Arts & Sciences Data Science (CAS)

Description

The interdisciplinary data science major prepares students with skill and competency in data analysis and interpretation, algorithm design and implementation, and helps them develop aptitudes for interdisciplinary problem-solving. Thus, this program enables students to take advantage of career and employment opportunities across diverse fields involving data-rich, data-driven systems and applications. Ultimately, this will help address the increasing societal and economic need for a qualified workforce in today's digital age.

The data science major is available through the College of Art and Sciences, the College of Engineering, and the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. A shared set of core requirements exists in each college combining foundational knowledge in Computer Science, Mathematics, and Statistics. Beyond the core requirements, each college offers a unique approach within the overall degree. The College of Arts and Sciences data science majors will have the opportunity to pursue the major as part of an overall liberal arts curriculum characterized by both focus and range. Due to the flexible and customizable structure of the degrees, the major will pair well with a related minor or even a second major.
 

College Admission

The entrance requirements for the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), including any of the majors or minors offered through the college, are the same as the University of Nebraska–Lincoln General Admission Requirements. In addition to these requirements, the College of Arts and Sciences strongly recommends a third and fourth year of one foreign language in high school. Four years of high school coursework in the same language will fulfill the College of Arts and Sciences’ language requirement. It will also allow students to continue language study at a more advanced level at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and provide more opportunity to study abroad.

Academic and Career Advising

Academic and Career Advising Center

Not sure where to go or who to ask? The Advising Center team in 107 Oldfather Hall can help. The Academic and Career Advising Center is the undergraduate hub for CAS students in all majors. Centrally located and easily accessed, students encounter friendly, knowledgeable people who are eager to help or connect students to partner resources. Students also visit the Advising Center in 107 Oldfather Hall to:

• Choose or change their major, minor, or degree program.
• Check on policies, procedures, and deadlines.
• Get a college approval signature from the Dean’s representatives.

CAS Career Coaches are available by appointment (in-person or zoom) and located in the CAS Academic and Career Advising Center, 107 Oldfather Hall. They help students explore majors and minors, gain experience, and develop a plan for life after graduation.

Assigned Academic Advisors

Academic advisors are critical resources dedicated to students' academic, personal, and professional success. Every CAS student is assigned an academic advisor based on their primary major. Since most CAS students have more than just a single major, it is important to get to know the advisor for any minors or additional majors. Academic advisors work closely with the faculty to provide the best overall support and the discipline specific expertise. They are available for appointments (in-person or zoom) and through weekly virtual drop-ins. Assigned advisors are listed in MyRED and their offices may be located in or near the department of the major for which they advise.

Students who have declared a pre-health or pre-law area of interest will also work with advisors in the Exploratory and Pre-Professional Advising Center (Explore Center) in 127 Love South, who are specially trained to guide students preparing to enter a professional school.

For complete and current information on advisors for majors, minors, or pre-professional areas, visit https://cas.unl.edu/major-advisors, or connect with the Arts and Sciences Academic and Career Advising Center, 107 Oldfather Hall, 402-472-4190, casadvising@unl.edu.

Career Coaching

The College believes that Academics + Experience = Opportunities and encourages students to complement their academic preparation with real-world experience, including internships, research, education abroad, service, and leadership. Arts and sciences students have access to a powerful network of faculty, staff, and advisors dedicated to providing information and support for their goals of meaningful employment or advanced education. Arts and sciences graduates have unlimited career possibilities and carry with them important career competencies—communication, critical thinking, creativity, context, and collaboration. They have the skills and adaptability that employers universally value. Graduates are prepared to effectively contribute professionally and personally with a solid foundation to excel in an increasingly global, technological, and interdisciplinary world.

Students should contact the career coaches in the Arts and Sciences Academic and Career Advising Center in 107 Oldfather Hall, or their assigned advisor, for more information. The CAS career coaches help students explore career options, identify ways to build experience and prepare to apply for internships, jobs, or graduate school, including help with resumes, applications, and interviewing.

