Data Science BA

Department Chair Steven Tedford, Ph.D

Faculty

Patricia Lapczynski, RSM, Associate Professor of Computer Science, BA Douglass College; MS Dartmouth College; DPS Pace University

Fanchao Meng, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, ME Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications; MS, PhD University of Delaware

Jay Stine, Professor of Mathematics, BA Shippensburg University; MS, PhD, University of Miami

Steven J. Tedford, Professor of Mathematics, BA Marist College; MS, PhD Binghamton University

Data science is an interdisciplinary field that uses scientific methods, processes, algorithms, and systems to extract knowledge and insights from noisy, structured, and unstructured data, and apply knowledge and actionable insights from data across a broad range of application domains.

Data Science offers students the opportunity to pursue a wide range of careers in business, finance, and healthcare as Data Analysts, Operations Research Analysts, and Data Engineers, to name a few.

This Data Science program is intended to prepare students for such a career in a variety of industries or to pursue further study in graduate level Data Science or Analytics.

Mission

In alignment with the University Mission Statement that tasks academic programs to develop students’ cognitive as well as community facing problem solving skills, the Misericordia University Data Science program provides our students with the opportunity to explore, sort and analyze large data sets from various sources to address the analytical and data-centric needs of a modern workforce.  Our students will serve the general community by translating data into information that will provide decision support and optimal process choices in business, government, and other applications.

Program Learning Outcomes and Student Learning Outcomes

Program Goal 1 –  Students will be able to contextualize their mathematical and statistical knowledge to perform data analysis functions.

1. Students will gain a robust understanding of the core mathematical and statistical concepts of Data Analysis.
2. Students will gain a robust understanding of linear algebra skills.

Program Goal 2 – Students will master a series of practical techniques that enable them to analyze and interpret large data sets.

1. Students will gain the ability to select and use machine learning algorithms to solve both computational and real-world problems.
2. Students will gain an understanding of the importance for checking for bias in data-driven decision making.

Program Goal 3 – Students will apply critical thinking to the selection of techniques that will be used in computer analysis of large data sets.

1. Students will gain skills in Python and other languages valuable to data scientists.
2. Students will gain an understanding of the properties and uses of a wide range of Data Structures.

Program Goal 4 – Students will be able to engage in targeted research and communication techniques to better present their findings to various audiences and clients.

1. Students will be able to complete a full data analytics workflow, from exploratory data analysis to final conclusions.
2. Students will gain skill in developing data visualizations that are clear and valuable to nontechnical stakeholders.

Elements of this program are offered via Misericordia’s partnership with Rize Education. Rize is an education company that works with a consortium of small private colleges and seeks to prepare students for careers in the fastest-growing fields by helping these colleges offer relevant programs based in project-based work. The partnership allows students to earn Misericordia credit toward in-demand degree programs while receiving a liberal-arts education. A select number of courses are designed by top academics and industry leaders, vetted by Misericordia, and taught by expert faculty at peer, accredited institutions that value the small college experience.