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 Requirements37
Core Courses57
Social Technology Studies Concentration Requirements18
Free Electives8
Total Hours120

General and Basic Education Requirements

ENGL 160Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts3
ENGL 161Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research3
Foreign Language8
Understanding the Individual and Society course a3
Understanding U.S. Society course a3
Exploring World Cultures course a3
Understanding the Creative Arts course a3
Understanding the Past course a3
Two Analyzing the Natural World courses (with lab) a,b8
Total Hours37
a

Students should consult the General Education section of the catalog for a list of approved courses. 

b

Students planning to pursue the Bioinformatics Concentration will take BIOS 110 and BIOS 120 to fulfill the Analyzing the Natural World requirement.

Core Courses

Required Courses
ENGR 100Engineering Orientation (no graduation credit)1
MATH 180Calculus I4
MATH 181Calculus II4
MATH 210Calculus III3
MATH 310Applied Linear Algebra3
Select one of the following3
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 141Program Design II3
CS 151Mathematical Foundations of Computing3
or MCS 361 Discrete Mathematics
CS 211Programming Practicum3
CS 251Data Structures4
CS 377Ethical Issues in Computing3
Select one of the following:3
STAT 381
Applied Statistical Methods I
IE 342
Probability and Statistics for Engineers a
ECE 341
Probability and Random Processes for Engineers b
STAT 382Statistical Methods and Computing3
or IDS 462 Statistical Software for Business Applications
STAT 385Elementary Statistical Techniques for Machine Learning and Big Data3
STAT 481Applied Statistical Methods II3
IDS 312Business Project Management3
IDS 435Optimization for Analytics3
CS 418Introduction to Data Science c3
or IDS 472 Business Data Mining
CS 480Database Systems c3
or IDS 410 Business Database Technology
Total Hours57
a

IE 342 must be taken for the Concentration in Industrial Engineering.

b

ECE 341 must be taken for the Concentration in Data Processing, Science, and Engineering.

c

CS 418 and CS 480 must be taken for the Concentration in Computer Science.

Social Technology Studies Concentration Requirements

Required Courses
Select three of the following:9
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
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 a
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 Hours18

Free Electives

Electives
Select 8 hours of Free Electives.8
Total Hours8
a

COMM 301 is a prerequisite for COMM 425. Data Science majors must obtain department approval.

Sample Course Schedule

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
First SemesterHours
CS 111
or CS 112
or CS 113
 Program Design I
or Program Design I in the Context of Biological Problems
or Program Design I in the Context of Law and Public Policy
 3
ENGL 160 Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts 3
MATH 180 Calculus I 4
Analyzing the Natural World (with Lab) General Education course 4
ENGR 100 Engineering Orientation (no graduation credit) 1
 Hours14
Second Semester
CS 141 Program Design II 3
ENGL 161 Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research 3
MATH 181 Calculus II 4
General Education Core course 3
Foreign Language 4
 Hours17
Second Year
First Semester
CS 151
or MCS 361
 Mathematical Foundations of Computing
or Discrete Mathematics
 3
CS 211 Programming Practicum 3
STAT 381
or IE 342
or ECE 341
 Applied Statistical Methods I
or Probability and Statistics for Engineers
or Probability and Random Processes for Engineers
 3
Analyzing the Natural World (with lab) General Education course 4
Foreign Language 4
 Hours17
Second Semester
CS 251 Data Structures 4
STAT 382
or IDS 462
 Statistical Methods and Computing
or Statistical Software for Business Applications
 3
IDS 312 Business Project Management 3
MATH 210 Calculus III 3
General Education Core course 3
 Hours16
Third Year
First Semester
CS 377 Ethical Issues in Computing 3
CS 480
or IDS 410
 Database Systems
or Business Database Technology
 3
STAT 385 Elementary Statistical Techniques for Machine Learning and Big Data 3
MATH 310 Applied Linear Algebra 3
General Education Core course 3
 Hours15
Second Semester
CS 418
or IDS 472
 Introduction to Data Science
or Business Data Mining
 3
STAT 481 Applied Statistical Methods II 3
IDS 435 Optimization for Analytics 3
Concentration Requirement 3
Concentration Requirement 3
 Hours15
Fourth Year
First Semester
Concentration Requirement 3
Concentration Requirement 3
General Education Core course 3
Free Elective 4
 Hours13
Second Semester
Concentration Requirement 3
Concentration Requirement 3
General Education Core course 3
Free Elective 4
 Hours13
 Total Hours120