As of Mar. 24, NYU Shanghai students will have the option of majoring in Data Science: a new major that combines computer science with data analysis. Data Science is defined as an interdisciplinary field that attempts to analyze data to extract knowledge or information about a particular field. According to NYU Shanghai Advising, the new major will allow students to learn data analysis methods and choose a concentration, for example, finance, political science, economics, physics, etc. A new concentration, that may be still in development, is artificial intelligence. The major was developed by Professor Keith Ross, NYU Shanghai's Dean of Engineering and Computer Science, Professor of Business Yuxin Chen, and Associate Professor of Economics Steven Lehrer. Students intending to major in Data Science will have to take three required programming courses, two required math courses, and four data analysis courses, including "Machine Learning" and "Information Visualization". According to an email by NYU Shanghai Advising, most of the courses have been offered at NYU Shanghai, while others may be offered in the future. From the bulletin, it seems as though both current Freshmen and Sophomore students will be able to opt into the major, while it may be too late for Juniors to select a concentration. Ultimately, this major will help students interested in programming, hold on to other interests, while developing their skills in data analysis. Currently, NYU New York offers an MA in Data Science, through the NYU Center for Data Science. It is currently unclear whether or not NYU Shanghai students will be able to take graduate courses to satisfy their major requirements while they are studying away. However, NYU Shanghai has held multiple symposiums on Data Science and 'Big Data' in the past, suggesting that this field of interest is in the forefront of the administration's mind. For interested students, an information session will be held next Tuesday, Mar. 29 from 6:30 to 7:30pm in Room 101. This article was written by Isabella Farr. As more information about this topic is released, this article will be updated. Please send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Pierea