Nov 22, 2024

2020-2021 Graduate Catalog

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2020-2021 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Analytics and Data Science, Ph.D.

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Contact Information

Website: http://graduate.kennesaw.edu/datascience/

Phone: (470) 578-6499

Email: DataSciencePhD@kennesaw.edu

Program Description

Kennesaw State University’s Ph.D. with a major in Analytics and Data Science is an advanced degree, which has been developed to meet the market demand for Data Scientists.

This degree trains individuals to translate large, structured and unstructured, complex datasets into information to improve decision-making, and become independent researchers. This curriculum includes heavy emphasis on programming, machine learning, data mining, statistical modeling, and the mathematical foundations to support these concepts. The program also emphasizes communication skills, data ethics, and application of results to business and research problems.

Graduates can pursue a position in the private or public sector as a “practicing” Data Scientist or a position within academia, where they are uniquely qualified to teach the next generation of data scientists.

Admission Requirements

The following are requirements beyond the general Graduate Admissions requirements

Online Graduate Application
Transcripts - Official transcripts from EACH College and/or University you have attended. Must be in a sealed envelope from the institution or sent electronically from the institution directly to Graduate Admissions.
GRE Score Report - Minimum Quantitative score is 160.
Resume
Statement of Intent describing how this degree facilitates your career goals.
Three Letters of Recommendation 
- At least one must be from an academic source.
- At least one must be from a source outside of the academic community. 
Successful completion of Math courses through Calculus II
Proficiency in at least one analytical programming language (e.g., Python, SAS, R).

Admission Criteria for Unique Cases

Currently, there are no exceptions to the admission requirements.

Transfer Credit

No credit from outside institutions is accepted for this degree program.

Petition to Graduate

Each candidate must petition to graduate online. For more information, please view the corresponding section of Academic Policies .

Program of Study

First Year Core (18 credits)

Students will take these courses in their first year and will have comprehensive exams during the summer after their first year covering material in from these courses.

Required Statistics Courses (6 credits)

STAT 8330:Applied Binary Classification
3 additional credit hours of STAT at the 6000 level or higher in consultation with the program director.

Required Mathematics Course (3 Credit hours)

MATH 8030:Applied Discrete & Combinatorial Mathematics for Data Analysts

Required Computer Science Courses (6 Credit Hours)

CS 7263:Information Retrieval
3 additional credit hours of CS at the 6000 level or higher in consultation with the program director

Electives and Concentration (15 hours)

Students will take additional graduate courses in DS, IT, IS, STAT, CS, MATH, or other related subject area at or above the 6000 level. These should be selected in consultation with your advisor, the graduate program director, and should be reflected in your plan of study. Some of these electives can be DS 9700 and DS 9900 once those minimum requirements are filled.

Internship and Applied Research Projects (15 hours)

Students will take a minimum of 15 credit hours of Doctoral Internship. This course should only be taken by students who have already completed comprehensive exams or with permission of the program coordinator.

DS 9700:Doctoral Internship

Dissertation Research (15 hours)

Students will take a minimum of 15 hours of DS 9900 in order to graduate. This course should only be taken by students who have already completed comprehensive exams or with permission of the program coordinator.

DS 9900:PhD Dissertation Research