Data Science Accelerated Degree Pathway

Jose H

9 months ago

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With their advisor’s approval, students from all undergraduate majors including Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Systems, and Biostatistics may apply to the Data Science Accelerated Degree Pathway. If accepted, students will be allowed to take up to 12 credits of graduate data science courses which will apply towards both their undergraduate degree requirements and the master’s degree program in data science.

Students interested in pursuing the Data Science Accelerated Degree Pathway should first consult with the Graduate Program Advisor. Students can submit the application online by logging into your MyFIU student portal and selecting the Admission Tile, then selecting the Accelerated Pathways App. Students selected for admission will be notified via email. Students should not begin taking graduate-level courses until they have been formally notified of their acceptance and their admission term has begun.

Admission Requirements

Current enrollment in an approved bachelor’s degree program at FIU.
Completed at least 75 credits, the student typically has 30 credits left to complete for the major.
Current GPA of 3.3 or higher.
GRE quantitative score of 148 or higher.
Completed prerequisites for the Masters in Data Science program or demonstrated competencies in the specialization areas (the latter option requires approval by the Graduate Program Director of the appropriate specialization area).

Required Documents and Process

All interested students should visit the Graduate Program Advisor, Rebeca Arocha, rarocha@fiu.edu.
A non-refundable application fee ($30) in the form of a check or money order payable to Florida International University.

Degree Progress

Registration. Admitted students meet with both the Graduate Program Advisor and the student’s undergraduate advisor to map out the graduate coursework that will be counted for both programs. Only 5000 or higher-level courses and no more than 6-12 graduate credits, as specified in the catalog description for the program, can be applied to both degree programs. Students must earn a grade of B or higher in any graduate-level courses in order to apply them to the graduate degree while enrolled as an undergraduate student. Students who earn less than a B but still earn a passing grade may apply the course to their undergraduate degree only and will be expected to retake the course or a suitable substitution while in the master’s program, as determined by the Graduate Program Director.

Graduation from Bachelor’s Program. Students are expected to apply for graduation from their bachelor’s degree in the semester in which their undergraduate requirements are met. (Note: students who have yet to graduate from the bachelor’s degree are considered undergraduates and are therefore ineligible for graduate assistantships and other graduate benefits.)

Entry into Graduate Program. Once the bachelor’s degree has been posted, students are automatically enrolled in the master’s degree program.

Graduation from MS Program. Students are expected to graduate from the master’s degree program within a year of completing their bachelor’s degree and will need to apply for graduation in the term in which they complete the master’s degree program requirements. NOTE: The bachelor’s degree and the master’s degree cannot be awarded in the same semester. The bachelor’s degree must be awarded before the master’s degree.

General Requirements

The graduate level coursework includes 12 credits of required courses, 3 credits of capstone, and 15 credits of specialization courses as required for the regular M.S. students described in Section 4.6.2 of the Graduate Program Booklet or on the M.S. in Data Science web page.

Overlap

Up to four (4) courses (12 credits) may be used in satisfying both the bachelor’s and master’s degree requirements. Courses must be 5000-level Graduate courses and must be completed with grade of B or higher. Students should consult the undergraduate advisor to ensure that the overlapping courses taken while in pursuit of the bachelor’s degree will satisfy undergraduate requirements.