University of Wisconsin–Madison

Data Science Major

Students in the Data Science major will be able to apply computational, mathematical, and statistical thinking to data-rich problems in a wide variety of fields in a responsible and ethical manner. This includes the ability to manage, process, model, gain meaning and knowledge, and present data. Data Science is one of the fastest growing career sectors in Wisconsin and across the nation.

By its very nature, the field of data science is one that teaches novel and cutting-edge ways to engage in the “continual sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”

Looking for the undergraduate Certificate in Data Science? The certificate curriculum is available in the Guide and additional information including advising on their website.

An enclosed bank of distributed computing equipment

Plan Your Data Science Major

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Incoming freshmen and transfer SOAR students are encouraged to check out our DS SOAR FAQ page for information specific to incoming SOAR students.

Certain classes are reserved for declared Data Science students until specified. If you are not declared in the major, we do not make exceptions to this process. Check the section-level course notes, section requisites, and subject notes in Search & Enroll for enrollment information.

The summer and fall schedule of classes is now available.  Review our enrollment information newsletters (PDFs linked below!).

Questions? Please reach out to the Data Science advisors via email, an appointment, or drop in advising.  Review the advising sections below for information on how to connect with advisors.

The curriculum is available in the Guide.  Please visit this page and then select either the Data Science BS or BA to see more.

If you are interested in adding the Data Science major with another Stats/DS program, please review this combination chart first to see which combinations are permitted.

Generally, we recommend 2 maximum quantitative or coding courses per fall/spring semester (up to 3 if students are in multiple quantitative majors), and only 1 of such courses in the summer term. We also recommend you enroll in general education/breadth courses each semester along with major courses. Please view the Guide for sample enrollment plans.

Interested in double majors? View our red FAQ section below for sample enrollment plans for common additional majors.

The Office of Undergraduate Advising has a handy webpage full of tips to help students stay on track for graduation, check it out!

Planning to double major with Data Science? View our Double Major Information webpage for information and sample 4-year enrollment planning guides.

Please visit our Statistics Department’s International Student FAQ’s page for detailed information about immigration policy and processes (ie., Reduced Course Load, Enrollment Requirements, etc.).

Can be accessed on our Google Group.

Step 1: sign in to Google Groups

Step 2: search for the group:

  1. At the top, click “My groups” and select “All groups and messages”.
  2. In the search box, enter “dsundergrad” and press Enter.

Step 3: click the dsundergrad group, and you’ll see the conversation history including past newsletters & emails sent!

How to Declare the Data Science Major

Major Declaration Requirements

No specific coursework must be completed in order to declare Data Science.

View the declaration requirements on our Data Science Major Guide page.

Major Declaration Process

  1. Review Data Science major requirements on the Guide or run a “What-If” DARS Report to assess your remaining requirements.
  2. Attend one declaration event: click to expand the option toggles below for information on how to register/schedule/attend!
    1. Option 1: Group Major Declaration Session
    2. Option 2: Drop-In Advising
    3. Option 3: Individual Advising Appointment
  3. Review the Department of Statistics Advising Expectations webpage
  4. Submit the online major declaration Qualtrics form.

We will delete all declaration forms that you submit before attending a declaration event. You must submit your form after your declaration event.

If your form is submitted more than one year from after the declaration event is attended, you will need to schedule another advising appointment.

We do not make exceptions to the declaration process.

Click here for Data Science Certificate declaration instructions!

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Click the links below to register for a Zoom session. You must attend the full presentation. Our advisors will record your attendance and explain following steps to declare.

If you are currently on probation or have one or both Data Science major GPAs below a 2.0, you must schedule an individual meeting and should not use a declaration session or drop-in advising to declare.

This option is best for students with minimal questions about major declaration.

Fall 2026 drop-in advising is available on Wednesdays, from 1-2:00pm on Zoom from September 2nd- December 9th.

There will be no drop-ins Wednesday, November 25 due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

If you are currently on probation or have one or both Data Science major GPAs below a 2.0, you must schedule an individual meeting and should not use a declaration session or drop-in advising to declare.

You can make individual advising appointments year-round with the Data Science major advisors to declare the Data Science major.

Meeting options:

  • Online via Zoom
  • In-person (typically offered Tuesdays-Thursdays)
  • Phone call

1:1 appointments are a good fit for you if you:

  • Have significant questions
  • Have more than 86 credits
  • Are not currently an L&S student
  • Have other complicated situations

Appointments are scheduled via Starfish.

Please plan ahead for meetings during the enrollment period! Advisors’ calendars book quickly during this time.

