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Faculty of Science

Data science institute, accelerating data science research and innovation at the university of british columbia.

The UBC Data Science Institute is a Faculty of Science initiative designed to incubate and accelerate research, innovation and training in data-intensive science. Working across the university’s data science community and advanced computing teams, DSI equips researchers and external partners with the approaches, tools and expertise they need to fully leverage the potential of big data.

Collaborate with DSI

DSI provides co-funding opportunities for faculty to hire data science postdoctoral fellows.

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Get the latest updates on the DSI speaker series and other data science events.

News and Events

Congratulations to dsi director dr. raymond ng on renewal of canada research chair in data science and analytics.

Mar 13, 2024 | DSI Director Dr. Raymond Ng's CRC renewal was announced as part of 18 other new/renewed Canada Research Chairs at UBC by the federal government.

Job Opportunity at UBC DSI

Feb 26, 2024 | DSI is looking for a data scientist with experience / knowledge / interest in Machine Learning. The job posting closes on March 10, 2024.

DSI Director Dr. Raymond Ng on CDO Magazine's Outstanding Academic Leaders in Data List 2024

Feb 23, 2024 | DSI Director Dr. Raymond Ng has been acknowledged for his achievements and inspiring the next generation of data professionals by CDO Magazine.

Feb 20, 2024 | DSI is looking for a data scientist with experience / knowledge / interest in Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning. The job posting closes on March 3, 2024.

Announcing Data Science Catalyst Program

Feb 16, 2024 | DSI invites applications from Faculty of Science PIs for the Data Science Catalyst Program. The first open call for project proposals will close on Friday, May 10, 2024.

DSI Director Dr. Raymond Ng Featured on CIOLook Magazine

Dec 11, 2023 | DSI Director Dr. Raymond Ng has been featured on the "Most Intelligent Leaders in Data Science & Analytics, 2023" issue of CIOLook Magazine - global business magazine platform focusing on innovations.

Musqueam First Nation land acknowledegement

UBC Science acknowledges that the UBC Point Grey campus is situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm.

Learn more: Musqueam First Nation

• Graduate School

Data Science

Data Science is an interdisciplinary field about processes and systems to extract knowledge or insights from data in various forms.

Explore our Programs in Data Science

Master of data science, master of data science in computational linguistics.

Learn about our faculties, research and more than 300 programs in our Graduate Viewbook!

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• UBC Master of Data Science /
• UBC Master of Data Science Programs /
• MDS Okanagan

Covering all stages of the data science value chain, UBC’s Okanagan campus Master of Data Science program prepares graduates to thrive in one of the world’s most in-demand fields. Over 10 months, you’ll learn how to extract and analyze data in all its forms, how to turn data into knowledge, and how to clearly communicate your recommendations to decision-makers. 

Program Benefits

Highlights across all mds programs:.

• 10-month, full-time, accelerated program offers a short-term commitment for long-term gain
• Condensed one-credit courses allow for in-depth focus on a limited set of topics at one time
• Capstone project gives students an opportunity to apply their skills
• Real-world data sets are integrated in all courses to provide practical experience across a range of domains

Highlights Specific To Okanagan Campus Option:

• Curriculum is designed by computer science and statistics experts, emphasizing optimization and statistics with a focus on operations research
• Courses are taught by renowned computer science and statistics faculty, giving students access to experts across a broad skill set
• With a cohort limited to 60 students, this program offers a collaborative and intimate learning environment with focus on student success
• The Okanagan campus offers students the opportunity to study at a top 40 university in a smaller setting, situated in a diverse region of natural beauty, and bordering the city of Kelowna, a hub of economic development
• The Okanagan region hosts 2,000 tech start-ups, providing networking and employment opportunities
• Fluency with both open source software and commercial software, including Tableau and Microsoft products (Excel, Azure, SQL Server).

The program structure includes 24 one-credit courses offered in four-week segments. Courses are lab-oriented and delivered in-person with some blended online content.

At the end of the six segments, an eight-week, six-credit capstone project is also included, allowing students to apply their newly acquired knowledge, while working alongside other students with real-life data sets.

Fall: September - December

Block 1 (4 weeks, 4 credits), block 2 (4 weeks, 4 credits), block 3 (4 weeks, 4 credits), winter: january - april, block 4 (4 weeks, 4 credits), block 5 (4 weeks + 1 week break, 4 credits), block 6 (4 weeks, 4 credits), spring: may - june, capstone project (8-10 weeks, 6 credits), meet mitchell.

