Campus Connection

UWL is one of six to offer innovative program

The online UW Master of Science Data Science program has earned top honors nationally. The University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) has named the degree offered jointly by six UW campuses the “2018 Outstanding Program” in the credit category. Launched in fall 2015, the completely online program is offered jointly by UW-La Crosse, along with UW-Green Bay, UW-Eau-Claire, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Superior. UW-Extension created the collaborative, multi-campus online degree program as a solution to the high demand and low supply of data scientists. Currently, 85 students are enrolled in the program through UWL. The first student received a master’s degrees through UWL during the first graduating class in 2017. Throughout the UW System, the program hosts nearly 300 students and is currently on track to generate more than $1 million in revenue to be shared among the six campuses. Data science is one of the fastest-growing professions of the 21st century. A master's degree in data science can serve as the foundation for a variety of positions, including: business intelligence, data modeler, data or research analyst, data mining engineer, data scientist, data warehouse architect, and director of market intelligence. Members of the UW Data Science team and other UPCEA award recipients were honored at the 2018 UPCEA Annual Conference, March 14-16, in Baltimore.