Program Overview

BS in Data Science with Social Technology Studies Concentration

Degree Requirements

To earn a Bachelor of Science in Data Science with a Social Technology Studies Concentration from UIC, students need to complete university, college, and department degree requirements. The degree requirements are outlined below. Students should consult the College of Engineering section for additional degree requirements and college academic policies.

Summary of Requirements

• General and Basic Education Requirements: 37 hours
• Core Courses: 57 hours
• Social Technology Studies Concentration Requirements: 18 hours
• Free Electives: 8 hours
• Total Hours: 120 hours

General and Basic Education Requirements

• ENGL 160: Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts (3 hours)
• ENGL 161: Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research (3 hours)
• Foreign Language (8 hours)
• Understanding the Individual and Society course (3 hours)
• Understanding U.S. Society course (3 hours)
• Exploring World Cultures course (3 hours)
• Understanding the Creative Arts course (3 hours)
• Understanding the Past course (3 hours)
• Two Analyzing the Natural World courses (with lab) (8 hours)
• Total Hours: 37 hours

Core Courses

• Required Courses:
  • ENGR 100: Engineering Success Seminar for Freshmen (1 hour)
  • or ENGR 101: Engineering Success Seminar for Transfer Students
  • MATH 180: Calculus I (4 hours)
  • MATH 181: Calculus II (4 hours)
  • MATH 210: Calculus III (3 hours)
  • MATH 218: Applied Linear Algebra (3 hours)
  • Select one of the following: (3 hours)
    • CS 111: Program Design I
    • CS 112: Program Design I in the Context of Biological Problems
    • CS 113: Program Design I in the Context of Law and Public Policy
  • CS 141: Program Design II (3 hours)
  • CS 151: Mathematical Foundations of Computing (3 hours)
  • or MCS 361: Discrete Mathematics
  • CS 211: Programming Practicum (3 hours)
  • CS 251: Data Structures (4 hours)
  • CS 377: Ethical Issues in Computing (3 hours)
  • Select one of the following: (3 hours)
    • STAT 381: Applied Statistical Methods I
    • IE 342: Probability and Statistics for Engineers
    • ECE 341: Probability and Random Processes for Engineers
  • STAT 382: Statistical Methods and Computing (3 hours)
  • or IDS 462: Statistical Software for Business Applications
  • STAT 385: Elementary Statistical Techniques for Machine Learning and Big Data (3 hours)
  • STAT 481: Applied Statistical Methods II (3 hours)
  • IDS 312: Business Project Management (3 hours)
  • IDS 435: Optimization for Analytics (3 hours)
  • CS 418: Introduction to Data Science (3 hours)
  • or IDS 472: Business Data Mining
  • CS 480: Database Systems (3 hours)
  • or IDS 410: Business Database Technology
• Total Hours: 57 hours

Social Technology Studies Concentration Requirements

• Required Courses:
  • Select three of the following: (9 hours)
    • COMM 206: Public Relations and Digital Media
    • COMM 216: Digital Journalism
    • COMM 220: Social Media and Marketing
    • COMM 240: Data Journalism
    • COMM 250: Social Media and Society
• Selectives:
  • Select three of the following: (9 hours)
    • COMM 205: The Health Media Environment
    • COMM 206: Public Relations and Digital Media
    • COMM 220: Social Media and Marketing
    • COMM 260: Games as Social Technology
    • COMM 425: Digital Advocacy
    • COMM 430: Media, Information and Society
    • COMM 433: Mobile Media and the City
    • COMM 435: Data, Privacy and Ethics in the Digital Age
    • CS 489: Human Augmentics
• Total Hours: 18 hours

Free Electives

• Electives:
  • Select 8 hours of Free Electives
• Total Hours: 8 hours

Sample Course Schedule

First Year

• First Semester:
  • CS 111: Program Design I (3 hours)
  • or CS 112: Program Design I in the Context of Biological Problems
  • or CS 113: Program Design I in the Context of Law and Public Policy
  • ENGL 160: Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts (3 hours)
  • MATH 180: Calculus I (4 hours)
  • Analyzing the Natural World (with Lab) General Education course (4 hours)
  • ENGR 100: Engineering Success Seminar for Freshmen (1 hour)
  • Total Hours: 14 hours
• Second Semester:
  • CS 141: Program Design II (3 hours)
  • ENGL 161: Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research (3 hours)
  • MATH 181: Calculus II (4 hours)
  • General Education Core course (3 hours)
  • Foreign Language (4 hours)
  • Total Hours: 17 hours

Second Year

• First Semester:
  • CS 151: Mathematical Foundations of Computing (3 hours)
  • or MCS 361: Discrete Mathematics
  • CS 211: Programming Practicum (3 hours)
  • STAT 381: Applied Statistical Methods I (3 hours)
  • or IE 342: Probability and Statistics for Engineers
  • or ECE 341: Probability and Random Processes for Engineers
  • Analyzing the Natural World (with lab) General Education course (4 hours)
  • Foreign Language (4 hours)
  • Total Hours: 17 hours
• Second Semester:
  • CS 251: Data Structures (4 hours)
  • STAT 382: Statistical Methods and Computing (3 hours)
  • or IDS 462: Statistical Software for Business Applications
  • IDS 312: Business Project Management (3 hours)
  • MATH 210: Calculus III (3 hours)
  • General Education Core course (3 hours)
  • Total Hours: 16 hours

Third Year

• First Semester:
  • CS 377: Ethical Issues in Computing (3 hours)
  • CS 480: Database Systems (3 hours)
  • or IDS 410: Business Database Technology
  • STAT 385: Elementary Statistical Techniques for Machine Learning and Big Data (3 hours)
  • MATH 218: Applied Linear Algebra (3 hours)
  • General Education Core course (3 hours)
  • Total Hours: 15 hours
• Second Semester:
  • CS 418: Introduction to Data Science (3 hours)
  • or IDS 472: Business Data Mining
  • STAT 481: Applied Statistical Methods II (3 hours)
  • IDS 435: Optimization for Analytics (3 hours)
  • Concentration Requirement (3 hours)
  • Concentration Requirement (3 hours)
  • Total Hours: 15 hours

Fourth Year

• First Semester:
  • Concentration Requirement (3 hours)
  • Concentration Requirement (3 hours)
  • General Education Core course (3 hours)
  • Free Elective (4 hours)
  • Total Hours: 13 hours
• Second Semester:
  • Concentration Requirement (3 hours)
  • Concentration Requirement (3 hours)
  • General Education Core course (3 hours)
  • Free Elective (4 hours)
  • Total Hours: 13 hours
• Total Hours: 120 hours