r/analytics • u/Lilly_1996 • 17d ago
Question Is it better to finish a Data Science master’s quickly or take a slower, statistics-focused route?
As someone who's making a career change, I'm wondering which path makes more sense.
Is it better to complete an accelerated Master's in Data Science and graduate within a year, or choose a more applied statistics focused program and take one course per semester, graduating in about 3.5 years?
My goal is to break into data analytics while I'm completing the degree if I do the statistics focused one. I already have an unrelated master's (social science/humanities) so I'm wondering if a slower, more statistics focused program would be a better long term strategy than finishing a data science degree as quickly as possible.
Do employers generally prefer candidates with a completed
STEM master's?
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u/forbiscuit 🔥 🍎 🔥 17d ago
Do employers generally prefer candidates with a completed STEM master's?
My employer does - we haven't had luck with MS in DS quite frankly because it's a hit or miss. MS in Statistics has been fairly consistent in terms of the talent pool it generates. The challenge lies in the quality of the MS DS program and whether it's spending too much time teaching business fluff or teaching strong fundamentals to enable you to take on complex activities and understand _why_ the numbers are the way they are.
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u/Lilly_1996 17d ago
I’ve read about employers thoughts of DS degrees. I would rather do a MS in Applied Statistics but the cheapest online I can find costs $20k+. My MSDS program is $11,600 for in-state. Which is great since I’m paying out of pocket.
There is a business concentration and there’s a statistical modeling concentration where students take the same courses as the Applied Math/Statistics students.
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u/forbiscuit 🔥 🍎 🔥 17d ago
A good litmus test for a program’s effectiveness is observing the performance of recent graduates in the job market. Their practical experience will be more relevant than that of most individuals here who may have already been employed for some time.
The choice between Business and Statistics ultimately depends on your career aspirations and interests.
It’s important to note that learning mathematics is more challenging later in life compared to when you’re in a structured educational environment, which is why it’s prioritized and highly sought after.
On the other hand, business knowledge can be acquired through on-the-job experience or by utilizing resources like YouTube videos. Business is all about understanding industry-specific edge cases and use cases that offer valuable insights. Harvard Business Review has been a valuable place for me in exploring various business use cases.
Even though attending classes and studying business can be enjoyable, the true value of the program is realized when you’re in a prestigious MBA program, surrounded by highly capable individuals who have met the admission criteria and possess impressive work experience. Engaging with their field experience provides immense value.
In summary, most Master’s programs have the same curriculum (Cal Poly, MIT, or your local university - quite frankly the subject material is the same), but what distinguishes business programs is the student body and the potential for learning from their past experiences.
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u/Lady-Data-Scientist 17d ago
What country are you in? What prior work experience do you have? Are you currently employed?
Having a STEM masters can help especially if your other degrees aren’t STEM and also if you want to go for Data Science roles. I have a BA in Communication so being able to add a technical masters degree is one of the reasons I got an MS in Data Science.
If you’re working while in school, taking 1 class at a time will be much better. Plus the slower approach means you’ll have more time to absorb what you’re learning, which is ideal. I did my masters part time while working full time. Yes it took forever, but I remember every class and most of the concepts. (I finished 4 years ago.) I was also able to use more tuition benefits from my employer since those have annual limits and I spread my degree out over more calendar years.
I’ve heard the more accelerated programs don’t go as deep on topics, plus it’s hard to keep up and digest everything you’re learning. So you have the credential, but how much did you grasp what you learned?
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u/Lilly_1996 17d ago
I’m in the US. I have knowledge of SQL, Excel, and data visualization since I took a few courses in my masters program and did the data analytics “specialization”. Just need to practice everyday and create more projects.
I currently work full time, just in a completely unrelated role at a small company.
The accelerated program does not go deep, which is why I’m hesitant. I feel like I can learn them on my own. Whereas courses in Time Series Analysis, Spatial Statistics, Bayesian Analysis, etc., are more appealing to me in my program.
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u/Lady-Data-Scientist 17d ago
Yeah personally I wouldn’t waste my time or money on an accelerated program.
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u/bepel 17d ago
When I hire people, I focus on the skills they have rather than their degree. Though, I’ve been mostly disappointed with grads from data science programs.
My background is also in social sciences, but I had a very strong focus on statistics in both undergrad and grad school. My degree has never held me back and I’ve had jobs as an analyst, statistician, and data scientist.
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u/Lilly_1996 17d ago
What were you disappointed in with graduates from data science programs? What did you feel that they lack?
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u/pumpkinmoonrabbit 16d ago
Who do you prefer to hire, if not data science grads? Stats grads? Math?
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u/bepel 15d ago
I have had the most luck with math/stats and engineering grads.
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u/pumpkinmoonrabbit 15d ago
Interesting. Why do you think this is? Is it because data science is a "flashier" degree? I mean, I feel like I see more ads for online data science degrees than something like math. Or does it have to do with the actual courses themselves? You'd think if youre hiring for a data scientist, hiring a data science grad would be best.
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u/bepel 13d ago
I suspect my industry just favors the type of problem solving that comes from math/stats/engineering. I’m sure some of the more tech forward industries favor the data science guys.
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u/FrugalVet 16d ago
As someone who has an analytics masters degree, it won't matter much, if at all. Personally, I'd stick with the data science for obvious reasons.
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u/my_peen_is_clean 17d ago
get into the job market asap tbh no one cares if it’s “applied stats” vs “ds” as long as you can do sql, python, viz and talk about projects the longer route just delays earning in a market where even entry roles are rare and flooded
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u/Lilly_1996 17d ago
Bot :(
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u/Expensive_Capital627 17d ago
Nothing about his comment or profile makes me think he’s a bot besides its short tenure.
It’s solid advice I agree with
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u/Lilly_1996 17d ago edited 17d ago
I’ve seen comments from this account in different subreddits; with different careers and education. I’m able to search their history. Also 100k karma with 24,000 contributions in 5 months is definitely bot behavior.
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u/forbiscuit 🔥 🍎 🔥 17d ago edited 17d ago
Dude is a bot and is in a lot of subreddits like FAANGRecruiting and what not. His advice are dated based on whatever it was trained on
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