Important Declaration Notes

  • F-1 students: as per the new regulations (https://iss.wisc.edu/new-duration-of-status-rule/), you cannot declare a major until you have completed two (2) semesters on campus.
  • L&S students: the DS major can be paired with either a BA or BS degree option.
  • Students who are in an L&S specialized degree such as AMEP or students outside of L&S will have their degree associated with their home school or college and will not complete L&S BA or BS degree requirements.
  • Are you transferring into L&S from another school/college on campus? Your transfer into L&S must be processed FIRST  before you can declare Data Science.
  • Engineering students are required to meet progression in an engineering program before declaring double majors or certificates.
    • Students in this situation who need to declare for data science course access but cannot, should schedule a meeting with a Data Science advisor.
  • CALS students: must schedule an individual meeting to complete the CALS double major paperwork.
  • You must be currently enrolled at UW in order to declare the major. We cannot declare students who are not enrolled (ie taking time away due to probation status, gap semester, etc.).
  • Are you declared in the DS or Statistics certificate? You must cancel (drop) the certificate(s) before declaring the DS major.

No longer interested in the DS major?

Switch to the DS Certificate
Cancel your DS major

Advising and Contact Information

Please take some time to review our Advising Expectations webpage to ensure a common understanding about the role of academic advisors.

Data Science Major Frequently Asked Questions

Data Science Programs & Declaration

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The Data Science major combines advanced math and programming skills to solve data rich problems, develop data science tools and produce meaningful insights from data. It requires Calculus 1, Calculus 2, and a linear algebra course. It is a great fit if you are interested in analyzing data on all scales such as building algorithms, math underpinnings, and video programming.

The Data Science certificate provides foundational data analysis and programming skills for high-end users of data science tools. It does not require any calculus, only fulfillment of Quantitative Reasoning A. Having some math or algebra background is helpful. It is a great fit if you want to apply your Data Science skills to specific areas such as your major or a career field you are interested in pursuing post-graduation.

Check out the Guide page and Statistics departmental page for more information.

Declared students will receive priority enrollment for courses in the initial enrollment period. They will also receive our weekly newsletters that provides information on Data Science related events and activities.

Double Major Information

Some students in the DS major will pursue double majors and/or certificates. Because data science is such a vast field, we encourage you to explore how you want to utilize your DS knowledge and skills. One great way to do so is to complement DS with another area of study.

Common double major paths for students in DS will include Computer Science, Economics, Information Science,  Math, and Statistics, among many others. Please view the links to the Guide pages for major requirements.

We have collaborated with other major advisors to create sample 4-year double major plans. These showcase a recommended plan of progression for students in the common double major paths. Note that these are a sample; as always, please consult your respective major advisors for individual course planning questions.

Certificate Information

Common certificates for DS students to pursue include: Computer Science, Criminal Justice, Educational Policy Studies, Economic Analytics, Entrepreneurship for Non-Business Students, Environmental Studies, Global Health, Graphic Design, Math, Political Economy, Philosophy, & Politics, Public Policy, Science Communication, Sports Communication, Sustainability.

Information on certificate requirements can be found on the Guide page.

Unfortunately, Data Science majors are NOT eligible to declare a Statistics certificate, due to the amount of overlap between the programs.

This is a final decision and we do not make any exceptions.

Drop-in advising hours may be used for quick questions (~10 minutes or less) regarding Data Science major declaration, course add/drops, etc and these (minus declaration) also might be appropriate to send via email. Questions related to future semester enrollment planning, course selection, post-graduation plans, careers and internships, etc. are better suited for individual appointments with DS advisors.

Students may bring someone to their advising appointment, as long as you have done the following:

  • Emailed your advisor a day in advance of the meeting letting them know a guest will be in attendance with a required, completed one-time FERPA release form and submitted to your advisor
    • These forms give advisors permission to disclose student’s educational information to third parties; they are valid for only one occasion
    • Make sure to indicate the person that will be in attendance and the information you are comfortable discussing in front of this individual

If you do not submit a FERPA form prior to your appointment, it is at your advisor’s discretion whether they will allow the meeting to occur (or the guest to attend the meeting), or if you’ll be required to reschedule.

Yes, Data Science does qualify for STEM-OPT extension, after the Department of Homeland Security reviewed their list of eligible programs. The CIP code is 30.7001 – Data Science General. You can view a list of all eligible programs.

Please refer to CAI’s Education FAQs.

For now, the Data Science major remains within L&S. We do not anticipate changes to the major/degree requirements for the next year.

Curriculum

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First, you may visit the Statistics Department’s Courses and Enrollment FAQ to find answers to commonly asked questions. Otherwise, you may also check out the Registrar’s Office website for dates/deadlines, enrollment information, tutorials, and more.

If you are at all interested in the Data Science major or certificate, take STAT 240.

If you are not interested in Data Science, please check out our Courses webpage to see the other intro Stats courses compared and contrasted.

If you are having difficulties with enrolling in courses in Statistics, Computer Sciences, or Mathematics for the Data Science major, please review the following webpages for more information:

For Data Science courses offered through other departments (i.e. Economics), please contact that department with any enrollment issues that you might be experiencing.

If you still have enrollment issues, please contact the Data Science advisors (see contact and advising information above).