ACE Requirements

 Students must complete one course for each of the ACE Student Learning Outcomes below. Certified course choices are published in the degree audit, or visit the ACE website for the most current list of certified courses.

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
ACE Student Learning Outcomes
ACE 1: Write texts, in various forms, with an identified purpose, that respond to specific audience needs, integrate research or existing knowledge, and use applicable documentation and appropriate conventions of format and structure.
ACE 2: Demonstrate competence in communication skills.
ACE 3: Use mathematical, computational, statistical, logical, or other formal reasoning to solve problems, draw inferences, justify conclusions, and determine reasonableness.
ACE 4: Use scientific methods and knowledge to pose questions, frame hypotheses, interpret data, and evaluate whether conclusions about the natural and physical world are reasonable.
ACE 5: Use knowledge, historical perspectives, analysis, interpretation, critical evaluation, and the standards of evidence appropriate to the humanities to address problems and issues.
ACE 6: Use knowledge, theories, and research perspectives such as statistical methods or observational accounts appropriate to the social sciences to understand and evaluate social systems or human behaviors.
ACE 7: Use knowledge, theories, or methods appropriate to the arts to understand their context and significance.
ACE 8: Use knowledge, theories, and analysis to explain ethical principles and their importance in society.
ACE 9: Exhibit global awareness or knowledge of human diversity through analysis of an issue.
ACE 10: Generate a creative or scholarly product that requires broad knowledge, appropriate technical proficiency, information collection, synthesis, interpretation, presentation, and reflection.

College Degree Requirements

College Distribution Requirements – BA and BS

The College of Arts and Sciences distribution requirements are common to both the bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees and are designed to ensure a range of courses. By engaging in study in several different areas within the College, students develop the ability to learn in a variety of ways and apply their knowledge from a variety of perspectives. All requirements are in addition to University ACE requirements, and no course can be used to fulfill both an ACE outcome and a College Distribution Requirement.

• A student may not use a single course to satisfy more than one College Distribution Requirement, with the exception of CDR Diversity. Courses used to meet CDR Diversity may also meet CDR Writing, CDR Humanities, or CDR Social Science.
• Independent study or reading courses and internships cannot be used to satisfy distribution requirements.
• Courses from interdisciplinary programs will be applied in the same area as courses from the home/cross-listed department.

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
College Distribution Requirements
CDR: Written Communication		3
Select from courses approved for ACE outcome 1.
CDR: Natural, Physical, and Mathematical Sciences with Lab		4
Select from biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, geology, meteorology, mathematics, and physics. Must include one lab in the natural or physical sciences. Lab courses may be selected from biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, geology, meteorology, and physics.
Some courses from geography and anthropology may also be used to satisfy the lab requirement above. 1
CDR: Humanities		3
Select from classics, English, film studies, history, modern languages and literatures, philosophy, and religious studies. 2
CDR: Social Science		3
Select from anthropology, communication studies, geography, national security studies, political science, psychology, or sociology. 3
CDR: Human Diversity in U.S. Communities		0-3
Select from a set of approved courses as listed in the degree audit.
CDR: Language		0-16
Fulfilled by the completion of the 6-credit-hour second-year sequence in a single foreign language in one of the following departments: Classics and religious studies or modern languages and literatures. Instruction is currently available in Arabic, Chinese, Czech, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Latin, Russian, and Spanish.
A student who has completed the fourth-year level of one foreign language in high school is exempt from the languages requirement, but encouraged to continue on in their language study.
Credit Hours Subtotal:		13-32

¹

See Degree Audit or a College of Arts and Sciences advisor for approved geography and anthropology courses that apply as natural science.

²

Language courses numbered 220 and below do not fulfill the CDR Humanities​.

³

See Degree Audit or College of Arts and Sciences advisor for list of natural/physical science courses in anthropology, geography, and psychology that do not apply as social science.

