FAQs

Data Science Major

How and when can I declare the L&S Data Science major?

  • Students can declare the Data Science major anytime once they have completed the prerequisite courses (Data 8, CS 61A/88, CS 61B, Math 54/Stat 89A, and Calculus I & II). See more details on the Declaring the Major page.

I've advanced beyond Data 8. Are there any other ways to meet the Data 8 requirement for the major?

  • For students admitted prior to Fall 2018, we allow a "grandfathered" option to substitute for Data 8 if completed no later than Spring 2019:

    • Stat 20, 21, 131A, or 135 and

    • CS 61A or ENGIN 7

I'm interested in doing the EdX course, Data 8X, online. Will this satisfy the Data 8 requirement for the major?

  • No, unfortunately Data 8X doesn't have all the content of Data 8, and does not transfer academic credit.

I may want to major in Data Science, but I’ve already declared (or I’m on the pathway to declaring) another major. What should I do?

  • Talk to a Data Science advisor about the possibility of adding a double major or changing your major. 

Will I be able to double major?

  • Yes, in line with Cal’s usual double major policies, detailed here.

Will there be a GPA threshold? Will this be a capped major?

  • We hope to meet as much student demand as we can. 

  • All of the lower-division prerequisites to declare must be completed with a grade earned of 'C-' or higher, and students will need to achieve a 2.0 Grade Point Average in Data 8, Linear Algebra, and Data Structures to be eligible to declare.

  • See more details on the major requirements page.

I already completed one or more of the courses for the major on a Pass/Not Pass basis. Will they be accepted?

  • In order to accommodate students who took major requirements P/NP prior to the approval of the major, we will accept grades of "Passed" for courses taken to satisfy the lower-division prerequisites needed to declare when completed in Summer 2018 or earlier. No petition process will be necessary, and a "Passed" grade will be considered a "C-" for GPA calculation for eligibility purposes. Students will still need to ensure they meet the 2.0 GPA in Data 8, Linear Algebra, and Data Structures to declare the major. Courses taken P/NP after Summer 2018 will not be accepted. 

What kind of priority (if any) will Data Science majors receive for enrollment in EECS/CS or Statistics classes?

  • We are working with Computer Science and Statistics to determine whether Data Science majors will receive enrollment priority for particular classes. We are also working together to ensure that class sizes are appropriate to meet student demand from Data Science majors, and expect that students will be able to enroll in the classes required for the major before their expected graduation date. The major is constructed to allow students to take other options outside CS and Statistics to meet major requirements as well, and students are encouraged to explore them.

What kind of priority (if any) will Data Science majors receive for enrollment in classes for the domain emphases?

  • We are working with the departments that host many of the popular courses on the Domain Emphasis lists to determine whether Data Science majors will receive enrollment priority for those classes. The domains are designed to draw from several courses so students should have multiple opportunities to complete two upper division courses.

Are there Data Science major and minor advisors? How can I get my questions answered?

  • The Data Science advising team is here to help!

  • For questions about enrollment in classes in existing departments (prerequisites, pathways, etc.), please contact an advisor in the department offering the course.

  • Students are also encouraged to join our online Q&A forum, the Data Science Support Piazza (DATA 001). Many questions may have previously been answered there, and we hope it will continue to be a resource for everyone to consult.

Can I change my Domain Emphasis after I declare?

  • Yes, students may request to change their Domain Emphasis through the same application form that they used to apply to declare the major, by submitting an updated Data Science BA worksheet.

 

Data Science Minor

When will there be a Data Science minor?

  • Faculty are preparing a proposal for a Data Science minor. It will have to go through an approval process before it can be offered. Faculty are working intensively and hope the programs can be approved in Fall 2019.

What are the aims of the Data Science minor?

  • The minor would provide students with Data Science training to complement and integrate with coursework in their own major. Compared to the Data Science major, the minor would allow for a smaller number and broader range of lower division prerequisites.

Who should I ask if I have more questions about the minor?

  • All of the information we have about the minor is currently available here. If you have questions about choosing classes within the guidelines already provided, please contact the Data Science Peer Advisors at ds-peer-advising@berkeley.edu or during their drop-in hours at Moffitt Library.

What can you say about the minor’s lower-division requirements?

  • The current proposal includes:

    • one semester of Data 8 (COMPSCI/STAT/INFO C8)

    • one semester of Computer Science (CS 88 or CS 61A or Engineering 7), and

    • one semester of Probability (Math 10B or Stat 88 or CS 70 or Math 55 or Stat 134 or Stat 140 or EECS 126 or IND ENG 172).

I'm interested in doing the EdX course, Data 8X, online. Will this satisfy the Data 8 requirement for the minor?

  • No, unfortunately Data 8X doesn't have all the content of Data 8, and does not transfer academic credit.

What can you say about the minor’s upper-division requirements?

  • The current proposal includes:

    • one semester of Data 100 (COMPSCI/STAT C100), or two semesters of appropriate Statistics coursework (STAT 131a--redesigned for Fall 2019-- and STAT 133)

    • one semester of an approved Human Contexts & Ethics course (AFRICAM/AMERSTD C134, INFO 188, ISF 100J, HISTORY C184D/STS C104, PHILOS 121, BIOENG 100, CY PLAN 101, or ESPM C167/PBHLTH C160), and

    • one or two additional upper-division courses (the exact number is being determined)

What specific upper-division classes will be included in the minor?

  • We can’t say yet for sure. Please check back for more information.

Are there any other courses required for the minor?

  • Students should also plan to meet any required prerequisite or co-requisite courses for planned upper-division courses in the minor. For example:
    • Students planning to enroll in Stat 131A should plan to meet the prerequisite of one semester of calculus (Math 1A, 10A, 16A, or equivalent).
    • Students planning to enroll in Data 100 should plan to complete the required co-requisite, Math 54 or EECS 16A. Note that both Math 54 and EECS 16A have prerequisites of two semesters of calculus.

Can I plan to overlap classes between my major and the Data Science minor?

  • There is no restriction on overlap between your major and the lower-division requirements in the minor, including the probability requirement (for example, if you take Stat 134 or 140 to meet the lower-division probability requirement)
  • We expect that students will be able to overlap a maximum of one course between their major and the upper division requirements for the Data Science minor (for example, a Computer Science major could count CompSci/Stat C100 toward both their major and the Data Science minor)

  • We also expect that students will be able to count a maximum of one course offered by or cross-listed with your major department(s) toward the data science minor upper-division requirements, including any overlapping course (for example, if a Computer Science major takes CompSci/Stat C100 toward the Data Science minor, this is the only Computer Science or EECS course which may count toward the minor).

I've advanced beyond Data 8. Are there any other ways to meet the Data 8 requirement for the minor?

  • We hope that the "grandfathered" option approved for the Data Science major will be extended for the minor, if you completed BOTH of the required courses by the end of Spring 2019:

    • Stat 20, 21, 131A, or 135 and

    • CS 61A or E7

  • If you have not already completed the grandfathered option by Spring 2019, you should plan to take Data 8.

Will the minor be available to students in all Colleges?

  • We hope and expect so. We are working out how. The faculty are working closely with other Colleges to develop solutions for students across our campus.

What if I’m interested in Data Science after taking Data 8, but I don’t want to go all the way to completing the minor?

  • There are many great classes in which you can develop your skills without completing the minor. We encourage you to look at additional course pathways described on this site.

How will I find out about when the minor is approved?