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APPLY BY
10/1 FOR SPRING 2024
MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS

DIVERSIFYING CAREER PATHS

The MDS@Rice Online Student Experience

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ENGAGING AND INTERACTIVE

Best-in-Class Online Data Science Learning Experience

Rice’s online Master of Science in Data Science program offers the same degree as the in-person program, but with increased flexibility and convenience. The online MDS degree is designed to be a collaborative and engaging student experience that supports positive online learning for the working professional in a Data Science community.

  • Engage in academic life from day one
    Learn faster via intimate and engaging learning experiences with peers, synchronous live sessions and 1:1 student/faculty interaction — all online.
  • Learn while doing
    Your online program goes beyond posting videos and quizzes on a website. Instead, you’ll gain hands-on data science experience using your skills to solve real-world problems.
  • Customize your program
    Customize your curriculum with a specialization in business analytics or machine learning and an elective selection in ethics, cybersecurity, or security and privacy.
  • Support for your success
    To help ensure your academic success, our online On-Ramp program gets you up to speed in math and programming prior to starting classes to help immerse you in academic life.

CONTACT ENROLLMENT COACH

Tools and Technology to Succeed Online

Tools and Technology to Succeed Online

The MDS@Rice program offers an enriched classroom experience online. Aside from lectures and coursework, students will receive a part-time, on-campus learning experience in an online setting.

Students will benefit from various tools, technology, and digital platforms including:

  • Discussion forums, live classroom sessions and online office hours offer valuable networking and learning opportunities
  • Video lectures and supplemental resources are easily accessible and allow you to move at your own pace
  • Personalized technical support and training for all online systems and resources
  • Access to the Rice Data to Knowledge (D2K) Lab and experiential learning through the capstone project
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Online, Self-Paced, Skill Development

The online MDS courses help you gain real-world skills that support your career goals. You’ll be immersed in topics including:

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MACHINE
LEARNING

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BIG
DATA

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DATA
VISUALIZATION

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PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
AND DESIGN

Self-Paced Lectures
and Weekly Live Sessions

100% Online, Convenient Master Of Data Science

The MDS@Rice program is offered completely online on a part-time basis (or full-time, starting in Fall 2022). Courses are made up of modules designed to fit into a working professional’s lifestyle. Courses include supplementary readings, video lectures, assignments and discussion forums that help you connect with your peers. Watch the recorded lectures when it’s convenient for you and go back anytime to reinforce important concepts.

Weekly Live Class Sessions

Live weekly classroom sessions are a defining feature of Rice's online master degree programs. These sessions provide valuable direct interaction with Rice faculty and peers, and many students say it’s one of their favorite aspects of the program. Faculty are hands-on and interactive in classes and projects, holding weekly live classes that are typically scheduled to start around 6 or 8 pm Central time.

An Engaged and Interactive Community

Between your D2K Capstone course, Datathons, and weekly live sessions where you'll share your latest data analysis and visualization, there are plenty of opportunities to apply your knowledge, build your portfolio, and create lifelong relationships. Work through the lectures and practice material conveniently at your own pace, then connect with fellow students to work through the most challenging concepts and practice problems.

CONTACT AN ENROLLMENT COACH

Two Rice university students working on a difficult problem.

The D2K (Data to Knowledge) Lab

The Rice D2K (Data to Knowledge) Lab is a unique resource for data science education. Online MDS@Rice students can use this educational hub for engagement, enrichment, and experiential learning opportunities. Providing opportunities that extend beyond the classroom and lectures, the D2K Lab connects students with real-world data science challenges from community organizations, companies, researchers and more.

MDS@Rice Workload

To earn an MDS@Rice degree online, you will complete a minimum of 31 credit hours and there is no thesis requirement. Course lecture material and content are available for you to work through on your own time. However, there are due dates for all assignments and graded work. You may choose to complete the degree program in 12 months as a full-time student or in up to 3.5 years as a part-time student. Learn more about the MDS@Rice online curriculum.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Student Resources

In addition to the specialized curriculum and well-recognized, qualified faculty, Online MDS@Rice students have a number of resources at their disposal to enrich their education, their learning experience, and better equip them with the leadership skills necessary to excel in their chosen career path.

10 Courses

HOMEWORK RESOURCES

Thanks to optional live classroom sessions, students can work through practice material on their own or connect with fellow classmates to collaborate.

Holistic

FREE ONLINE TUTORING

A service that’s provided free of charge by the university, so students who need extra help can get the support they need without having to pay out-of-pocket.

Teacher

SAME DEGREE AS IN-PERSON

Ideal for working professionals, students are able to attend class and complete assignments on their own time.

Diploma

LEADING FACULTY

Discussion forums, live classroom sessions and online office hours offer valuable networking and learning opportunities.

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REAL-WORLD APPLICATION

Learn from world-class faculty members, who are not only experienced and knowledgeable in data science but are also available to students to answer questions and provide 1:1 interaction and support.

Important Dates

We offer three intakes per year, so you can choose the best time to start for you. For more information on program prerequisites, view Admission requirements.

SESSION APPLICATION DUE CLASSES START
SPRING 2024 November 1, 2023 January 8, 2024
SUMMER 2024 March 1, 2024 April 29, 2024
FALL 2024 July 1, 2024 August 26, 2024

GET MORE INFORMATION

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