Language Requirement

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the College of Arts and Sciences place great value on academic exposure and proficiency in a second language. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln entrance requirement of two years of the same foreign language or the College’s language distribution requirement (CDR: Language) will rarely be waived and only with relevant documentation. See the main College of Arts and Sciences page for more details.

Experiential Learning Requirement

All undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences must complete an Experiential Learning (EL) designated course. This may include 0-credit courses designed to document co-curricular activities recognized as Experiential Learning.

Scientific Base - BS Only

The bachelor of science degree requires students to complete 60 hours in mathematical, physical, and natural sciences. Approved courses for scientific-based credit come from the following College of Arts and Sciences disciplines: actuarial science, anthropology (selected courses), astronomy, biochemistry (excluding BIOC 101), biological sciences (excluding BIOS 100 or BIOS 203), chemistry (excluding CHEM 101), geography (selected courses), geology, life sciences, mathematics (excluding courses below MATH 104), meteorology, microbiology (excluding MBIO 101), and physics (excluding PHYS 201.)

See your Degree Audit or your assigned academic advisor for a complete list, including individual classes that fall outside of the disciplines listed above. Up to 12 hours of scientific and technical courses offered by other colleges may be accepted toward this requirement with approval of the College of Arts and Sciences. See your assigned academic advisor to start the approval process.

Minimum Hours Required for Graduation

A minimum of 120 semester hours of credit is required for graduation from the College of Arts and Sciences. A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 is required.

Grade Rules

Restrictions on C- and D Grades

The College will accept no more than 15 semester hours of C- and D grades from other domestic institutions except for UNO and UNK. All courses taken at UNO and UNK impact the UNL transcript. No transfer of C- and D grades can be applied toward requirements in a major or a minor. No University of Nebraska–Lincoln C- and D grades can be applied toward requirements in a major or a minor. International coursework (including education abroad) with a final grade equivalent to a C- or lower will not be validated by the College of Arts and Sciences departments to be degree applicable.

Pass/No Pass Privilege

The College of Arts and Sciences adheres to the University regulations for the Pass/No Pass (P/N) privilege with the following additional regulations:

• Pass/No Pass hours can count toward fulfillment of University ACE requirements and college distribution requirements up to the 24-hour maximum.
• Most arts and sciences departments and programs do not allow courses graded Pass/No Pass to apply to the major or minor. Students should refer to the department’s or program’s section of the catalog for clarification. By college rule, departments can allow up to 6 hours of Pass/No Pass in the major or minor.
• Departments may specify that certain courses of theirs can be taken only on a P/N basis.
• The college will permit no more than a total of 24 semester hours of P/N grades to be applied toward degree requirements. This total includes all Pass grades earned at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and other U.S. schools. NOTE: This 24-hour limit is more restrictive than the University regulation.

Grading Appeals

A student who feels that he/she has been unfairly graded must ordinarily take the following sequential steps in a timely manner, usually by initiating the appeal in the semester following the awarding of the grade:

1. Talk with the instructor concerned. Most problems are resolved at this point.
2. Talk to the instructor’s department chairperson.
3. Take the case to the Grading Appeal Committee of the department concerned. The Committee should be contacted through the department chairperson.
4. Take the case to the College Grading Appeals Committee by contacting the Dean’s Office, 1223 Oldfather Hall.

Course Level Requirements

Courses Numbered at the 300 or 400 Level

Thirty (30) of the 120 semester hours of credit must be in courses numbered at the 300 or 400 level. Of those 30 hours, 15 hours (1/2) must be completed in residence at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Residency Requirement

Students must complete at least 30 of the 120 total hours for their degree at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Students must complete at least 1/2 of their major coursework, including 6 hours at the 300 or 400 level in their major and 15 of the 30 hours required at the 300 or 400 level, in residence. Credit earned during education abroad may be used toward the residency requirement only if students register through the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Catalog to Use

Students must fulfill the requirements stated in the catalog for the academic year in which they are first admitted to and enrolled as a degree-seeking student at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. In consultation with advisors, a student may choose to follow a subsequent catalog for any academic year in which they are admitted to and enrolled as a degree-seeking student at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the College of Arts and Sciences. Students must complete all degree requirements from a single catalog year. Beginning in 1990-1991, the catalog which a student follows for degree requirements may not be more than 10 years old at the time of graduation.

