Vital Skills for Data Science Specialization

This course provides a general introduction to the field of Data Science. It has been designed for aspiring data scientists, content experts who work with data scientists, or anyone interested in learning about what Data Science is and what it’s used for. Weekly topics include an overview of the skills needed to be a data scientist; the process and pitfalls involved in data science; and the practice of data science in the professional and academic world. This course is part of CU Boulder’s Master’s of Science in Data Science and was collaboratively designed by both academics and industry professionals to provide learners with an insider’s perspective on this exciting, evolving, and increasingly vital discipline.

Data Science as a Field can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Data Science (MS-DS) degree offered on the Coursera platform. The MS-DS is an interdisciplinary degree that brings together faculty from CU Boulder’s departments of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Science, and others. With performance-based admissions and no application process, the MS-DS is ideal for individuals with a broad range of undergraduate education and/or professional experience in computer science, information science, mathematics, and statistics. Learn more about the MS-DS program at https://www.coursera.org/degrees/master-of-science-data-science-boulder.

Computing applications involving large amounts of data – the domain of data science – impact the lives of most people in the U.S. and the world. These impacts include recommendations made to us by internet-based systems, information that is available about us online, techniques that are used for security and surveillance, data that is used in health care, and many more. In many cases, they are affected by techniques in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

This course examines some of the ethical issues related to data science, with the fundamental objective of making data science professionals aware of and sensitive to ethical considerations that may arise in their careers. It does this through a combination of discussion of ethical frameworks, examination of a variety of data science applications that lead to ethical considerations, reading current media and scholarly articles, and drawing upon the perspectives and experiences of fellow students and computing professionals. Ethical Issues in Data Science can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Data Science (MS-DS) degree offered on the Coursera platform. The MS-DS is an interdisciplinary degree that brings together faculty from CU Boulder’s departments of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Science, and others. With performance-based admissions and no application process, the MS-DS is ideal for individuals with a broad range of undergraduate education and/or professional experience in computer science, information science, mathematics, and statistics. Learn more about the MS-DS program at https://www.coursera.org/degrees/master-of-science-data-science-boulder.

This course aims to help anyone interested in data science understand the cybersecurity risks and the tools/techniques that can be used to mitigate those risks. We will cover the distinctions between confidentiality, integrity, and availability, introduce learners to relevant cybersecurity tools and techniques including cryptographic tools, software resources, and policies that will be essential to data science. We will explore key tools and techniques for authentication and access control so producers, curators, and users of data can help ensure the security and privacy of the data.

This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Data Science (MS-DS) degree offered on the Coursera platform. The MS-DS is an interdisciplinary degree that brings together faculty from CU Boulder’s departments of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Science, and others. With performance-based admissions and no application process, the MS-DS is ideal for individuals with a broad range of undergraduate education and/or professional experience in computer science, information science, mathematics, and statistics. Learn more about the MS-DS program at https://www.coursera.org/degrees/master-of-science-data-science-boulder.