What attracted Mitchell to the Master of Data Science program at UBC Okanagan was the capstone project as it gave him experience in each stage of project creation. It allowed Mitchell to take what he learned in the classroom and apply it in the real world.

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• Graduate (MSc/PhD)

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• Department of Statistics

We encourage our MSc students to consider applying to our PhD program.   Enrolment in the PhD can be via transfer or upon completion of the MSc.  

For a "head start" admission to the PhD program , excellent UBC Statistics MSc students may be permitted to enroll in the term 2 offering of the PhD qualifying course, STAT 548, while in the second year of the MSc program.  Thus,  when formally entering the PhD program after completion of the MSc, the student will have a "head start", not just by completing STAT 548 half a year earlier, but by connecting earlier with possible research projects.   An interested student from the UBC Statistics MSc program  should simultaneously apply for PhD admission and STAT 548 entry by early December of the second year of the MSc program.  Should the Admissions Committee be amenable, the student is offered both a spot in the PhD program for the following September, and permission to start STAT 548 in January. For more information on this option, please contact the gradinfo [at] stat.ubc.ca (Student Services Coordinator) .

To transfer from the MSc to the PhD , UBC Statistics MSc students may apply to the Department after completing one year of study in the MSc program with 18 credits, of which at least 9 credits must be at the 500 level or above and at least 9 credits must be at First Class standing. Please note that meeting these requirements does not guarantee permission to transfer; for admission to the PhD program, students must show clear evidence of research ability, as demonstrated in their academic records and letters of recommendation. If you are considering transferring and meet these requirements, please speak with the gradadv [at] stat.ubc.ca (Graduate Advisor.)  

Upon completion of the MSc , students apply to the PhD program by the usual process.

UBC Department of Statistics

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Data Science

Data Science is an in-demand field that focuses on making decisions supported by data. It’s grounded in statistics to formulate relevant questions and determine the answer based on data, and in computer science to manipulate and visualize data efficiently.

Why this program?

• Build a broad foundation with a globally recognized degree.
• Pursue a career in high demand that’s listed by Forbes as one of the best jobs for work-life balance.
• Contribute to the solution of modern data problems in the Statistical Machine Learning Laboratory or the Laboratory for Data Visualization.

Program information

• Campus: Okanagan
• Length 4 yrs
• Co-op Yes You can combine your studies with full-time, paid work at top local and international organizations.
• Honours Yes You can study intense specialization in a single field.

In Data Science undergraduate studies at UBC’s Okanagan campus, you can complete a Bachelor of Science (BSc) with a Major in Data Science, a BSc Data Science Honours, or a Minor in Data Science.

This program provides you with thorough training in Data Science, which focuses on making decisions supported by data.

Experiential learning and research

The Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science holds an annual Undergraduate Research Conference on UBC’s Okanagan campus to showcase student research projects. Students can also join the Quantitative Sciences Course Union on UBC’s Okanagan campus to connect with peers and access resources.

• Undergraduate Research Awards
• Directed studies in Computer Science

Campus features

Connect with peers through the Quantitative Sciences Course Union and the Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) mentoring program.

• WiSE at UBC Okanagan
• Centre for Optimization, Convex Analysis, and Non-smooth Analysis

Life at UBC's Okanagan campus

UBC's Okanagan campus is renowned for its research opportunities and access to professors. On a tight-knit campus like the Okanagan’s, you’ll be able to work closely with award-winning faculty and make meaningful connections with your peers. Professors are collaborating with student researchers on cutting-edge projects like virtual reality (VR), decision-support systems, and cybersecurity.

Your future

A BSc in Data Science can help you find an exciting career across a broad range of industries and organizations, everything from marketing analyst to data engineer.

Your future role might be in national security such as law enforcement, defence and counterterrorism, or in business intelligence with options such as financial analysis or risk management. Marketing and online commerce also presents opportunities for data science grads in the form of gaming, internet and information technology companies.

Related programs

Program requirements.

• Canadian high schools
• International high schools
• International baccalaureate

English-language requirements

English is the language of instruction at UBC. All prospective students must demonstrate English-language competency prior to admission. There are numerous ways to meet the  English Language Admission Standard .

General admission requirements

IB Diploma Programme

• Completed IB Diploma, including at least three Higher Level courses.

