Minor in Data Science

Who should minor in Data Science

Data Science is one of the most popular minors at William & Mary, giving you the chance to expose yourself to many of the programming and statistical tools used to analyze large, unique or rapidly evolving datasets - ranging from statistical tools to cutting-edge AI. The minor is designed to integrate with a very broad range of majors on campus, including those in the Arts, Humanities and Sciences.

Planning the Data Science Minor

Remember that only two courses can count toward both your major and minor. In order to fit in the required coursework, you should declare your Data Science minor no later than the second semester of your junior year.

All Data Science minors take

a programming course (DATA 101, CSCI 140, or CSCI 141),
an introduction to Data Science course (DATA 146/201),
an ethics course (DATA 202, PHIL 215, PHIL 303, or PHIL 330),
a course on applied machine learning (DATA 301/310), and
at least six elective credits from approved courses.

In rare circumstances, you may substitute some courses with permission from the program.

We encourage Data Science students to be active outside the classroom. Take advantage of internships, participate in faculty-led research projects, or study abroad.

Questions? Contact us at datascience@wm.edu.

How to declare the Data Science minor

Review the minor's degree requirements and approved courses in the Undergraduate Catalog.

Complete the Declaration of Academic Minor form [pdf]. Be sure to include all required courses.
Sign and date the form.
Save the form as a .doc/.docx or .pdf file Use this naming convention:
- Student's Last Name_FirstName_MI_930number_Form.pdf
- EXAMPLE: Doe_Jane_R_930123456_Form.pdf
If your proposed plan of study includes courses that are not approved for the minor, include a one-paragraph statement justifying that choice and the syllabus for the course. Use these naming conventions for those documents:
- Student's Last Name_FirstName_MI_930number_Justification.pdf
- Student's Last Name_FirstName_MI_930number_SyllabusCourseNumber.pdf
- EXAMPLE: Doe_Jane_R_930123456_Justification.pdf
- EXAMPLE: Doe_Jane_R_930123456_SyllabusGOVT378.pdf
Attach the completed form along with any supporting documentation to an email and send it to datascience@wm.edu.

It takes about 1-2 weeks for us to process your application. If you don't hear anything from us after 2 weeks, contact us at either datascience@wm.edu or our administrative office.