Part Time)

general_assembly

Gain fluency in Python — the world's fastest-growing major programming language — and start leveraging its versatile capabilities to build web and data science applications. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...

8. Intro to Coding

general_assembly

Discover if coding is a career fit for you In this free, two-hour livestream, explore the building blocks of the web — HTML and CSS — and learn how you can apply these programming languages to develop your own simple sites. All in real time, taught by an industry professional. Come learn the basics and gain the skills you need to write your first line of code!...

9. Data Architect

udacity

Learn how to plan, design and implement enterprise data infrastructure solutions. Create the blueprints for an organization’s data management system...

10. Artificial Intelligence for Trading

udacity

Complete real-world projects designed by industry experts, covering topics from asset management to trading signal generation. Master AI algorithms for trading, and build your career-ready portfolio...

11. Introduction to Machine Learning for Data Science

udemy
4.6
(13,692)

A primer on Machine Learning for Data Science. Revealed for everyday people, by the Backyard Data Scientist...

12. Data Science and Machine Learning Bootcamp with R

udemy
4.7
(16,381)

Learn how to use the R programming language for data science and machine learning and data visualization!...

13. Intro to Data Science

general_assembly

Discover if coding is a career fit for you In this two hour live workshop you will walk through the typical data science workflow and see how the pros identify powerful business predictions. You’ll get first-hand experience to explore the key tools and processes that data scientists use to analyze, visualize, and model data. ...

14. Data Engineer

udacity

Learn to design data models, build data warehouses and data lakes, automate data pipelines, and work with massive datasets...

15. Artificial Intelligence

udacity

Learn essential Artificial Intelligence concepts from AI experts like Peter Norvig and Sebastian Thrun, including search, optimization, planning, pattern recognition, and more...

16. From 0 to 1: Spark for Data Science with Python

udemy
4.5
(774)

Get your data to fly using Spark for analytics, machine learning and data science​...

17. R Programming: Advanced Analytics In R For Data Science

udemy
4.7
(8,622)

Take Your R & R Studio Skills To The Next Level. Data Analytics, Data Science, Statistical Analysis in Business, GGPlot2...

18. Data Science for Business Leaders

udacity

Master the strategic decision-making skills for the people, platforms, and processes required to leverage the power of Data Science in your business...

19. Intro to Machine Learning with Tensorflow

udacity

Learn foundational machine learning techniques - from data manipulation to unsupervised and supervised algorithms...

20. Data Science: Natural Language Processing (NLP) in Python

udemy
4.7
(11,992)

Applications: decrypting ciphers, spam detection, sentiment analysis, article spinners, and latent semantic analysis...

Top 10 most affordable universities for data scientists

The most affordable schools for data scientists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - fullerton.

If the best universities for data scientists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for data scientists.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,262

Cost of Attendance

14,046

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,182

Cost of Attendance

13,998

3. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,886

Cost of Attendance

17,645

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,620

Cost of Attendance

18,136

5. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-State Tuition

$4,094

Cost of Attendance

14,302

6. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,240

Cost of Attendance

13,991

7. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,381

Cost of Attendance

21,034

8. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,410

Cost of Attendance

20,456

9. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,798

Cost of Attendance

18,306

10. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,338

Cost of Attendance

14,281

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for data scientists

The hardest universities for data scientists to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Northwestern University, and Carnegie Mellon University.

Some great schools for data scientists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for data scientists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

6%

SAT Average

1,512

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions Rate

8%

SAT Average

1,508

3. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions Rate

17%

SAT Average

1,507

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

5%

SAT Average

1,520

5. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions Rate

9%

SAT Average

1,516

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions Rate

11%

SAT Average

1,513

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions Rate

8%

SAT Average

1,492

8. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions Rate

15%

SAT Average

1,506

9. Brown University

Providence, RI • Private

Admissions Rate

8%

SAT Average

1,492

10. University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN • Private

Admissions Rate

18%

SAT Average

1,502

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for data scientists

The easiest schools for data scientists to get into are Barry University, texas a&m; university - kingsville, and university of the incarnate word.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a data scientist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for data scientists.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions Rate

91%

SAT Average

1,006

2. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions Rate

89%

SAT Average

1,035

3. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions Rate

88%

SAT Average

1,044

4. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions Rate

99%

SAT Average

1,008

5. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions Rate

86%

SAT Average

991

6. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

82%

SAT Average

983

7. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

72%

SAT Average

1,054

8. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions Rate

100%

SAT Average

1,035

9. University of Houston - Downtown

Houston, TX • Private

Admissions Rate

83%

SAT Average

1,012

10. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Camden

Camden, NJ • Private

Admissions Rate

71%

SAT Average

1,086

Average data scientist salary by education level

According to our data, data scientists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $109,454 annually. Data scientists with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $101,455.
Data Scientist education levelData Scientist salary
Master's Degree$109,454
Bachelor's Degree$101,455

Data Scientist Education FAQs

Search for data scientist jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse computer and mathematical jobs