We do not allow substitutions for STAT 240, including STAT 301, 324, or 371. While all of the courses both teach introductory statistics, STAT 240 is a 4 credit course that includes programming in the R language, as well as data management, analysis, and modeling. Students who have taken STAT 324 previously will be well prepared for STAT 240 and will learn additional concepts that will prepare them for future courses such as STAT 340 and Statistical Modeling electives.

It is strongly recommended that students interested in both the Computer Sciences and Data Science major focus first on the java sequence of courses (COMP SCI 200, 300, and 400) so that they don’t fall behind for the CS major. This works for the Data Science major as well since COMP SCI 300 both counts for the major and serves as a prerequisite to COMP SCI 320.

CS-DS interested students should NOT take COMP SCI 220. Please see the FAQ about double major planning to see how to best pair both majors together.

Fall 2026 and beyond choose between:

  • L I S 461 Data and Algorithms: Ethics and Policy (3 credits)
    • Lecture only, Humanities breadth credits, no Comm B
  • L I S 462 Data and Algorithms: Ethics and Policy (Communications Intensive) (4 credits)
    • Lecture + discussion meetings, Humanities breadth credits, Comm B
  • PHILOS 244 Introductory Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Ethics (4 credits)
    • Humanities or Social Science breadth credits, no Comm B

Only one Foundational Data Ethics course is required for the Data Science major.

Pre-Fall 2026:

  • E C E 570 Ethics of Data for Engineers
  • L I S 461: If you took L I S 461 before Fall 2026, you had the option to take it for either 3 credits (lecture only, no Comm B) or 4 credits (lecture + discussion, Comm B credits). Either option satisfies the Foundational Data Ethics requirement in the major.
  • PHILOS 244 Introductory Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Ethics (4 credits)

Our typical recommendation for Data Science majors is MATH 340 Elementary Matrix and Linear Algebra or MATH 345 Linear Algebra and Optimization.

You can review the differences between linear algebra course options on the Math department’s Linear Algebra Course webpage.

We’ve created a webpage dedicated to exploring the differences between probability & inference courses! Check it out.

Click this link to go to the Courses webpage now. 

If you are planning to take probability (STAT 309, 311, or 431) or inference (STAT 310 or 312), then you will need to take MATH 234 (or an equivalent transfer course) to help you satisfy course prereqs. Note that there may be additional prereqs listed, too.

Many of the other statistical modeling elective options (especially the statistics-taught classes) do NOT require calc 3. Typically, the prereq is STAT 333 or 340.

Most students will take a 3 semester sequence of STAT 240, then STAT 340, then a statistical modeling course.

Our Courses and Enrollment webpage addresses this question – and many others! Please scroll to the bottom of the page for more info.

Students are often worried about how a dropped course, dropped major, withdrawal, etc. will appear on their transcript and this is a very normal concern.  Please check out this page from the Registrar’s Office that explains how everything (including GPA, degree(s), dropped course, honors, etc.) will appear on your transcript.

Students must apply for graduation via their Student Center to indicate that they are nearing completion of their degree. See the Office of the Registrar’s website for information and instructions about this process. In addition, we advise students to do the following:

  1. Look at your DARS report via MyUW. Read it over carefully to find deficiencies-if you are meeting all requirements to graduate, everything will be GREEN. Be aware that each major (if you have more than one) will have its own DARS report
    • *Keep in mind that your DARS is showing in-progress classes as classes you will keep and pass. If you do not pass your classes, have an incomplete grade, or get the GPA you need, this could influence your graduation date
  2. Check to make sure your major(s) is/are declared correctly. That is, make sure you have officially added and/or dropped majors so that the list of majors on record is exactly what you want for graduation. If not, go to the individual departments to add or drop a major. This also applies if you have declared Honors in the Liberal Arts (L&S students) or Honors in the Major
  3. If you are a visa holding student please review the ISS Program Completion Checklist
  4. Talk to an advisor about questions you have about meeting requirements

Resources & Involvement

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Yes! Studying abroad is a great option for students who want to broaden their horizons and immerse themselves in new cultures. Data Science students interested in studying abroad should consult with Study Abroad advisors for assistance with identifying and applying to programs.

DS majors should typically expect to complete general education/breadth courses while abroad. There are limited study abroad programs with courses equivalent to DS major requirements.  Please reference the Study Abroad Major Advising pages and the Data Science page, in particular, programs that may offer major courses.

Please review our undergraduate research webpage to learn how to find research opportunities. You can also explore the following research resources:

You can see a list of current student organizations on https://win.wisc.edu/.  Use keywords that interest you when searching for organizations like “data,” “statistics,” “computer science,” “coding,” etc.

The College of Computing and AI (CAI) also has a list of relevant student organizations: https://cdis.wisc.edu/student-organizations/.

Several student orgs to consider are:

UW has specific resources for F-1 & J-1 visa-holders and international students including:

The Office of Student Assistance and Support (OSAS) has created a list of commonly used resources across campus. Other resources include:

Please review this list to determine if your needs are met. If you still have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to an advisor and we can point you to the right place.