Our Vision


The goal of the USD MS-ADS online program is to prepare prospective data scientists with in-depth analytical knowledge tied to real-world applications, relevant programming ability, and critical professional skills to both succeed in their career and to create meaningful social impact.


The many additional areas now impacted by data science include: marketing, sales and service, the life sciences, business intelligence, agriculture, mining, oil, aerospace, travel, transportation, food, field service, construction, defense, digital media, education and more. The need for skilled data scientists cuts across nearly all industries, public agencies, and nonprofits, with particularly strong demand and opportunity in such fields as:

  • Technology
  • Financial services
  • Retail
  • Healthcare
  • Telecom
  • Manufacturing
  • Cybersecurity
  • Government and military
  • Energy
  • Automotive

Our mission is to teach and advocate for the application of data science. At USD MS-ADS, we are committed to teaching the fundamental and modern practices to our students, and disseminating them within the global data science community both directly and indirectly through our faculty. Our vision for the program has three areas of focus:

  • Offers a state-of-the-art online program that will enable students to master the technical skills and soft skills necessary for solving challenging analytics problems seen every day in a wide range of data-rich domains.
  • Prepares prospective data scientists with in-depth analytical knowledge tied to real-world applications, relevant programming ability, and critical professional skills to both succeed in their career and to create meaningful social impact.
  • Aspires to function as a respected data science thought leader organization as part of its mission to develop current and future generations of "essential data scientists."