2025 Best Data Science Master's Degree Schools

Data Science is about average in terms of popularity for master's degrees programs. That is, it ranks #189 out of the 343 majors across the country that we analyze each year. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 20 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Data Science Master's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 2,326 master's degrees in data science to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Master’s Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Data Science School for Your Master's Degree

The data science master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality data science program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on data science students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other data science students want to attend this school to pursue a master's degree.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for data science to pay back their student loans after receiving their master's degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized data science related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for data science students working on their master's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The data science school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Data Science Master's Degree Schools.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Data Science in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in data science.

10 Top Schools for a Master's in Data Science

1

Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY

240 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a master's degree in data science needs to look into Columbia University in the City of New York. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in data science from Columbia University in the City of New York

2

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI

51 Annual Graduates

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a good choice for individuals interested in a master's degree in data science. U-M is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor.More information about a master’s in data science from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

3

The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX

84 Annual Graduates

The University of Texas at Austin is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in data science. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in data science from The University of Texas at Austin

4

University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, VA

157 Annual Graduates

University of Virginia - Main Campus is a wonderful choice for individuals interested in a master's degree in data science. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in data science from University of Virginia - Main Campus

5

Rice University
Houston, TX

42 Annual Graduates

Rice is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Houston.More information about a master’s in data science from Rice University

6

University of California - Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA

31 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in data science from University of California - Santa Barbara

7

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN

16 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in data science from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

8

Texas A&M University - College Station
College Station, TX

13 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in data science from Texas A&M University - College Station

9

University of the Pacific
Stockton, CA

31 Annual Graduates

Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Stockton.More information about a master’s in data science from University of the Pacific

10

Fordham University
Bronx, NY

35 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Bronx, Fordham U is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in data science from Fordham University

Data Science by Region

View the Best Data Science Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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Data Science Related Rankings by Major

Data Science is one of 51 different types of Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies programs to choose from.

Data Science Concentrations

Major	Annual Graduates
Data Science, General	2,325
Data Science, Other	1

Majors Similar to Data Science

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Data Analytics	4,609
Sustainability Science	1,914
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies	1,860
Nutrition Science	1,636
Behavioral Science	1,629
Computational Science	1,477
Human Computer Interaction	1,048
International Studies	938
Museum Studies	562
Biological & Physical Science	551

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard). More about our data sources and methodologies.