MASTER OF SCIENCE IN

DATA SCIENCE PROGRAMME

Offered in collaboration with:

Northwestern University
School of Professional Studies
Get the Northwestern Advantage

160+
Years of educational excellence

Ranked #9*
#9
Among US universities in 2022
*U.S. News & World Report 2022 Best College Rankings

Ranked #24*
#22
Global University Rankings 2022
*
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022

Students Reside
in 75+ Countries

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Northwestern University School of
Professional Studies
One of the 12 official schools and colleges at Northwestern University
A core part of Northwestern’s mission for more than 80 years
Committed to providing a superior Northwestern education to students whose academic
pursuits need to be balanced with professional and personal commitments

A Distinguished Community
Faculty and alumni are recipients of the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, MacArthur Genius Grant,
Grammy Award, Emmy Award, Academy Award, Tony Award, and Guggenheim Fellowship,
among many other honorary and professional accolades.

As a Northwestern Wildcat, you will be joining this illustrious alumni community and benefit
from the association for the rest of your life.

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Degree Highlights
Online learning with Master’s degree from a
live sessions top global university

Seasoned faculty
Committed
with industry
student support
experience

Career support
services - Resume Two in-person learning
review and interview sessions in India
preparation tips

Coursework in Relevant tools and

Artificial languages like R,
Intelligence Python & TensorFlow

Attend on-campus
convocation in US

Studying data science at

Northwestern School of Professional
Studies allowed me to branch off
from specialized knowledge developed
on the job by providing a broad, formal
analytics education needed to help
me move on to better opportunities.

- Scott Sobel, Principal, Oliver Wyman

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On-campus
convocation in USA

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Learning Outcomes
The integration of data science and business strategy has created a demand for
professionals who can make data-driven decisions that propel their organizations forward.
You can build the essential analysis and leadership skills needed for careers in today's
data-driven world in Northwestern SPS’s online Master of Science in Data Science
Programme.

Programme Goals
Articulate analytics as a core strategy of data science

Transform data into actionable insights

Develop statistically sound and robust analytic solutions

Demonstrate leadership

Formulate and manage plans to address business issues

Evaluate constraints on the use of data

Assess data structure and data lifecycle

The biggest benefit of

studying data science at
Northwestern School of
Professional Studies was that
it gave me a deeper
understanding of how
predictive models work and
how they can be applied. Just
as important, it allowed me to
communicate what a
predictive analysis means.

- Jason Okui, Product Manager, Adobe

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Data Science Alumni
Alumni of the MS in Data Science from Northwestern School of Professional Studies work at
some of the world’s best companies.

Northwestern
Alumni Benefits
Becoming a Northwestern Wildcat comes
with great benefits — from global alumni
events to lifelong access to free learning
events, library resources, and a
Northwestern email address.

You will also join a community of

award-winners and world-leaders — in
science, technology, politics, arts and
entertainment — including the likes of
Stephen Colbert, George R.R. Martin,
Rahm Emanuel, Virginia Rometty and
many others.

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Curriculum
TERM 1

MATH FOR MODELERS

Learn techniques for building and interpreting
mathematical models of real-world phenomena in and
across multiple disciplines, including linear algebra,
discrete mathematics, probability, and calculus, with an
emphasis on applications in data science and data
engineering.

APPLIED STATISTICS WITH R

This course teaches the fundamentals of statistical
analysis. This includes evaluating statistical information,
performing data analyses, and interpreting and
communicating analytical results. Students will learn to use
the R language for statistical analysis, data visualization,
and report generation.

TERM 2

DATABASE SYSTEMS
In this course, students explore the fundamental concepts
of database management. With a focus on applications in
large‐scale data analytics projects, the course introduces
relational database systems, the relational model,
normalization process, and structured query language
(SQL).

BUSINESS PROCESS ANALYTICS

This course introduces data-driven management methods,
including business process workflows, mining, modeling,
and simulation, activity-based costing, constrained
optimization, and predictive analytics.

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TERM 3

FOUNDATIONS OF DATA ENGINEERING

This course introduces data engineering concepts and technologies relevant to development
and operations (DevOps). It reviews design principles, development processes, and
management of information systems, with a focus on containerized microservices and
cloud-native applications.

