Dear Students,

Welcome!  We are thrilled to launch the new undergraduate majors in Data Science (B.S.) and Data Science & Social Systems (B.A.).

It is an exciting time to study data science at Stanford. Work across nearly all domains is becoming more data-driven: this impacts science, industry, and government, affecting both the jobs available and the skills they require. As more data becomes available and the computational capacity increases, our economy, society, and daily life will become even more dependent on our ability to systematically learn from this data.

Across campus, students, faculty, and researchers are using data science to gain new insights into their fields. Construction is underway for the Stanford Data Science & Computation Complex, our future home. This new building is dedicated to fostering collaboration, innovation, and world-class research in data science and its many applications.  Our new majors leverage this collective work and energy, bringing together faculty from across the university to teach courses, advise students, and create exciting opportunities for research and application.  

As a graduate of our program, you will know how and when to use tools from mathematics, computer science, statistics, engineering, and the social sciences. You will appreciate the ethical and moral considerations in the use of data and technology. With the freedom to explore your interests across departments, you will have developed your own passions and shaped an intellectual pathway - ranging from cutting-edge machine learning algorithms to the applications of data science to advance sustainability. As part of your capstone, you will have conducted meaningful research or partnered with government or community organizations to apply data science to important social challenges.  You will be ready to be a next-generation leader in this exciting field. 

Please explore our majors and reach out if you have any questions.  We are glad you are here.  Let's dive in - there's exciting work to do!

All the best,

Professor Guenther Walther, Faculty Director of the B.S. in Data Science

Professor Chiara Sabatti, Associate Director of the B.S. in Data Science

Professor Jeremy Weinstein, Faculty Director of the B.A. in Data Science

Dr. Mallory Nobles, Associate Director of the B.A. in Data Science