W&M new computer and data science school

[Anonymous]

Great. Now another LAC has become a trade school. It’s the poor people fault. Get out of our colleges you proles!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A step behind UVA as usual.

Bla bla, W&M was the first school in virginia to have a Data Science program

Why does that matter?

Because if you live in VA and want to major in data science (and don’t want to pay for private), it’s your only option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://csrankings.org/#/index?all&us

UVA is #36 here. William & Mary #70. Ahead of even Virginia Tech #53

The metric filter there seems to say it is just measuring the number of publications in CS from those schools. That right? If so big whup. That seems a dumb way to measure if a school is doing a good job educating undergrads in CS.

[Anonymous]

At WM, I would have included Statistics, but not included Physics.

UVa's Data Science is odd by excluding CS. UVa should have moved CS there and out of both Engineering and A&S.

My guess is that colleges haven't quite figured it all out and that adjustments will come later.

[Anonymous]

A BS in Data Science is really a very narrow specialization.

Much better to do data science as a minor and major in econ, environmental sciences etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A step behind UVA as usual.

Bla bla, W&M was the first school in virginia to have a Data Science program

Why does that matter?

Because if you live in VA and want to major in data science (and don’t want to pay for private), it’s your only option.

Virginia Tech was the first to have an undergrad data science program, they just didn't name it that. It's Computational Modeling and Data Analytics - the undergrad major in VT's Academy of Data Science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The William and Mary board of visitors just voted to establish a new school with the computer, data, applied sciences and physics departments.

https://news.wm.edu/2023/11/17/alma-mater-of-innovation-proposed-new-school-positions-wm-as-a-leader-in-the-evolution-of-liberal-arts-and-sciences/

Will be curious to see what effect this will have on interest/applications with CS extremely difficult to get into at Tech/UVA/UMD

This never ceases to baffle me. As long as I can remember, which is a long time and spans a few countries, you hear about this massive lack of people with computer / math / engineering skills. Then, if anyone wants to acquire such skills - nope! It's really selective! Well, all those screaming about China's 300 million engineers / STEM is so much fun! / we're falling behind!!!! - let those who want to do it, do it.

It has been a while since anyone talked about a "massive lack of people" with these skills. No one says that anymore. People are very worried about AI making programmers obsolete.

Also, to the poster who says that Data Science is for the kids who can't do computer science... that is very naive and definitely not the way my undergrad sees it. My kid is trying to figure out the best way to ensure that he is employable in a rapidly changing world. He is currently deciding among majors-started a couple. One of the reasons he is considering data science is because the School of Data Science people promise that it is pivoting and adjusting and incorporating AI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A step behind UVA as usual.

Bla bla, W&M was the first school in virginia to have a Data Science program

Why does that matter?

Because if you live in VA and want to major in data science (and don’t want to pay for private), it’s your only option.

Virginia Tech was the first to have an undergrad data science program, they just didn't name it that. It's Computational Modeling and Data Analytics - the undergrad major in VT's Academy of Data Science.

When we started looking at programs for my now graduated kid, the two options in VA were VT's CMDA and GMU's BS in Computational and Data Sciences. Not sure which gets to claim to be first. But DS preferred VT so he did CMDA there, just graduated, and is starting a "data scientist" job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At WM, I would have included Statistics, but not included Physics.

UVa's Data Science is odd by excluding CS. UVa should have moved CS there and out of both Engineering and A&S.

My guess is that colleges haven't quite figured it all out and that adjustments will come later.

Statistics is part of the math department so they can't move just that. Physics and CS want to partner on further engineering-lite majors

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The William and Mary board of visitors just voted to establish a new school with the computer, data, applied sciences and physics departments.

https://news.wm.edu/2023/11/17/alma-mater-of-innovation-proposed-new-school-positions-wm-as-a-leader-in-the-evolution-of-liberal-arts-and-sciences/

Will be curious to see what effect this will have on interest/applications with CS extremely difficult to get into at Tech/UVA/UMD

This never ceases to baffle me. As long as I can remember, which is a long time and spans a few countries, you hear about this massive lack of people with computer / math / engineering skills. Then, if anyone wants to acquire such skills - nope! It's really selective! Well, all those screaming about China's 300 million engineers / STEM is so much fun! / we're falling behind!!!! - let those who want to do it, do it.

No one will teach it because you make so much more in the industry than you ever will in academia. We need tech companies to start endowing chairs to get people to teach CS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At WM, I would have included Statistics, but not included Physics.

UVa's Data Science is odd by excluding CS. UVa should have moved CS there and out of both Engineering and A&S.

My guess is that colleges haven't quite figured it all out and that adjustments will come later.

Statistics is part of the math department so they can't move just that. Physics and CS want to partner on further engineering-lite majors

It does seem odd to me to break off a separate school and pull just Physics out of Arts & Sciences. I think VT's approach makes more sense -- the major is in College of Science as a major combining Math/Stats + CS from the Engineering school. Most of the tracks within the major incorporate other majors in the College of Science -- biology, physics, economics, geosciences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At WM, I would have included Statistics, but not included Physics.

UVa's Data Science is odd by excluding CS. UVa should have moved CS there and out of both Engineering and A&S.

My guess is that colleges haven't quite figured it all out and that adjustments will come later.

Statistics is part of the math department so they can't move just that. Physics and CS want to partner on further engineering-lite majors

It does seem odd to me to break off a separate school and pull just Physics out of Arts & Sciences. I think VT's approach makes more sense -- the major is in College of Science as a major combining Math/Stats + CS from the Engineering school. Most of the tracks within the major incorporate other majors in the College of Science -- biology, physics, economics, geosciences.

Physics voted to join the new school - it was originally CS, DS, and Applied Sciences, but I think because physics is so much more research heavy than the remainder of CAS and because it partners with Applied Sciences on an Engineering & Design major they wanted to be with the others.

[Anonymous]

At W&M, what major/college would be good for a student strong in math and statistics but not interested or experienced in CS? Econ or something in the data science school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At W&M, what major/college would be good for a student strong in math and statistics but not interested or experienced in CS? Econ or something in the data science school?

My son is there and is majoring in Data Analytics in the Business School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At W&M, what major/college would be good for a student strong in math and statistics but not interested or experienced in CS? Econ or something in the data science school?

My son is there and is majoring in Data Analytics in the Business School

TY! If you don’t mind, does he find it a big load or would he have time to double major or minor in anything else?