DECISION ANALYTICS
This course covers fundamental concepts, solution techniques, modeling approaches, and
applications of decision analytics. It introduces commonly used methods of optimization,
simulation and decision analysis techniques for prescriptive analytics in business.

TERM 4

DATA GOVERNANCE, ETHICS, AND LAW

This course introduces data management concepts, including data quality, integrity,
usability, consistency, and security. It considers the lineage of data, sometimes referred to as
data provenance. It reviews ethical, legal, and technical issues relating to data acquisition
and dissemination, as well as privacy protection.

(a) Practical Machine Learning (.5 credit in-class component)

(b) Practical Machine Learning (.5 credit required on-ground residency, held in person at
either the Chennai or Gurgaon campus, India)

The course introduces Machine Learning with business applications. It provides a survey of
machine learning techniques, including traditional statistical methods, resampling
techniques, model selection and regularization, tree‐based methods, principal components
analysis, cluster analysis, artificial neural networks, and deep learning.
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TERM 5

NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING

A comprehensive review of text analytics and natural
language processing with a focus on recent
developments in computational linguistics and machine
learning. Students work with unstructured and
semi-structured text from online sources, document
collections, and databases.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE & DEEP

LEARNING
An introduction to the field of artificial intelligence, this
course illustrates probability rule‐based generative models
as well as discriminative models that learn from training
data.

TERM 6

COMPUTER VISION
The course illustrates real-world applications for visual
exploration, object recognition, image classification, facial
recognition, remote sensing, navigation, and medical
diagnostics. This is a project-based course with extensive
programming assignments.

CAPSTONE PROJECT
(a) Capstone (in-class component)
(b) Capstone (.5 credit required on-ground residency, held in
person at either the Chennai or Gurgaon campus, India)

This course is the culmination of the Data Science program.

It gives students an opportunity to demonstrate their
business strategic thinking, communication, and consulting
skills. Business cases across various industries and
application areas illustrate strategic advantages of
analytics, as well as organizational issues in implementing
systems for Data Science. Students work in project teams,
generating business plans and project implementation
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plans.
Faculty Director

Thomas Miller, PhD

Thomas W. Miller is the faculty director of the data science program at Northwestern
University School of Professional Studies. He designed online learning materials for the
program, including courses in advanced modeling techniques, marketing analytics, data
engineering, and machine learning. Miller has published six books about data science with
Pearson Education (the series "Modeling Techniques in Predictive Analytics"). Miller also
owns a publishing and consulting firm, Research Publishers LLC, located in Manhattan
Beach, California. He provides data science consulting services and is actively involved in
developing chatbot and survey research applications. Earlier in his career Miller directed the
A. C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research and taught market research and business
strategy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Miller holds a doctorate in psychology and
a master's degree in statistics from the University of Minnesota, as well as an MBA and a
master's degree in economics from the University of Oregon.

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Batch Profile
Work Experience Distribution
MS in Data Science Programme batch consists of students from diverse backgrounds with a
wide range of experience for enriched mutual learning.

<1 Year 6%
1-3 Years
23% 9%
>15 Years
11%
3-5 Years

15%
12-15 Years 18%
5-8 Years
18%
8-12 Years

Key Organizations
The students in the current batch are employed in industry-leading organisations across
nations and some of their current employers are:

Location
Our students live in:

London, UK

Georgia, North Carolina (USA)

Madrid, Spain India
Doha, Qatar

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Testimonials

“ This program provided me with a comprehensive understanding of

Data Science concepts, methodologies, and specializations. The
rigorous training and challenging coursework prepared me for the
demands of advanced research at the PhD level. The esteemed faculty
members have offered invaluable guidance, mentorship, and support
throughout my academic journey. The curriculum provided me with a

Ajinkya Lakhepatil
strong foundation while also enhancing my quantitative skills.
”

“ I had an excellent experience with this program. It had a

well-structured syllabus, starting from basic concepts and then
building on to practical and real-world applications. It allowed me to
make a career transition from a mechanical job profile to a Data
Scientist in finance job profile. Designated as Project Manager, I am
now responsible for handling a team of 3 people in order to drive
business through data-based decision-making.
”
Akshay Chaudhari

“ My experience with this program has been incredibly rewarding.

