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Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Applied Data Science

The Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Applied Data Science is a 60-credit, two-year program designed to prepare graduates for careers in the vast data science industry. With a focus on achieving personal and professional success by developing strong analytical, technical, and professional skills, graduates build robust foundations in the principles and practice of statistical techniques and computing technologies.

Program Description

The program prepares graduates for careers in the field of Applied Data Science and Data Analytics, in jobs related to:

• Data analyst
• Business analyst
• Data and analytics manager
• Database administrator
• And more

Graduates will learn how to:

• Apply statistical techniques such as regression, error analysis, statistical learning, and model validation to transform data into meaningful form.
• Use data exploratory methods to visualize high-dimensional data to identify trends and patterns in data sets.
• Evaluate and select appropriate algorithms in a variety of data analytic stages on various properties, including efficiency.
• Discover the fundamentals of machine learning including selecting and augmenting existing approaches.
• Manipulate data in a variety of formats to identify answers to a variety of questions.
• Explore, contribute to, and analyze information with databases.
• Perform a variety of analyses on common formats of data to extract meaningful information.
• Understand and implement appropriate ethics surrounding aspects of modern data.
• Apply techniques to collect and extract datasets.

Admission

Program intake: Fall (September) 2026

• The international student application deadline is January 15, 2026.
• The domestic student application deadline is May 15, 2026.
• Seats are limited, so applicants are encouraged to apply early.

Admission Requirements:

• Acceptable three-year or four-year undergraduate degree in any discipline with a minimum B average (GPA of 3.00 on a scale of 4.33 or local equivalent) in the last 60 credits.
• Official academic transcript(s) from all prior post-secondary institutions attended sent directly to Thompson Rivers University from the institution.
• Applicants who did not complete their undergraduate degree at an English language university in a country where English is the primary language should have:
  • A minimum TOEFL score of 570 with a TWE of 4.5 or higher (paper-based test), or
  • A minimum score of 88 with no section below 20 (IBT), or
  • A minimum IELTS score of at least 6.5 (with no band below 6.0), or
  • Completion of TRU ENGL 1100 and CMNS 1290 with a minimum grade B

Tuition Fees

• Domestic Tuition: $155.59 per credit
• International Tuition: $666.50 per credit

Career Perspectives

There is a serious demand for people with data analytics skills, and it's projected to climb even higher in the coming years. Canada's Big Data Consortium estimated that in 2018, the overall national shortage of professionals with deep analytical skills was in the range of 14,000 to 19,000and the shortage of data literate managers and analysts was about 150,000.

Employment opportunities:

• Data scientists in large private or public organizations
• Data analyst positions in:
  • Software development
  • Business intelligence
  • Medical/health research
  • Data management
  • Strategic analysis manager positions of policy-making bodies of government and organizations
• Data architect designers of social networks and communication networks

Data science continues to evolve as one of the most promising and in-demand career paths for skilled professionals. Today, successful data professionals understand that they must advance past the traditional skills of analyzing large amounts of data, data mining, and programming skills.

Different roles and different responsibilities:

• Data Scientist: Data scientists examine which questions need answering and where to find the related data. They have business acumen and analytical skills as well as the ability to mine, clean, and present data.
• Data Analyst: Data analysts bridge the gap between data scientists and business analysts. They are provided with the questions that need answering from an organization and then organize and analyze data to find results that align with high-level business strategy.

According to Talent.com, data science professionals' salary:

• Data Scientist Salary: The average data scientist salary in Canada is $95,022 per year. Salary ranges from entry-level positions start at $77,000 per year to more experienced ones at $130,000 per year.
• Data Analyst Salary: The average data analyst salary in Canada is $67,752 per year. Salary ranges from entry-level positions start at $51,526 per year to more experienced ones at $91,607 per year.