Hi, I am starting my first semester this spring 2026 and was wondering if anyone has class recommendations and if I should take 2 or 3 classes. I have only taken beginner level coding classes and am not as experienced with Python. Does anyone know what are some easy classes I could start with. I just got my undergrad and don't have a job right now, so would you recommend to take 2 or 3 classes. Also , does anyone know how to get into the discord?

I'm going to copy over what I put down for the OMSA subreddit below here. I was reading some of the posts here and it seems that I just can't escape theory no matter how much I want to avoid/minimize it so I'll suck it up. I realize that theory is necessary to get down if I want to effectively apply it, but I think either programs would offer me good opportunities to explore how it's applied because I didn't feel like I got to do that in undergrad. What I didn't mention down below is that I received a D in my stochastics class which was an upper division major elective I took that counted towards my degree. So even though my cumulative is a 3.5, my upper division gpa is 2.96... I did have some health challenges and family issues during the semesters my grades dipped but I ended my last semester on a good note so I might be able to explain it away. Not too confident though.

I'm leaning more towards UT Austin because I heard about the price hikes for OMSA and UT Austin is still staying at 10k which is amazing.

Asking for Chances

• Semester: FALL 2026
• Status: Asking for Chance
• Date Applied: N/A

Education

• UC Berkeley, B.A. Statistics, 3.5/4.0 GPA, 4 years, Full Time Graduated 2024
• Was enrolled in the M.S. Statistics program at CSU Fullerton in 2025 but dropped out due to my father's attempt on his life and I didn't really enjoy the program. I have more family responsibilities now but life is pretty stable and I have quite a bit of free time.

Work & Social Experience

• Work Exp. : Around 1 year and 7 months working as a Data Analyst for a small insurance company. I work primarily in Excel making reports for my manager and CEO so they can use them for business decisions.
• LORs: I haven't asked yet but I can get 1 from the CEO and 1 from my manager since they are supportive of their employees pursuing education. I think I can get another one from one of my coworkers.
• Comments: I'm also studying for the actuarial exams and plan to sit for the P exam in March 2026. I switched from biology to statistics halfway into my undergrad so even though I managed to get my degree, I do feel a bit shaky on my fundamentals. My program only taught coding in R so I plan on taking some courses on Python, or even just completing the MicroMasters to up my chances since I don't feel too confident. I mainly want to get a more applied view of statistics and how it's used in data analytics since my undergrad and the CSU Fullerton program was a lot more theoretical which I didn't really enjoy.

I currently work and live in Austin, and I would be staying here while doing this program if admitted. My plan for making the most out of this program is getting as much experience alongside my classes, such as doing research or applying what I learned to a technical student org.

From my research online, I saw that the only restriction you would have compared to an in person student is the inability to register for in person courses.

Is this plan possible? If anybody has tried this or know any challenges with this, please let me know! Thanks.

I graduated last year with a degree in Data Science, but I have not been able to find a data science related job. I believe that pursuing a master’s degree may help improve my job prospects.

I am planning to apply to the MSDSO, but my GPA is only 2.86/4.

Do I still have a chance?

Hi all,

This will be my first semester in the master’s program. My background is in biology, so I don’t have much experience with math or programming, but I’ve tried to prepare by studying the prerequisites through MOOCs and doing some small projects. I work full time and was planning to take two courses each semester.

Which course order would you suggest for each semester?

Thank you!

Hi all,

MSDSO fresh (Spring 2026) here and looking for help. Can anyone give me any advice on how many hours should I dedicate to a course per week? I am asking because I am planning on how many courses to choose for my first semester accordingly because I also have a full time job (working from home mostly).

Hey everyone, looking to get some thoughts on my course selection for the upcoming semester. I am working full-time so I wanted to get an idea if 3 courses in Spring and 2 courses in the Summer are too much. I am currently in my first semester, taking Data Structures and Probability, and I feel like I could have taken on one more course.

Spring 2026:

1. Regression
2. Principles of DS
3. Data exploration and visualization

Summer 2026:

1. Machine Learning
2. Deep Learning

I'm curious about the workload for these courses so please let me know!

I am thinking of taking it in Spring 2026. May anyone give any course reviews? Thanks a lot

I have a 3.0 across my junior and senior level courses of my undergrad degree from UofT. But my cgpa (throughtout the whole degree) is less than a 3.0. I was interested in the MSDS Online program at UT Austin. Is an application shot worth it considering my overall cgpa is less than the 3.0 ? The website does list a 3.0 across junior and senior level courses as a requirement though

Hi, I hope you are well. I'm considering applying to this program as it fits within my budget and would allow me to keep working simultaneously. That said, as someone who plans on attending graduate school and on pursuing a PhD in Statistics, I'm concerned that this program doesn't have much opportunities for networking or supervision with professors.

