Graduate Certificate for Data Science Pedagogy

Graduate Certificate for Data Science Pedagogy

The Graduate Certificate in Data Science Pedagogy is a 12-hour program designed to prepare K-14 instructors to integrate data science into instruction with the overall goal of preparing students to meet the growing demand for data science expertise in the context of ongoing digital transformation of industry: the process by which firms integrate digital technology into every aspect of operations and bring value to customers.

Organizations in every industry, including education, that do not embrace digital transform will struggle to survive the fourth industrial revolution with its blurring of boundaries between physical and digital worlds. To remain competitive in this environment, Mississippi businesses require middle-skill and high-skill data science experts.

Mississippi's education and workforce development system must meet this growing demand to remain economically competitive. Yet Mississippi's educators, like those in the rest of the nation, lack adequate preparation to infuse data science into their curricula and instruction. To meet this need, the certificate includes coursework with the twofold purpose of (1) helping instructors become literate in the field of data science by understanding the role data science experts play in improving the performance of institutions, organizations, business, and society; and (2) teaching instructors how to teach the practice of data science in their own classrooms, regardless of subject.

The 12-hour program of study includes the following courses:

  • DSCI 8013 – Data Science Literacy Pedagogy 1: Governance, Ethics, and Data Science Applications
  • DSCI 8023 – Data Science Literacy Pedagogy 2: Technical Overview of Data Science Methods and Strategies
  • DSCI 8033 – Data Science Classroom Integration
  • CSE 8423 – Data Science: Concepts and Practice

Students who complete the Graduate Certificate in Data Science Pedagogy will be able to:

  • Define data science as a field of inquiry and an industry sector.
  • Outline the role of data science in the context of digital transformation of institutions, organizations, businesses, and society.
  • Outline data science methods and practices in the context of the entire data lifecycle including the production, acquisition, storage, and use of data to solve human problems.
  • Apply and integrate principles of data science into classroom instruction.