This page provides updated FAQs about individual Data Science courses (such as Data 8, connectors, and Data 100) and more information about the program as a whole. It is current as of January 2018.

A separate page covers FAQs for the Data Science major and minor.

To ask questions and see more answers about the proposed Data Science major and minor and other aspects of the Data Science program, please check out: piazza.com/berkeley/other/data001.

Is Data 8 a computer science class, a statistics class, or something else?

  • Both, and more. Data 8 lets students get a fundamental understanding of key computational and statistical concepts and practices by working hands-on with real data. It weaves together these disciplines and their implications in a powerful and interesting way. More of the topics come from statistics than from computer science. Some of these topics are quite different from what appears in a typical introductory course from either discipline.

Who takes Data 8? Who does well in it?

  • Students from a wide range of majors in every College. It’s not just for “technical” or “non-technical” people.

Does Data 8 have prerequisites?

  • No. The course is designed for students who are new to statistics and programming, although students with experience in one or the other definitely still say they learn a lot.

Does Data 8 depend on any previous background in statistics?

  • No. Data 8 teaches statistics differently from most high school or college courses.

Does Data 8 depend on any previous experience with computer programming?

  • No. About half the students in Data 8 typically say they have no or very limited programming skills.

What programming language is Data 8 taught in?

  • Python.

If I want more background in programming, can I take another course as well?

  • Yes, you can also take CS 10, CS 61A, or programming courses elsewhere or online. We’re sometimes able to offer a summer course CS/STAT C8R that may help students who want additional time and practice before Data 8.

Who designed Data 8? Who teaches it?

  • Data 8 was designed by a multidisciplinary team of Berkeley faculty. It is taught by different faculty in different semesters.

How can I learn more about Data 8?

  • An in-depth introduction to Data 8 is here. Or just visit data8.org. All the course materials are online.