Program Overview

Master of Data Science (MDS)

The UBC Master of Data Science (MDS) is a 10-month professional degree program. The MDS program was developed by the combined expertise of the UBC departments of Computer Science and Statistics to help meet a growing need for data scientists by producing skilled professionals who can turn data into knowledge.

Overview

Everything we do generates data and every new technology used to capture this data brings with it even more opportunities to extract knowledge, to learn, to grow, and to create change. Data science is the process of extracting value from that data through reproducible and auditable processes. Utilizing descriptive and prescriptive techniques, students extract and analyze data from both unstructured and structured forms and then communicate the findings of those analyses in ways to enable organizations to make informed decisions based on data.

What makes the program unique?

The 10-month, cohort-based MDS program provides practical, real-world-applicable experience via integrating real-world data sets across the curriculum. As well, the MDS program ends with a capstone project allowing students to apply their newly acquired knowledge, while working alongside other students to address a question facing a capstone partner’s organization. In addition, courses are taught by a core team of faculty dedicated to teaching MDS full-time and providing support to students throughout the program.

Quick Facts

• Faculty: Faculty of Science
• Academic Unit: Department of Computer Science
• Specialization: Data Science
• Mode of delivery: In person at UBC Vancouver
• Program Components: Coursework only
• Tuition (First Year):
  • Domestic: $35,852.70
  • International: $57,469.20

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

• Fees:
  • Application Fee:
    • Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat: $118.50
    • International: $168.25
  • Tuition:
    • Installments per year: 3
    • Tuition per installment:
      • Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat: $11,950.90
      • International: $19,156.39
  • Program Fee:
    • Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat: $35,852.70
    • International: $57,469.17
  • Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per year (if eligible): Not applicable
• Other Fees and Costs:
  • Student Fees (yearly): $1,144.10 (approx.)
  • Costs of living: Estimate your costs of living with our interactive tool in order to start developing a financial plan for your graduate studies.
• Deposit to accept offer (if admitted):
  • Deposit requirement: $3000.00

Financial Support

Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options.

• Program Funding Packages: There are several funding opportunities including bursaries (for domestic students who qualify for government student loans) and scholarships (for domestic and international students).
• Employer support: Organizations may provide their employees with tuition benefits as part of an employment package to support lifelong learning of their workforce.
• Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding): Professional / course-based programs usually do not provide merit-based funding. Some programs may offer bursaries.
• Financial aid (need-based funding): Canadian and US applicants may qualify for governmental loans to finance their studies.
• Foreign government scholarships: Many foreign governments provide support to their citizens in pursuing education abroad.
• Working while studying: The possibility to pursue work to supplement income may depend on the demands the program has on students.
• Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals: Students with taxable income in Canada may be able to claim federal or provincial tax credits.

Career Options

Graduates are highly trained, qualified data scientists who can help businesses and organizations, across all domains, improve strategy, products, services, health, safety, and so much more by translating their findings into solutions that enable and inform action.

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

• ENROLMENT DATA:
  • Applications:
    • 2023: 1304
    • 2022: 1246
    • 2021: 2002
    • 2020: 1389
    • 2019: 1175
  • Offers:
    • 2023: 253
    • 2022: 176
    • 2021: 212
    • 2020: 219
    • 2019: 161
  • New Enrolment:
    • 2023: 88
    • 2022: 81
    • 2021: 115
    • 2020: 96
    • 2019: 93
  • Total Enrolment:
    • 2023: 93
    • 2022: 82
    • 2021: 117
    • 2020: 96
    • 2019: 96
• Completion Rates & Times: This program has a graduation rate of 98% based on 133 students admitted between 2015 - 2018. Based on 374 graduations between 2020 - 2023 the minimum time to completion is 0.68 years and the maximum time is 1.4 years with an average of 1.02 years of study.

Related Programs

• Same specialization:
  • Master of Data Science in Computational Linguistics (MDSCL)
• Same Academic Unit:
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)
  • Master of Science in Computer Science (MSc)
• At the UBC Okanagan Campus:
  • Master of Data Science (MDS)

Further Information

• Specialization: Data Science
• UBC Calendar: science/professional-masters-degrees/data-science-mds
• Program Website:
• Faculty: Faculty of Science
• Academic Unit: Department of Computer Science
• Program Identifier: VGMMDS
• Classification:
  • Natural sciences » Mathematics and statistics » Statistics » High dimensional data analysis
  • Natural sciences » Mathematics and statistics » Statistics » Computational methods in statistics
  • Natural sciences » Computer and information sciences » Artificial intelligence (AI) » Machine learning
  • Natural sciences » Computer and information sciences » Artificial intelligence (AI) » Natural language processing
  • Natural sciences » Computer and information sciences » Artificial intelligence (AI) » Data mining
  • Humanities and the arts » Languages and literature » Linguistics » Computational linguistics

Application Deadlines

• Application Open Date: 3 November 2025
• Canadian Applicant Deadline: 15 April 2026
• International Applicant Deadline: 31 January 2026