FAQs

When will there be a Data Science major?

• The Letters & Science Data Science major has been approved! We are building the processes necessary to begin declaring students and tracking their graduation progress. The L&S Data Science major will be available for students to declare beginning in Fall 2018.
• Until the Data Science major becomes available, students interested in the new major should continue taking classes that satisfy their existing or intended major, particularly where they overlap with the classes detailed on the major requirements page. Only if a student has additional space in their course schedule should they add new courses specific to the Data Science major.
• Faculty are also preparing a proposal for the College of Engineering Data Science major. Faculty are aiming to make the major requirements (other than College requirements) as similar as possible to the L&S major. The Engineering major proposal will need to proceed through a similar approval process to that for the L&S major.
• The FAQs on this website will be updated with current information as it is available.

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

• For a transitional period, we hope to allow a "grandfathered" option:

• Stat 20, 21, or 135 and

• CS 61A or E7

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?

• We suggest you continue taking classes that satisfy your existing or intended major, particularly where they overlap with the classes detailed on our major requirements pages.

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. Students will need to meet the standard expectations to declare an L&S major.

• 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 Spring 2018 or earlier. No petition process will be necessary, though students will still need to ensure they meet the 2.0 GPA in Data 8, Linear Algebra, and Data Structures.

• There is not yet a policy on how we will handle courses previously taken on a P/NP basis that would fulfill the upper-division requirements for the major. We will be considering this question in the coming weeks and will post updates with more information as it is available.

I’ll already have taken classes that would let me graduate with an L&S Data Science major by the end of Fall 2018. Will I be able to declare it and graduate with it in time?

• In these transitional semesters, if the timing for the L&S major declaration and tracking processes allow, the faculty are hopeful that L&S will approve allowing students to add the Data Science major in the final semester before graduation. If approved, this will be a transitional strategy only.

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 hoping to expand class sizes, and many students pursuing the major will be able to enroll; they may need to be flexible and patient. The major is constructed to allow students to take other options outside CS and Statistics to meet major requirements, and students should expect 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?

• We are currently building up our advising team, but don't yet have the capacity for individual advising.
• For questions about classes in existing departments (prerequisites, pathways, etc.), ask those departments' advisors. For questions about the Data Science program, please review these FAQs and ask your regular advisor for now.
• While we build up our advising program and processes, you can direct your questions to our online Q&A forum, the Data Science Support Piazza(link is external) (DATA 001). Many questions may have previously been answered there, and we hope it will continue to be a resource for everyone to consult until our advisors can take on individual advising appointments.