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Online data science degree

Bachelor of Science in Data Science

Start your online data science degree

With a Bachelor of Science in Data Science degree, you’ll gain the fundamental knowledge needed to analyze, manipulate and process data sets using statistical software. Learn extract, transform and load (ETL) processes for integrating data sets for business intelligence platforms. Discover techniques to transform structured and unstructured data sets into meaningful information to identify patterns and drive strategic decision making.

Our online data science degree can help you develop career-relevant skills in data mining, data modeling, machine learning, programming languages and statistical analysis. The practical application of these skills in your courses will help you prepare for a variety of employment opportunities in data science and business or IT management.

  • Gain career-relevant programming and machine learning skills
  • Learn data mining, modeling, storytelling and visualization techniques
  • Customize your program at any time through your first year by adding a certificate

Transfer credits

Save time and money on your bachelor's degree with eligible transfer credits.

Ways to save

Your work, life, and school experiences may give you a head start on your degree.

Apply free

No application fee
No SAT/ACT
No essay required

Ignite Your Passion

Start when you're ready

Courses

Browse courses for your online data science degree

Education should hold practical value. That’s why our data science program is built with input from industry leaders. Our courses, activities and assignments map to career-relevant skills that prepare students for diverse data science roles, such as data analysts or database architects.

Skills-aligned program icon

Look for this icon to see which skills you’ll learn in a course.

Online data science degree requirements

You’ll need 120 credits (3 credits per course) to complete this online Bachelor of Science in Data Science degree. Your course schedule may vary based on transferable credits or credits earned through the University's Prior Learning Assessment.

You’ll learn about programming, database administration, exploratory data analysis and predictive modeling. Perform statistical analyses, analyze various types of data sets, evaluate business decisions with data mining and modeling, and communicate business strategies via data visualization and storytelling. Applying what you learn to real-world business scenarios will provide you with skills and knowledge applicable to your career.

Here’s where you’ll pick up the bulk of your program-specific knowledge. You’ll learn about key data science topics, such as advanced spreadsheet applications, programming in Python, R, structured query language (SQL), database administration, big data and more.

Here’s where you’ll explore a variety of topics that may interest you. Electives are an excellent way to customize your degree to best fit your career aspirations. You can also add a certificate and build out your expertise in a specialty area like cybersecurity or cloud computing.

Here’s where you’ll study different disciplines to lay the foundation for your online data science degree. You may learn soft skills like communication, critical thinking, decision making, problem solving and storytelling that will be further built upon in your core courses.

Plan your schedule

Your academic counselor will help schedule your courses for a Bachelor of Science in Data Science degree.

As a student pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Data Science degree, you can transition into a Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Management (MM), Master of Information Systems or a Master of Science in Data Science. You may complete up to three courses (or a direct equivalency) as part of your electives while finishing your bachelor’s degree.

Customize your online data science degree

Tailor your bachelor’s in data science program to your interests by selecting a certificate to add within the credit requirements. At any time through your first year, you can choose to pursue any of our undergraduate business certificates or information technology certificates alongside your bachelor’s degree. Graduating with a certificate can allow you to specialize in a specific area or supplement your data science knowledge.

Certificate options you might consider for your data science degree include:

Skills-aligned program icon

Earn career-relevant skills in weeks – not years.

Learning shouldn’t take years to put into practice. That’s why we’re empowering you to build career-relevant skills with every five- to six-week course.

We’ve worked with the labor market researcher Lightcast to identify in-demand skills for occupations and mapped those to our related associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.

Tuition

Transfer credits

Your prior eligible college credits can save you time and money, helping you graduate faster. That’s why we’ve accepted transcripts from 5,000+ institutions. Check to see if you can apply eligible transfer credits from an institutionally accredited university or college toward your data science degree.

Save time and money when you transfer eligible credits toward your bachelor's in data science.

Affordable, fixed tuition

Lock in the peace of mind that comes with fixed, affordable tuition. You’ll enjoy one flat rate from the moment you enroll until the day you graduate from your data science degree program. That’s your Tuition Guarantee.