IB Certificate Courses

• IB Certificate courses (Standard and Higher Level) may be used in an admissions average if you are graduating from a recognized high school curriculum that can be used as your basis of admission.
• IB Math Applications and Interpretations SL, or IB Math Studies, do not satisfy the math requirement for admission to UBC’s science-based programs, the Faculty of Management, the UBC Sauder School of Business, or the Vancouver School of Economics.

Degree-specific requirements: Science

• IB Math Analysis and Approaches SL or HL, or IB Math Applications and Interpretations HL (IB Math Applications and Interpretations SL, or IB Math Studies, are not acceptable)
• One of IB Biology, IB Chemistry, or IB Physics
• Grade 11 or equivalent Chemistry
• Grade 11 or equivalent Physics is strongly recommended

Note: Grade 11 Chemistry and Physics requirements listed are only relevant to students who are not completing the equivalent IB Diploma Chemistry and/or Physics courses.

For students studying outside of Canada, some examples of courses that may be accepted as Grade 11 equivalents are junior-level courses for American students, and IGCSE and O Level for those following British-patterned curricula.

Related courses

The following subject categories are particularly relevant for this degree. Consider taking courses in these areas in your junior year and senior year.

• Language Arts
• Mathematics and Computation

You’ll find these pages helpful

10 things you never knew about ubc, meet darcy, a mathematics student who left maui to study in the okanagan valley, ready to choose your degree.

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• Department of Statistics

Master of Data Science

The Statistics Department is proud to partner with our colleagues in Computer Science in the development and delivery of an exciting new graduate program - the Master of Data Science. Students in this ten month program will receive training in a cross section of computing and data analysis tools, and will complete a capstone project.  

For more information, please see the Master of Data Science website .

UBC Department of Statistics

Postdoctoral Teaching and Learning Fellow–UBC Master of Data Science Program

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The University of British Columbia, Vancouver invites applications for one or more Postdoctoral Teaching & Learning Fellow positions associated with the Master of Data Science (MDS) program. The MDS program focuses on the innovative and responsible use of Data Science tools across a broad spectrum of data types and domain areas. It is a 10-month, full-time program, delivered in course modules of four-week durations. The last two months are devoted to a capstone project. This program is a collaborative effort of the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Statistics , within the Faculty of Science . The Fellow(s) will be based in the Department of Computer Science or Statistics but will work closely with colleagues from both departments. The Fellow(s) will primarily report to the MDS Option Co-Directors.

We are seeking candidates who can actively participate in curriculum development and teach courses in Statistics and Machine learning. The Fellow(s) will:

• Expand and update the curriculum by designing and developing instructional materials in collaboration with participating faculty. This may include both undergraduate courses and MDS courses.
• Liaise with other UBC units engaged in Data Science teaching and learning initiatives.
• Be the primary instructor(s) for a subset of our data science courses, and provide instructional support to other faculty instructors for other courses.
• Train and supervise teaching assistants.
• Foster a positive learning environment for UBC data science students and be a continuous presence for the students.
• Serve on the MDS admissions committee.
• Supervise one or more Capstone projects by mentoring students and liaising with Capstone project partners.

We aim to recruit one (or more) junior scholars. The Fellows must be committed to both the practice and the teaching of Data Science and be drawn to an academic environment. There are also opportunities for the Fellows to contribute to other Data Science research projects undertaken by the Applied Statistics and Data Science Group within the Department of Statistics.

The positions are subject to final budgetary approval. The Fellows will be appointed for up to one year (with the possibility of renewal), with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2024 . We are able to offer an attractive annual salary of $87,000-$92,000.

Applicants should hold a PhD in an area relevant to Data Science. Applicants with expertise in all areas of Data Science will be considered. However, the following focus areas are of interest to the committee: Machine learning, Web and cloud computing and Databases and data structures applied to data science . The appointment must commence within 5 years of being awarded a Ph.D.

The application package should contain the following elements:

• cover letter which specifically addresses how this position relates to the applicant’s experience and career aspirations
• curriculum vitae
• teaching statement
• contact information for three references, and any other pertinent information (e.g., links to relevant data science work or evidence of teaching effectiveness).

The application should be sent to [email protected] as either a single combined PDF file or a link to a public GitHub repository containing the application materials. Applications will be reviewed as they arrive; those received by April 15, 2024 , will receive full consideration.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Métis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.