The rigorous curriculum provided me with a strong foundation in Data
Science principles and techniques. The dedicated faculty members
have been instrumental in my learning journey. I got the opportunity to
collaborate with fellow students who brought diverse perspectives to
our coursework. During the program, I successfully transitioned from
the healthcare industry to the aviation sector. I am now working as
Lead Operational Performance Analyst at Qatar Airways. This
Nadiya Noorudeen transition has allowed me to apply the skills and knowledge I gained
during the program in a completely different context. I'm grateful for
the program's role in helping me achieve this career milestone.
”

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 “ I had an amazing experience with this program. It has great
modules and well-experienced faculty members. It taught me about
time management and the dedication that is required to balance my
job alongside the program. Earlier, I worked at Stanza Living as a Senior
Data Analyst. During the program, I got an offer from Cvent to join as an
Analyst in their IT department. The tools and techniques that were
taught are really helpful during my daily tasks in my current
organization. I plan to use the insights from this Master's degree while
Shalesh Nath
Sharma
applying for a PhD in the field of Data Science.
”

“ I very much enjoyed this program. I particularly liked the discussion

forums, project weeks, residency programs and Capstone Projects.
During this program, I progressed to a Lead Data Scientist role at my
current organization, where I have led several significant Data Science
initiatives for our customers. I have architected an MLOps framework
using AWS SageMaker and established an event-driven batch scoring
process, a data drift-driven auto-retraining platform, and real-time

Sivakumar
prediction services, among other things.
”
Sarvanasubramaniam

“ I liked the program curriculum and the overall program structure. It

ensured that I had enough time to pick the required skill sets. As the
modules were project-assignment oriented, they greatly benefitted me
by giving me hands-on working experience. It gave me the opportunity
to apply my Python and ML skills to projects. During this program, I
was able to make a profile change from the role of Data Engineering
Solutions Architect to Data Engineering and ML Architect. I look
forward to using this Master’s degree to apply for a PhD in the field of

Srihari
Narasimhachar
Data Science.
”

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Career Transitions
SIVAKUMAR SARAVANASUBRAMANIAN
Lead Data Scientist
Program Lead and
and AWS Data
Solution Architect
Solutions Architect

AJINKYA LAKHEPATIL

Pursuing PhD in
Fresher
Aerospace at Cranfield
University - England

AKSHAY CHAUDHARI
Project Manager
CFD Manager

SRIHARI NARASIMHACHAR
Data Engineering
CEO and Solutions
and ML Architect
Architect

SMARTELLO ANALYTICS SMARTELLO ANALYTICS

SHALESH NATH SHARMA

Analyst in IT Sector
Sr. Data Analyst

NADIYA NOORUDEEN
Lead Operational
BI Analyst
Performance Analyst

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Admission
All applicants are required to submit an online application. Applicants can check the status
of their application at any time by logging into the online Self Service Center portal. A
complete application to Northwestern University School of Professional Studies includes
the following components:

Online Application Statement of Purpose

Use the online application to submit Applicants need to submit a 300 - 550
your contact information, upload your word statement of purpose outlining
statement of purpose and resume, and how the Degree Programme will help
any additional supporting them meet their academic and
documentation. professional goals.

Programme Fee Application Fee

Estimated tuition is $13,000. A $75 non-refundable application fee is

required. Pay online with a credit card.

Resume Recommendation Letter

Applicants are required to submit a Applicants need to enter the names and
resume. The resume can be uploaded via email addresses for two recommenders.
the online application. Reference requests are sent to your
recommenders via email.

Apply early International Students

Due to limited intake into each cohort, Applicants need to demonstrate their
you are recommended to apply early to English proficiency through an official
have the best possible chance at gaining transcript for a bachelor’s degree or
admission into the Programme. higher from an accredited U.S. university
or official TOEFL/IELTS score.

Transcripts

Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended are required as part of the
admission process to evaluate a candidate’s academic fit for this rigorous program. Official
transcripts from institutions outside of the U.S. are required to be evaluated by a member
of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). For more details,
please refer our website.
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