The University of South Carolina's Bachelor of Science in Data Analytics is an interdisciplinary program that brings computer science, mathematics, and statistics together with a specific area of focus chosen from a variety of data generating majors and minors offered throughout campus.   Based in the College of Arts and Sciences, its faculty are from the Departments of Mathematics and Statistics in that college, and from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the College of Engineering and Computing, and its major elective courses are taught by data expert faculty from across campus.   Its curriculum features a strong foundation in all the stages of data analysis as well as a minor or second major in the field of knowledge that generate the research question and data.  In addition to preparing students for a career in data analytics, the choice of minor or second major can help prepare students for a quantitative or methodological graduate program in that area. 

Other data-centered programs at USC include those in the Departments of Computer Science and Engineering, Mathematics, and Statistics, and the interdisciplinary B.S. in Data Science and Minor in Data Science.  Students who are unsure which program they wish to pursue should consult with their advisor or Exploratory Advising immediately to make sure they take the correct MATH and STAT courses to allow for maximum flexibility.  

Learning Outcomes

1. Conduct purposeful, real-world data analysis in the student's specialty area using knowledge from core areas of data analytics
2. Manage complex real-world data sets and be able to extract useful information in the student's specialty area
3. Identify the ethical, policy, and security considerations and issues of working with data and how its use impacts society 
4. Communicate effectively to a non-technical audience what is learned from data, using oral, written reports or data visualization techniques.

Admissions 

Retention 

To be retained in the program, a student must obtain a grade of C or higher in at most two attempts in all mathematics, computer science, and statistics courses required for graduation. 

Transfer Requirement 

Any student applying to transfer to the Data Analytics major from other programs within the University, or from other accredited colleges and universities, is required to have both: 

• Earned a grade of B or higher in at least one of the following courses, or their equivalent: USC’s STAT 201, STAT 205, STAT 206, STAT 301, STAT 515, STAT 516, PSYC 220, or SOCY 392 (an AP or IB exam score that provides credit for STAT 206 also satisfies this requirement) 

and 

• Earned a grade of B or higher in at least one of the following courses, or their equivalent: USC’s CSCE 106, MATH 122, MATH 141, MATH 170, or MATH 328 (an AP or IB exam score that provides credit for MATH 141 also satisfies this requirement). 

Degree Requirements (120 hours)

Program of Study

Founding Documents Requirement

All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade in the subject areas of History, Political Science, or African American Studies that covers the founding documents including the United State Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation and one or more documents that are foundational to the African American Freedom struggle, and a minimum of five essays from the Federalist papers.  This course may count as a requirement in any part of the program of study including the Carolina Core, the major, minor or cognate, or as a general elective.  Courses that meet this requirement are listed here.

Requirements (120 hours)

¹

Must be passed with a grade of C or better.

²

Carolina Core Stand Alone or Overlay Eligible Requirements — Overlay-approved courses offer students the option of meeting two Carolina Core components in a single course. A maximum of two overlays is allowed. The total Carolina Core credit hours must add up to a minimum of 31 hours. Some programs may have a higher number of minimum Carolina Core hours due to specified requirements.

³

A student who has passed MGMT 250 with a grade of C or higher may use another 3-hour Fine Arts/Humanities Course to satisfy this requirement.

Major Map

A major map is a layout of required courses in a given program of study, including critical courses and suggested course sequences to ensure a clear path to graduation.

Major maps are only a suggested or recommended sequence of courses required in a program of study. Please contact your academic advisor for assistance in the application of specific coursework to a program of study and course selection and planning for upcoming semesters.

Data Analytics, B.S.

¹

Regardless of individual course grades, students must maintain a minimum 2.000 cumulative GPA. 

²

Some colleges require a minimum GPA for major courses.  

³

Students who place into MATH 111/111I/115 will be required to take it before proceeding to MATH 122 or 141.  MATH 141 is required for some minors or second majors, such as Physics.   A student who is undecided between majoring in Data Analytics and one of Data Science, Computer Science, Mathematics, or Statistics should take MATH 141. 

