“We know this UNC School of Data Science and Society will help our students hone the critical skills they need to understand and analyze data and use it to develop solutions to pressing problems,” says Chris Clemens, provost at UNC Chapel Hill.

Statistician jobs are expected to grow almost 34% from 2016 to 2026, with data scientists being particularly high in demand, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The university already offers a minor in data science through the College of Arts & Sciences and plans to launch an undergraduate major. Academic programming is still in its development stage, but graduate programs are also on the horizon, including an online master’s degree program in applied data science. 

A collaborative, cross-disciplinary approach to data science

Just as data science draws on various fields of study, so too will UNC’s new programs. Curriculums for the forthcoming data science programs will be built by the School of Data Science and Society, the College of Arts & Sciences, and the Schools of Public Health, Medicine, and Information and Library Science.

“Every tough problem requires massive collaboration,” Clemens says. “The process of research and investigation will be problem-driven, drawing together talent from across disciplinary boundaries, and adding the right resources to deliver results.”

Using applied data science in areas of social science, healthcare, and the humanities, current data science faculty across several schools at UNC will recommend research focuses. Teams of data scientists and subject area experts will then work on research and solutions in these recommended areas.

“The researchers and the work already happening here at Carolina make this the right place for this school and we know now is the right time to bring it to fruition,” Clemens says.