Fall 1 enrollment is now open!
Graduate from the University of Colorado Boulder
Flexible pay-as-you-go, per-course basis
Complete 30 courses (30 credit hours) full or part-time
Lecture videos, hands-on projects, and connection with instructors and peers
No matter your academic background, the Master of Data Science (MS-DS) is an ideal choice if you’re interested in a career in data science. Program admission is based on your performance in your first three courses.
You’ll learn theory, methods, tools, and programming languages—skills that qualify you for a variety of data scientist jobs, which are expected to increase by 36% between 2021 and 2031, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is more than seven times faster than the average growth rate for all jobs.
The University of Colorado Boulder is a Tier 1 Research institution and home to a community of scientists, scholars, and educators—including Nobel Laureates, MacArthur Genius Grant winners, and National Medal of Science awardees.
Contact the CU Boulder MS-DS team at [email protected] if you have any questions.
Learn more at CU's DS Degree Page.
Start your first course or request more information
Graduate from the University of Colorado Boulder
Flexible pay-as-you-go, per-course basis
Complete 30 courses (30 credit hours) full or part-time
Lecture videos, hands-on projects, and connection with instructors and peers
Graduate from the University of Colorado Boulder
Flexible pay-as-you-go, per-course basis
Complete 30 courses (30 credit hours) full or part-time
Lecture videos, hands-on projects, and connection with instructors and peers
No matter your academic background, the Master of Data Science (MS-DS) is an ideal choice if you’re interested in a career in data science. Program admission is based on your performance in your first three courses.
You’ll learn theory, methods, tools, and programming languages—skills that qualify you for a variety of data scientist jobs, which are expected to increase by 36% between 2021 and 2031, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is more than seven times faster than the average growth rate for all jobs.
The University of Colorado Boulder is a Tier 1 Research institution and home to a community of scientists, scholars, and educators—including Nobel Laureates, MacArthur Genius Grant winners, and National Medal of Science awardees.
Contact the CU Boulder MS-DS team at [email protected] if you have any questions.
Learn more at CU's DS Degree Page.
Even if you don’t have a bachelor’s degree or extensive work experience, you can become part of the MS-DS. You’ll never have to apply to gain admission into the program. After passing three for-credit courses in the MS-DS program with grades of 3.0 or higher, you’ll be qualified.
Fast-track your way to your MS-DS degree. With 30 courses taken at your own pace, you can achieve your goals more quickly than you’d imagined.
Fall 1 enrollment closes Oct 4
Want to enroll in the full degree course now and earn transcriptable credit? You can enroll directly with the university as a non-degree student.Enroll in for-credit now
Explore course options to find the courses that fit your needs
Fill out a form or application on the university's website and pay to enroll
Complete the course and earn transcriptable college credit which will count toward your degree learning if you are accepted into the full degree program¹
You can apply to transfer the credits earned towards your degree program after admission to the program
¹Each university determines the number of pre-approved credits that may count towards the degree requirements according to institutional policies.
These courses are part of this degree program. If you are admitted and enroll in the degree program, your coursework can count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.
University of Colorado Boulder
Advanced · Specialization
University of Colorado Boulder
Advanced · Specialization
University of Colorado Boulder
Intermediate · Specialization
These courses may provide you with a preview of the topics, materials and instructors in a related degree program which can help you decide if the topic or university is right for you.
University of Colorado Boulder
Intermediate · Specialization
Graduates with a degree in data science are well-prepared to enter the workforce as data architects, analysts, and engineers; machine learning architects and engineers; business intelligence developers; and statisticians, among other professions.
The number of data scientist jobs is expected to grow by 36 percent between 2021 and 2031—more than seven times faster than the average growth rate for all jobs—according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Yes. The online MS-DS program falls under the University of Colorado Boulder’s overall accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Yes. Simply enroll in any course and take as many as you like. No commitment is required. You can also enroll in the non-credit course on the Coursera platform and upgrade to the for-credit version at a later time by paying the associated tuition.
You can access course materials on the Coursera platform—lecture videos, quizzes, and readings—anytime and anywhere. Courses have been designed by CU Boulder’s faculty specifically for an online learning environment.
If a course uses proctoring for the final exam, the exam will be administered by ProctorU, a proctoring service that allows you to complete exams or project-based assessments online.
If you have any questions about the program, email us at [email protected].
The program is designed to be flexible for working individuals. Students who take three courses per session will complete the MS-DS degree in about two years. There are six eight-week sessions per year. The degree is flexible. Take more courses per session to complete the degree more quickly, or fewer courses per session if you prefer a slower pace. Please note that you must complete all courses within eight years.
The work for each course you enroll in may take four to six hours of work per week depending on your knowledge and skill.
You can learn at your own pace in a flexible and fully online format. Take only the coursework you need to build credentials that will advance your career, from individual courses to the full master’s degree.
30 credits are required to earn the Master of Science in Data Science degree. Each course is worth one credit.
You can take as many courses as you would like at the same time. You must complete all for-credit coursework and exams by the last day of each session. It’s recommended that you start with one course and decide from there if it is feasible to take more at the same time.
Yes. When you successfully complete the online MS-DS degree, you may come to campus to participate in the graduation ceremony.
No. You cannot switch between the MS-DS on Coursera and the on-campus program.
Yes. The same renowned and expert faculty at CU Boulder teach both online and on-campus courses.
Yes. There are weekly online office hours during which you may interact with course facilitators and ask questions.
No. Online students do not have access to on-campus facilities. However, once admitted you can access online resources including CU Boulder libraries, Career Services, and Forever Buffs Alumni Services.
