A new online master’s degree program in data science will focus on the role of data in policy and governance. The program balances the technological side of data science with the potential societal impacts of big data and machine learning, according to a University press release.
The 16-month program, which includes eight courses and a capstone project, was developed as part of a collaboration between the University’s Data Science Institute and the School of Professional Studies. It is set to welcome its first cohort of students in Sept. 2025.
Coursework focuses on ethical issues such as data privacy and biases, two chief concerns amid the advent of more advanced artificial intelligence.
Linda Clark, a senior lecturer in data science and the director of undergraduate studies at the DSI, helped develop the program over the summer. She said that the new online offering aims to expand on the current in-person master’s degree program.
The in-person program “is designed to provide a fundamental understanding of the methods and algorithms of data science,” according to the DSI website.
Students at Brown interested in exploring data science have a variety of opportunities at their fingertips, including an undergraduate certificate in data fluency, a fifth-year master’s degree program and a certificate that PhD students can earn concurrently with their doctorates.
But the new program allows students to earn the master’s degree virtually.
The program integrates both real-time discussions with peers and faculty and student-led components that allow participants to “learn on their own schedules,” according to the release.
For Suresh Venkatasubramanian, a professor of data science and the interim director of the DSI, the growing popularity of artificial intelligence has increased the need for programs like Brown’s.
“The world is paying close attention to AI now — and even closer attention to how we deploy AI systems in ways that are responsible and that center the needs and aspirations of all of us,” Venkatasubramanian said in the press release.
“AI governance — the set of practices, tools and policies that ensure that AI deployments align with our values and goals — is therefore crucial for any organization seeking to deploy AI at scale,” he added. “That is what our program seeks to provide.”
Aniyah Nelson is a University News editor overseeing the undergraduate student life beat. She is a senior from Cleveland, Ohio concentrating in Political Science and Sociology. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music and watching bloopers from The Office.