⁴

This requirement can be met in a variety of ways, please consult with your advisor.  STAT 206 is the default recommendation. STAT 205 requires enrollment in a minor or second major such as Biology, Environmental Science, Marine Science and other biological or health science related fields.  STAT 205 is specifically required for some second majors.  STAT 206 is specifically required for some second majors. PSYC 220 is required for a student majoring in Psychology (after taking PSYC 101). SOCY 392 is required for students getting a second major in Sociology.  Some second majors require STAT 509 or STAT 515.  A student who is undecided between majoring in Data Analytics and one of Data Science, Computer Science, Mathematics, or Statistics should take STAT 515 or STAT 509 if they meet the prerequisite. 

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Students in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences are required to demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the 122 course through course credit or the corresponding foreign language placement score. 

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The Carolina Core provides the common core of knowledge, skill and academic experience for all Carolina undergraduate students. 

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Minor: Students in the Data Analytics B.S. must complete a minor of at least 18 hours.  In lieu of a minor, an additional major may be added to a student’s program of study.  A second major within the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences must include all major courses as well as any prescribed courses noted (*) in the bulletin.  Regulations on an additional degree for a second major in another college can be found under Degree/Certificate Conferral and Graduation Policies in the Undergraduate Academic Regulations.  Prescribed courses noted in the bulletin may be shared with Carolina Core, College Requirements, and Program Requirements in the primary program.  The minor or second major may not be from fields closely aligned to data science theory, and the following programs are excluded: Actuarial Mathematics and Statistics Minor; Computer Engineering, B.S.E.; Computer Information Systems, B.S.; Computer Science, B.S.C.S.; Data Science, B.S.; Data Science minor; Mathematics, B.S.; Mathematics minor; Statistics, B.S.; Statistics minor.  Courses applied toward Carolina Core requirements cannot be counted toward the minor.  No course may satisfy both major and minor requirements. 

⁸

Ethics in Data Analysis: If ISCI 215 or ITEC 101 or PHIL 325 were not taken to fulfill the Carolina Core VSR requirement with a grade of C or better, then one of the following must be taken in place of an elective: CSCE 390, 581; CYBR 392; ISCI 215, 315, 415; ITEC 101; PHIL 323, 325, 326. 

⁹

The McCausland College of Arts and Sciences requires one U.S. History and one non-U.S. History course, both of which must be chosen from the approved Carolina Core GHS courses.  Whichever is not fulfilled through the Carolina Core GHS requirement must be fulfilled through this college requirement. 

¹⁰

Data Analytics Major Electives (12 hours): Select four courses from the following list, or from STAT 530, or CSCE/STAT 587 that was not taken as a major course.  Some of these courses have prerequisites not required in the program but may be taken as electives, as part of some minors, or to satisfy other requirements: ANTH 323; BIOL/STAT 588; CRJU 512, 582; CSCE 556, 585, CSCE/STAT 588; EPID 410; GEOG 263, 345, 551; ISCI 310, 560; MATH 529; POLI 475; SOCY 391, 562; STAT 506, STAT 531/CSCE 588, 540, 541, STAT/BIOL 588.  Courses that require prerequisite courses in that subject area: ANTH 550; ECON 336, 436, 594; GEOG 563, 564; ITEC 370; SOCY 561.  Courses that may require a Minor in Business Administration and/or MGSC 291: MGMT 425; MGSC 390, 391, 394; MKTG 448, 470. 

¹¹

A student who has passed MGMT 250 with a grade of C or higher may use another 3-hour Fine Arts/Humanities Course to satisfy this requirement. 

¹²

No courses of a remedial, developmental, skill-acquiring, or vocational nature may apply as credit toward degrees in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences.  The McCausland College of Arts and Sciences allows the use of the Pass-Fail option on elective courses.  Further clarification on inapplicable courses can be obtained from the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences. 

Program Notes:

• All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade that covers the founding documents. This course may fulfill any requirement in the program of study. Courses that meet this requirement are listed in the academic bulletin.
• To be retained in the program, a student must obtain a grade of C or higher in at most two attempts in all mathematics, computer science, and statistics courses required for graduation.
• The last 30 credit hours toward your degree must be earned in residence at the University of South Carolina-Columbia.