Once you enroll in a for-credit course, you will receive a CU email address. . There is no physical ID card.
Yes. The Slack channel and discussion forums are ways to connect and network. The program also hosts a number of in-person and online networking events throughout the year.
Yes. Once admitted to the program, you’ll have access to Handshake, a comprehensive resource for all things career related, and VMock online resume review. Graduates can also join the Forever Buffs alumni association.
No. Internships are not part of the program.
There is no application to submit. Admission is performance-based, which means you simply need to show that you can do the work.
To get started, complete the enrollment form during an enrollment window. Indicate you want to earn the master’s degree if applicable, and pay the tuition for the course(s) you are taking that term. Complete a pathway of three for-credit courses with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and you will automatically be admitted into the master’s degree.
No. There is no application or application fee.
No. Transfer credits from other institutions are not accepted.
There are currently no scholarships or financial aid available for this program.
Tuition is $525 per credit hour and $15,750 for the full 30-credit master’s degree. With “pay-as-you-go” tuition, you pay only for the courses you are taking in the upcoming term at the time of enrollment.
There are no formal prerequisites. However, you should be knowledgeable in the following:
To be admitted to the MS-DS program, you must enroll in and complete a pathway with a 3.0 GPA or better. Your pathway is a series of three one-credit courses in either statistics or computer science. All the pathway courses are part of the core degree curriculum, so your progress will directly stack toward a full degree.
You do not need any specific background to be admitted to the program. However, it is helpful to have previous experience in statistics and computer science. Not sure if you're ready for a for-credit class? You can enroll in a Pathway as a non-credit learner, which gives you the option to preview course content. Then, you can upgrade to the for-credit version and pay tuition when you are ready.
You are also welcome to enroll in the Bridge to Data Science courses if you need to brush up on your statistics and/or programming skills. These non-credit courses are designed to prepare you for the MS-DS program.
Yes, it’s the same as the on-campus program. Upon program completion, you will receive your diploma. It is a degree conferred for a Master of Science in Data Science, and it does not have any "online" or "Coursera" designations.
A cross-listed course is offered under two or more CU Boulder degree programs on Coursera. For example, Dynamic Programming, Greedy Algorithms is offered as both CSCA 5414 for the MS-CS and DTSA 5503 for the MS-DS.
An outside elective (sometimes called an “external” elective) is a course offered by another CU Boulder degree program on Coursera. You may apply credits earned from outside elective courses to complete your degree’s elective requirements. Tuition rates vary by program. Credit limits apply and not all courses are applicable to all degree programs. See your program’s student handbook for details and restrictions.
The following courses are not considered outside electives:
For example, Data Mining Pipeline is a one-credit cross-listed course available as both DTSA 5504 and CSCA 5502. CSCA 5502 is not considered an outside elective for Data Science students, and DTSA 5504 is not considered an outside elective for Computer Science students. These courses would be considered outside electives for Electrical Engineering and Engineering Management students because they are not cross listed with ECEA or EMEA courses, respectively.
No. Cross-listed courses are considered equivalent to each other when evaluating graduation requirements. They do not count toward your limit of “outside” elective courses. Please see What is a cross-listed course for important details.
Yes. Cross-listed courses are considered equivalent when evaluating graduation requirements. You can identify cross-listed courses by checking your program’s student handbook.
No. Key courses in these programs overlap, and the Graduate School’s “No Double Dipping” rule prevents students from applying credit from one course toward 2 graduate degrees (or toward 2 graduate certificates).
However, you can earn a Data Science Graduate Certificate on your way to an MS-CS degree without needing more than 30 credits. See Can I earn both a Data Science Graduate Certificate and an MS-CS? for details.
You can earn a Data Science Graduate Certificate on your way to an MS-CS degree without needing more than 30 credits. This is possible because multiple courses in the MS-CS and MS-DS programs are cross listed. Note that you can apply credits from one course toward 1 graduate degree and 1 graduate certificate, as long as you earn the graduate certificate first.
To earn a CU certificate on Coursera, you must maintain a cumulative certificate GPA of 3.00 or higher. Individual certificates may have additional requirements. CU certificates on Coursera are automatically awarded once all requirements are met.
Make sure you take courses in the correct order and complete all steps to earn the certificate(s) you are most interested in. Additional steps are required to earn graduate certificates offered by CU Boulder degree programs on Coursera other than your own program. Your program’s student handbook (MS-CS | MS-DS) outlines those steps and other important considerations, including rules preventing students from double counting courses between multiple certificates.
Yes, but first make sure you understand important considerations & required steps. Make sure you read all of items below before you use the Data Science enrollment form to enroll in cross-listed for-credit courses now and get a head start on the MS-CS degree. This will help you understand the important steps you’ll need to take to change your target program to the MS-CS once it launches in fall.
Yes, but first make sure you understand important considerations & required steps outlined below.
Please be aware that the MS-DS and MS-CS are different degree programs with different requirements. While the programs share a similar structure using performance-based admission, pay-as-you-go tuition, and options for both non-credit and for-credit experiences, there are also important differences. Please carefully review the following:
Please be careful to indicate your degree interest properly, as noted below:
You will not be admitted to the MS-CS until you meet all requirements. You must meet all admission requirements outlined in the MS-CS student handbook, including completing a full pathway specialization with a B or better in each course. You will also need to indicate your intent to pursue the MS-CS degree, which you can only do on an MS-CS enrollment form. Admission decisions are released once per session, approximately 3-4 weeks after the end of the session.
Fall 1 enrollment closes Oct 4