Transfer Students: Students who have transferred from a community college may be eligible to fulfill the requirements as stated in the catalog for an academic year in which they were enrolled at the community college prior to attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This decision should be made in consultation with academic advisors, provided the student a) was enrolled in a community college during the catalog year they are utilizing, b) maintained continuous enrollment at the previous institution for 1 academic year or more, and c) continued enrollment at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln within 1 calendar year from their last term at the previous institution. Students must complete all degree requirements from a single catalog year and within the time frame allowable for that catalog year.

Learning Outcomes

The primary student learning outcomes of the interdisciplinary data science major are:

1. Foundational knowledge and expertise in the analysis of large-scale data sources from the interdisciplinary perspectives of applied computer science, data modeling, mathematics, and statistics.
2. Foundational knowledge and expertise in the application of computing, informatics, and modeling to solve multidisciplinary problems.
3. Abilities and professional skills to solve multidisciplinary data science problems as a member of an interdisciplinary team.
4. Familiarity with ethical challenges in data science, including ethical collection of data, responsible use of data and algorithmic bias.

Major Requirements

The interdisciplinary data science major includes a set of core requirements, professional experience, and selection of fifteen (15) hours from two focus areas of interest.

Core Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Computer Science
CSCE 155T	Computer Science I: Informatics Focus	3
or CSCE 155A	Computer Science I
or CSCE 155E	Computer Science I: Systems Engineering Focus
or CSCE 155H	Honors: Computer Science I
or CSCE 155N	Computer Science I: Engineering and Science Focus
CSCE 311	Data Structures and Algorithms for Informatics	3
or CSCE 310	Data Structures and Algorithms
CSCE 320	Data Analysis	3
Credit Hours Subtotal:		9
Mathematics
MATH 104	Applied Calculus	3-5
or MATH 106	Calculus I
MATH 203	Contemporary Mathematics	3-4
or MATH 203J	Contemporary Math
or MATH 107	Calculus II
MATH 315	Linear Algebra for Data Science	3
or MATH 314	Linear Algebra
Credit Hours Subtotal:		9-12
Statistics
Select one of the following options:		6
Option 1
STAT 218	Introduction to Statistics
or STAT 380 / RAIK 270H	Statistics and Applications
STAT 318	Introduction to Statistics II
Option 2
STAT 101	Introduction to Data
STAT 102	Principles of Statistical Analysis
Credit Hours Subtotal:		6
Total Credit Hours		24-27

