Three new majors were announced the first week of September in an open house on BYU campus.
The new majors include data science, applied physics: data science and data science: machine learning. With AI a hot topic in many spheres, it can be difficult to know how advancements in technology will affect the job market for BYU students.
The open house drew a crowd of over 500 people to the West View building for a brief explanation of the programs.
“Data science has been huge for a while," Robert Richardson, an associate professor of statistics at BYU, said. "In stats, we’ve had our data science emphasis, computer science has had a data science emphasis, math has our ACME program … we decided several years ago, what if we have one that’s kind of all three combined?”
Data science has long been the focus of many universities. According to College Vine, in 2019, there were over 100 universities nationwide with a program.
“We’re actually maybe a little late for the game," Professor Richardson said. "A lot of people have had data science majors for like 10 years,”
Data science applies to many fields, taking classes from the math, statistics and physics departments at BYU. This gives students the opportunity to network with three departments at once.
One focus of the program is lowering barriers. Students from other majors are welcome to try out the new electives offered, even if they are not enrolled in the program.
“Everybody's collecting data, and they want to know how to use it. In many ways, a lot of people have some interest in data science,” Dr. Richard Warr, a BYU professor of statistics, said.
He described how data has a life cycle, including going out and collecting data and analyzing it so that good decisions can be made.
Natalie Romeri-Grass, the data science program administrator, emphasized that not only is a degree in data science marketable, but any degree from BYU has the potential to connect to others looking to make a difference.
“So as a pillar of this program, compared to some universities around the country, we actually have ethics as one of the pillars,” Romeri-Grass said.
BYU students now have more ways than ever to dive in. As interest in AI and data science continues to surge, BYU’s approach may equip students with the necessary skills to adapt to the ever changing technological landscape.
The AI and Data Science launch event and fair will be held on Thursday, Sept. 25, in the Eyring Science Center at 10:30 a.m. Lunch will be provided.