Hello everyone,
I’m from Vietnam and I’m applying the Master in Data Science in the US. Currently I’m considering the program of DePaul University (DU), University of the Pacific (UOP), and Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) (links below).
My undergraduate majority is Finance, therefore I have no idea about which university provides better program. Also, I have seen the curriculums of three of them, currently I prefer UOP’s one because their program provides the most comprehensive modules (of course, in my non-professional opinion). Whereas, the IIT’s curriculum appears less comprehensive than UOP’s one, for example UOP’s program requires some foundational subjects in Maths, Statistics and Computer Science with various application areas like Healthcare, Emphasis (I don’t really know about this term). On the other hand, the DU’s program supplies much more credit hours (52 credit hours as opposed to 32 units of the UOP’s) but I feel this program is not as comprehensive as UOP’s one.
I’m planning to go to the PhD level in Data Science track after finishing master degree. After that, I can go outside for work with PhD degree. Therefore, master thesis is a huge consideration. Unfortunately, there is only DP who allows me to do the thesis (if I go with DU, I would choose Computational Methods track) while the two other’s programs need some practical and teamwork capsule projects.
I do feel confused now and I need your help, guys. It’s an inherently subjective thing so it obviously wouldn’t be perfect, but it could certainly be helpful to people like me figuring out where to apply or attend. Many thanks!