Specific Major Requirements
 

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Professional Experience
MATH 435	Math in the City	3
Credit Hours Subtotal:		3
Focus Area Courses
Select at least 15 hours from two of the following focus areas, with at least 6 hours in each of the focus areas selected.		15
Artificial Intelligence
CSCE 421	Foundations of Constraint Processing
CSCE 472	Digital Image Processing
CSCE 473	Computer Vision
CSCE 474	Introduction to Data Mining
CSCE 475	Multiagent Systems
CSCE 476	Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
CSCE 478	Introduction to Machine Learning
CSCE 479	Introduction to Deep Learning
Software Development
CSCE 361	Software Engineering
CSCE 378	Human-Computer Interaction
CSCE 412	Data Visualization
CSCE 460	Software Engineering for Robotics
CSCE 461	Advanced Topics in Software Engineering
CSCE 464	Internet Systems and Programming
CSCE 466	Software Design and Architecture
CSCE 467	Testing, Verification and Analysis
CSCE 468	Requirements Elicitation, Modeling and Analysis
Data Pipeline
STAT 251	Statistical Computing I: Data Wrangling
STAT 351	Statistical Computing II: Data Management and Visualization
CSCE 411	Data Modeling for Systems Development
CSCE 413	Database Systems
CSCE 436	Advanced Embedded Systems
CSCE 438	Internet of Things
CSCE 458	Molecular and Nanoscale Communication
CSCE 463	Data and Network Security
CSCE 465	Wireless Communication Networks
Mathematical Modeling
MATH 208	Calculus III
MATH 221	Differential Equations
MATH 415	Theory of Linear Transformations
MATH 424	Introduction to Partial Differential Equations
MATH 428	Principles of Operations Research
MATH 433	Nonlinear Optimization
MATH 440	Numerical Analysis I
MATH 447	Numerical Methods for Applied Math
MATH 450	Combinatorics
MATH 452	Graph Theory
MATH 471	Introduction to Topology
MATH 487	Probability Theory
MATH 489	Stochastic Processes
Statistical Modeling
STAT 212	Principles of Study Design
STAT 301	Mathematical Statistics and Modeling I
STAT 302	Mathematical Statistics and Modeling II
STAT 325	Statistical Collaboration I
STAT 412	Advanced Statistical Design
STAT 414	Introduction to Survey Sampling
STAT 432	Introduction to Spatial Statistics
STAT 443	Statistical Analysis of Genomics Data
STAT 450	Introduction to Regression Analysis
STAT 462	Introduction to Mathematical Statistics I: Distribution Theory
STAT 463	Introduction to Mathematical Statistics II: Statistical Inference
STAT 464	Model Selection and Prediction
STAT 474	Introduction to Nonparametric Statistics
STAT 475	Introduction to Categorical Data Analysis
STAT 478	Introduction to Time Series Analysis
STAT 486	Introduction to Bayesian Analysis
PLAS 420	Bioinformatics Applications in Agriculture
SOCI 465	Survey Design and Analysis
Applied Computing: Journalism and Humanities
ADPR 358	UX/UI Design
HIST 461	Geospatial Approaches in Digital Humanities and Social Sciences
HIST 470	Digital History
JOUR 307	Data Journalism
JOUR 407	Data Visualization
NSST 376	Analysis for the National Security Establishment
SPMC 350	Sports Data Visualization and Analytics
Applied Computing: Sociology
SOCI 310A	Applied Sociology: Community-based Research I
SOCI 310B	Applied Sociology: Community-based Research II
SOCI 333	Applied Research in Public Opinion
SOCI 362	Ethics and the Responsible Conduct of Research
SOCI 407	Strategies of Social Research: Qualitative Methods
SOCI 430	Advanced Social Network Analysis
SOCI 465	Survey Design and Analysis
Applied Computing: Natural Resources
NRES 218	Introduction to Geospatial Technologies
NRES 415	GIS for Agriculture and Natural Resources
NRES 418 / GEOG 418	Introduction to Remote Sensing
AECN 401	Advanced Farm Management and Linear Programming
AECN 436	Commodity Price Forecasting
AGST 433	Equipment and Tractor Testing
PLAS 420	Bioinformatics Applications in Agriculture
PLAS 431 / AGEN 431 / AGST 431	Site-specific Crop Management
Credit Hours Subtotal:		15

Additional Major Requirements

Grade Rules

C- and D Grades

A grade of C or above is required for all courses in the major.

Pass/No Pass

No course taken Pass/No Pass will be counted toward the major, unless offered exclusively with a grade option of Pass/No Pass.

PLEASE NOTE
This document represents a sample 4-year plan for degree completion with this major. Actual course selection and sequence may vary and should be discussed individually with your college or department academic advisor. Advisors also can help you plan other experiences to enrich your undergraduate education such as internships, education abroad, undergraduate research, learning communities, and service learning and community-based learning.

Data Science (B.S.)