Tuition Guarantee Emblem

University of Phoenix bachelor's in data science vs other universities

Phoenix ASU Online (BAB) Capella DeVry GCU Purdue Global SNHU Strayer
Cost per credit
Cost per credit
Cost per credit
$398
Cost per credit
$563
Cost per credit
$365/415[1]
Cost per credit
$514
Cost per credit
$485
Cost per credit
$371
Cost per credit
$330
Cost per credit
$328.89
Credits per course
Credits per course
Credits per course
3
Credits per course
3
Credits per course
3-6
Credits per course
2-4
Credits per course
4
Credits per course
5-6
Credits per course
3
Credits per course
4.5
Tuition per course
Tuition per course
Tuition per course
$1,194
Tuition per course
$1,698
Tuition per course
$1,095-
$2,490
Tuition per course
$1,028-
$2,056
Tuition per course
$1,940
Tuition per course
$1,855-
$2,226
Tuition per course
$990
Tuition per course
$1,480
Total program length in credits
Total program length in credits
Total program length in credits
120
Total program length in credits
120
Total program length in credits
180
Total program length in credits
124
Total program length in credits
120
Total program length in credits
180
Total program length in credits
120
Total program length in credits
180
Length of course in weeks
Length of course in weeks
Length of course in weeks
5
Length of course in weeks
7.5
Length of course in weeks
10
Length of course in weeks
8
Length of course in weeks
7-8
Length of course in weeks
10
Length of course in weeks
8
Length of course in weeks
11
Fees
Fees
Fees
One fee per course
Fees
Multiple fees
Fees
Multiple fees
Fees
Multiple fees
Fees
Multiple fees
Fees
Multiple fees
Fees
Multiple fees
Fees
Multiple fees
Tuition guarantee
Tuition guarantee
Tuition guarantee
YES
Tuition guarantee
NO
Tuition guarantee
NO
Tuition guarantee
NO
Tuition guarantee
NO
Tuition guarantee
NO
Tuition guarantee
NO
Tuition guarantee
NO

Data pulled on December 26, 2023

[1] $365 per 1000-2000 level credit; $415 per 3000-4000 level credit

Source of data: For each institution, the data are publicly available in multiple locations, including Academic Catalogs, Program pages, Tuition and fees pages, and syllabi. All data are publicly available on the websites. 

Certain licensure programs and coursework in other degree programs may have additional fees. Please check with your advisor or course catalog for additional info.

The Savings Explorer tool can help you find ways to save on your education

Try our Savings Explorer™ tool

Eligible students saved:

$11,000 & 1 year

Students with eligible credits and relevant experience on average saved $11k and 1 year off their undergraduate degree with University of Phoenix.

Try our Savings Explorer™ tool

Eligible students saved:

$11,000 & 1 year

Students with eligible credits and relevant experience on average saved $11k and 1 year off their undergraduate degree with University of Phoenix.

Financial aid

You may have options when it comes to paying for college tuition and expenses, such as federal grants and loans. Our finance advisors can answer your questions about financial aid and can help guide you through the process.

Federal Student Loan Basics

Careers & Outcomes

What can you do with a Bachelor of Science in Data Science degree?

Our online data science degree strives to meet the growing demand for data science professionals who possess a combination of IT and business skills at various organizational levels and within multiple industries. You’ll learn how to apply your skills to real-world, on-the-job tasks like creating dashboards, conducting data analyses and completing web scraping exercises – all of which will help prepare you for your future career path.

Woman working on a tablet

When you earn your online Bachelor of Science in Data Science degree, you’ll be equipped with a concrete set of skills you can apply on the job. You’ll learn how to:

  • Perform statistical analyses using data-oriented programming languages and business software.
  • Analyze structured and unstructured data sets for meaningful information.
  • Evaluate business decisions using data mining and modeling.
  • Communicate business strategies via data visualization and storytelling.
Business man at working on a laptop in a park

Top skills learned in this program:

  • Data Analytics

  • Data Management

  • Data Visualization

  • Business Intelligence

Business man presenting

A bachelor’s in data science can prepare you for:

  • Information Systems (IS) Manager
  • Data Analyst
  • Business Intelligence Analyst
  • Database Architect
  • Research Scientist

16% growth

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth for computer and information systems managers is projected to be much faster than average between 2022 and 2032.

The BLS Projected Growth for 2022-2032 is published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This data reflects the BLS’ projections of national (not local) conditions. These data points are not specific to University of Phoenix students or graduates.

Data science industry spotlight

Data science is a field that spans various industries, such as information technology, health care, finance, manufacturing, transportation, hospitality and human resources. As a bachelor’s in data science student, you’ll learn key concepts, principles and techniques designed to prepare you to analyze data for several business applications.

48,000+

The number of openings for computer and information systems managers projected each year, on average, over the decade.

