EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITIES

Data Science Career Paths & Job Outlook

What Can You Do With a Masters in Data Science?

Innovation propels business, but big data underpins innovation. From tech giants and mega-corporations to nonprofits and small businesses, harnessing the power of data and developing sophisticated methods to manage and analyze that data is a distinctive advantage that drives growth, efficiency, and profitability across every industry.

The field of data science is relatively new, so there are fewer degreed professionals than demand requires. This lowers the barrier to entry for professionals with non-computational backgrounds to attain degrees and enter the field. In addition, because the amount of data companies gather is constantly increasing, they face large challenges in organizing that data and extracting valuable insights. Read on to better understand all the data science career path opportunities and career resources available to you with an online Master of Data Science degree from Rice.

GET MORE INFORMATION

Data Science Careers Job Outlook

DATA SCIENTIST RANKED #3 AMONG THE 50 BEST JOBS

According to Glassdoor, “data scientist’ ranked #3 among the 50 best jobs in America for 2020.

650% INCREASE IN DATA SCIENTIST JOB OPENINGS

Since 2012, LinkedIn has reported a 650% increase in data scientist job openings and has included “data scientist” in it’s emerging jobs report for 3 years in a row.

JOBS IN THE DATA SCIENCE FIELD WILL INCREASE 28%

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the number of jobs in the data science field will increase 28%, or 11.5 million jobs, through 2026.

Types of Jobs in the Field of Data Science

The field of data science offers versatile career paths for professionals who are skilled in managing complex data and mining specific insight from that data to answer complex problems. Data scientist career paths, and their respective average salaries, include:

SELECT YOUR CAREER PATH

Machine Learning Engineers

Machine learning engineers use their programming and data modeling skills to design self-running software that automates predictive models, which control computers and robots. Data science teams use these systems to derive meaningful information from data.

Database Developers

As organizations collect data, they need a place to store it. Database developers design, construct, program, and maintain databases for efficiency and performance.

Data Architect

Data architects work with data engineers to build a data management framework that centralizes, protects, and maintains data. The data architect is responsible for creating the plan or blueprint that the data engineer will use to build the enterprise data management framework.

Business Intelligence Developer

Business intelligence developers help to simplify complex information extracted from data. They can work with different types of data and use business intelligence software tools to improve the data research process and share the information extracted from data.

Statistician

A data science statistician uses mathematical skills to interpret quantitative data in order to answer specific questions. Statisticians test and create data sampling techniques, experimental designs, and analytical methods.

Head Data Scientist

Often responsible for leading Data Science professionals, the Head Data Scientist may allocate resources to support data initiatives, or may work on important initiatives herself. These individuals command a high-salary, blending the best of statistical, computational and management skills.

Chief Data Science Officer

The CDO is a C-suite executive responsible for setting the vision for big data's use within an organization. CDOs work with other senior leaders (COO, CTO, CIO, VPs) to build an internal Data Science & Engineering capability or center of excellence, establish standards and procedures for the secure use of big data, and recruit and develop talent for strategic projects.

VIEW OUR CURRICULUM

We work with companies, community partners like Texas Medical Center researchers, government agencies, and non-profits to find awesome, real-world data sets and projects that you can do for your Capstone experience.

- Genevera Allen, Founder & Faculty Director, Rice Data2Knowledge (D2K) Lab

MDS@Rice Career Resources

MDS@Rice Online students have access to the same career resources that are available to our on-campus students. Online students will receive relevant job postings via email, and all program participants have access to Rice University’s D2K (Data to Knowledge) Lab and Center for Career Development (CCD). Learn more about the career resources available to MDS students including:

Real-world project opportunities with actual big data sets
12twenty Career Management Platform
1:1 phone, Skype, or *in-person meetings* with CCD Career Advisors
Weekly newsletters with featured jobs and upcoming career events
On-campus and virtual workshop events and career fairs
Data science programs, seminars, and competitions
Annual Hackathons and Datathons

Take the Next Step in your Data Science Career

Applying for the online Master of Data Science program is streamlined. We offer three start dates per year and are committed to delivering a superior data science education in a flexible format. Learn more about the program and apply online today!

Request Info about Rice MDS Online

Send us your information and a Rice Enrollment Coach will follow up with you.

6100 Main St., Houston, TX 77005-1827|

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251-1892 |

713-348-0000 | Privacy Policy | Web Accessibility | Campus Carry