Data Science Minor

Butler’s minor in Data Science offers Butler undergraduate students, across most any major, an opportunity to complement and enhance their knowledge with the skills to create data-based actionable insights to improve decision-making in their chosen fields. The program is designed to provide undergraduate students the mathematical, statistical, and computer programming tools necessary to broaden their disciplinary education, preparing them for success in an increasingly data-driven world.

A minor in Data Science is an ideal vehicle for students whose passion may be in the social sciences, the natural sciences, health sciences, engineering, economics, or business to gain useful and marketable technical skills that will prepare them for graduate training in Data Science/Data Analytics as well as give them broader skills immediately applicable to the workplace. The required courses can be customized so that students can choose options that allow them to develop competencies that will complement their majors.

What we offer:

  • Basic core courses in the vital areas of mathematics and statistics built around Butler’s small class sizes, with direct faculty contact and free tutoring services to ensure student success
  • Rigorous training in core areas of computer science at a liberal arts school with the resources of a premier tech school including the Big Dawg supercomputer
  • Specialized courses developed for the minor that introduce students to the tools of Data Science using the open Data Science concept with access to programming and analytic tools and data sets from across the globe
  • The ability to build a minor that is well integrated with the student’s major affording them opportunities to apply Data Science to their specific field
  • Opportunities for internships in the local Indianapolis community where students can apply their modeling, data analytic, communication skills in real-world settings.
Course Requirements

Content Core (18 or 19 if MA106 is taken):

  • MA162 Intro. to Statistics (3)
  • CS142 Intro. to Programming (3)
  • DS310 Intro. to Data Science (3)
  • MA106 Calculus I (4) or MA125 Business Calculus (3)
  • CS151 Foundations of Computing 1 (3)
  • DS320 Applications of Data Mining (3)

Electives (6 hours selected from ANY of the courses below):

  • Data Science Electives
    • DS394 Internship in Data Science  
    • DS396 Independent Study  
    • DS398 Special Topics in Data Science    
  • Computer Science Electives
    • CS248  Object Oriented Programming and Data Structures (3)
    • CS333 Database Systems (3)
    • CS351 Algorithms (3)
    • SE361 Object Oriented Design
  • Math and Statistics Electives
    • MA360 Probability Theory 1 (3)
    • MA361 Statistical Methods (3)
    • MA362 Applied Statistical Methods (3)
    • MA365 Numerical Analysis (3)
    • MA369 Multivariate Statistical Methods (3)
    • MA397 Actuarial Mathematics 1 (3)
    • MA398 Actuarial Mathematics 2 (3)
  • Other Electives
    • EC464 Quantitative Methods (3)
    • MS372 Database Design (3)
    • MS495 Special Topics / Data Analytics Using R (3)
    • PS310 Advanced Statistics in Psychology (3)
    • MSTE330 Data Acquisition in Motorsports I (3)
    • MSTE330 Data Acquisition in Motorsports 2 (3)
    • SP455 Spanish Second Language Acquisition (3)

The information found on this website with respect to major/minor/program requirements is primarily directed at providing prospective students a general roadmap of the curriculum. Current Butler students are expected to review their degree audit report at my.butler.edu and speak with their advisor regularly for detailed information regarding their specific degree requirements and their progress toward degree completion.