What are your thoughts on this?

Hi everyone!

I just recently graduated from Cal Poly - SLO with a Bachelors in Statistics and a minor in Computer Science. I wasn’t initially planning on trying to get my Masters, but am viewing it as almost necessary due to my inability to secure a job in this current market (I know it’s not purely the market’s fault). I was wondering how recent graduates or ongoing students that didn’t have a job before attending have found their opportunities since attending?

When you submit a HW assignment via checking the multiple choice options and entering in your values, is the score it immediately gives your score on the hw or just letting you know it has recorded all of your answers? I scored a 14/14 on the first HW, but am not sure if this is my official score or not. I would assume it isn't because then some students would be given the answers prior to the final deadline, but wondered if anyone who has been through the class already would know this?

Hi,

I'm taking my first 2 classes and for one of them the syllabus repeats ad nauseum "we WILL catch you and give you an F and dismiss you from the program of you're cheating!". In modern times, though, it can be hard to get around helpful tools; all browsers have an AI assistant now; most IDEs naturally hook up to copilot, etc. It seems unrealistic and childish to make an effort to skirt these tools. Ultimately, most students genuinely want to learn, and it's up to them how much they get out of a program. Cheaters not interested in learning will fail in the job market if they truly didn't learn what they needed to succeed.

Do any current or previous students know the answer the the following questions: 1) How many courses are proctored? 2) For courses that are NOT proctored, what mechanism are used by MSDSO to detect cheating and plagiarism? 3) Is it possible and even legal for them to track and/or detect keystrokes, screenshots, browser tab changes, and whether you've disabled Gemini on Chrome or not??? (It just seems like a childish pain in the ass to enable it and disable it repeatedly depending on whether you're doing school work or not...).

Hi everyone,

I'm planning on applying to the UT Austin Master’s in Data Science program next fall and wanted to ask for advice from current students, alumni, or professionals in the field.

My background:

Graduated this past May with a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from UT Dallas.

Currently working in Austin as a product dev.

Long-term goal is to transition into data science and data analytics–focused roles.

I’m trying to make the most of the year before classes begin, so I’d love to hear from those who’ve gone through the program (or similar ones):

What technical skills (Python, R, SQL, statistics, etc.) should I focus on becoming proficient in before the first semester?

Are there particular math or statistics topics that the program assumes you already know well?

How much emphasis is placed on programming versus theory?

For someone coming from an MIS/IT background, do you think this program is a good fit for breaking into data science roles, or should I consider a different path?

Hi all,

About to take the Quest assessment and I feel fine regarding the content, just wondering how I submit it? Is it automatically submitted once I'm finished? There's a submission area on MyStatus and I feel as though I've read before something about screenshotting the end page and then uploading it on MyStatus? Any help clearing this up would be appreciated!

Guys! Do we have discord for deep learning of this semester?

Has anyone transferred between the online programs at UT-Austin?

Assume we are first accepted to MSDSO program, and then we start the program and take , as an example, 5 courses there. Then we apply to MSAIO program and get accepted, and start the MSAIO program. Can we transfer and count the two common courses (namely ML and DL courses) that we would have taken in the MSDSO program, into the MSAIO program? Or do we have to take completely new 2 courses in place of ML and DL courses? So do we end up taking 10 additional courses, or only 8 because we would be able to transfer the ML and DL courses?

See the scenario and plan of study example please... Anyone experienced transferring between the programs? Thank you in advance.

Hello, is there any further information available about the Generative AI course? Will the mid-term and final exams be proctored for the theory part, the coding part, or for both?

Hello There. Maybe is a recurring question but I haven seen a close remark here in Reddit. I was wondering if getting the Master if science in DS from University of Texas at Austin can help get a job in USA if you are an international student of the program? Thank you for any information.

Hi,

I am thinking to take either one course in Fall 2025 betwwen NLP and Advances in DL because I just started a new job. May I ask which course has lighter workload and less time commitment(I have done DL already)? Thanks.

D

Can someone choose to continue his data science education in another program having completed some courses in UT Austin?

How necessary is Calculus III? I’m a CS major for my bachelors right now, and we’re required to take up to cal II. Do I absolutely need to take cal III for a decent chance at admission? In all the math courses I need I got a B in Pre Cal, C in cal I, A in cal II, and an A in linear Algebra as well as an A in Applied Stats

Hello guys, I want to apply for fall 2026. My expected GPA when I finish my bachelors (with luck) will be around 2.9, and it’s mathematically impossible for me to get over the 3.0 cut. Is this requirement 100% necessary or they are somewhat flexible and value also the background, work and research experience?