$127,180—$207,850[1]

The 25th to 75th percentile wage range estimate for computer and information systems managers in May 2022.

[1] The salary ranges are not specific to students or graduates of University of Phoenix. Actual outcomes vary based on multiple factors, including prior work experience, geographic location, and other factors specific to the individual. University of Phoenix does not guarantee employment, salary level or career advancement. BLS data is not geographically based. 

Admissions

Apply for free – no application fee, no obligation.

Starting your online data science degree is a big decision — and we want you to feel great about it. That’s why we remove obstacles from your application.

  • No SAT/ACT required 
  • No essay required 
  • We’ll request transcripts at no cost to you, when possible, and we accept eligible credits from over 5,000 accredited institutions.

Receive 1-on-1 support

You have a support team of real people you can lean on. And our academic counselors, who are with you every step of the way, have earned a 5-star rating from 90% of our surveyed students.[1] Start a conversation with an enrollment representative today.

[1] Transactional Survey, August 2021-22 (18,645 respondents)

Gabriel G., Enrollment Representative

Call or chat with us 7 days a week.

G. Galindo - Enrollment Representative

Gabriel G., Enrollment Rep

Receive 1-on-1 support

You have a support team of real people you can lean on. And our academic counselors, who are with you every step of the way, have earned a 5-star rating from 85% of our surveyed students.[1]

[1] Transactional Survey, September 2022-August 2023 (23,739 respondents)

Start a conversation with an enrollment representative today.

Call us at 844-937-8679 or chat with us 7 days a week.

Data Science Student Experience

Balance it all: work, family and school

Focus on just one 5-week course at a time, while still completing your data science degree on time. Plus, enjoy the freedom to learn when you want with a 24/7 online classroom.

Online learning resources for you

Your bachelor’s in data science includes online learning resources like test prep. You’ll also participate in data science and programming labs to demonstrate your data mining and modeling skills.

Around-the-clock support and resourcess

You have a support team available up to 14 hours a day, 5 days a week. 

Phoenix provides support and resources for busy students

Faculty Spotlight

Data science professionals dedicated to you

Your success is a top priority for our faculty members who bring an average of 28+ years of practical experience to the classroom. Our faculty actively work in the fields they teach and leverage their experience as chief technology officers, IT system administrators, web administrators and more. This helps bridge the gap between academics and industry knowledge so you can apply what you learn to your career.

Your data science faculty members undergo a rigorous mentoring and training program to ensure you receive a quality education. We also keep our student-faculty ratios low, so our data science faculty can engage in class discussions, provide productive feedback, respond quickly and provide personal attention when needed.

Kathryn Uhles

I’m dedicated to equipping students with the knowledge, skills and abilities to meet their career goals.

Kathryn Uhles
Dean, College of Business and IT, University of Phoenix

I’m dedicated to equipping students with the knowledge, skills and abilities to meet their career goals.

Accreditation

Count on the quality of your education

University of Phoenix has been continually accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), hlcommission.org, since 1978.

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Frequently asked questions about the Bachelor of Science in Data Science degree

In a data science degree, you’ll typically learn about machine learning and programming to prepare and deliver data in presentation-ready formats with consistent, valid data types. In a data analytics degree, you’ll generally learn about data analysis and how to gain data-driven insights that can be used to improve operational performance and add business value. Both types of programs may prepare you for different job outcomes as well.

University of Phoenix does not offer a bachelor’s in data analytics program.

Big data refers to large, complex datasets that are frequently used in behavioral and predicative analytics. It’s used in multiple industries to find useful patterns and correlations that support data-driven decision making. Due to the high volume and variety of information involved, extracting meaningful insights from big data can be difficult, which is where data science and data analytics come into play.

Data scientists use big data to extract, transform, and load a variety of data types and sources into integrated datasets. Data analysts then use this data to make predictions that provide actionable business value.

In our bachelor’s in data science program, you’ll learn how to analyze, manipulate and process data sets using statistical software. You’ll gain fundamental and foundational knowledge in different techniques used to derive meaningful information from structured and unstructured data sets. You can use this information to identify data patterns and trends and drive strategic decision making for a variety of businesses.

Notable topics covered in the Bachelor of Science in Data Science degree include:

  • Algorithms, automation, machine learning and AI
  • Customer relationship management
  • Data modeling and mining processes
  • Database management
  • Data visualization, presentation, and storytelling techniques
  • Statistical analyses used to glean insight from data

While widely available, not all programs are available to residents of all states. Please check with a University Enrollment Representative.