Embedding Data Science into Computer Science Education

As a fast-growing field with widespread impact on economy and its promising hiring potential, Data Science has been enthusiastically sought-out by many disciplines in the academia, including Mathematics, Statistics, Library Science, Management Information Systems, as well as Computer Science, as an attracting area for recruiting students, soliciting grants, and expanding their existing programs. Although some standalone programs in Data Science have been established around the country, many institutions encounter the challenges in balancing the curricula among different disciplines, allocating new resources, and cooperating with the existing majors regarding enrollment management, student advising, and faculty preparation. In this paper, a strategy-based framework is proposed for those who have limited resources of all kinds to introduce Data Science through their existing Computer Science programs at a baccalaureate level with a minimum curriculum disruption. Instead of a standalone program, to embed Data Science into Computer Science education is demonstrated to be a practical, effective, cost-saving approach based on an extensive study of the synergy between Data Science and Computer Science education. While the proposed framework is not a one-size-fits-all approach, it provides a doable route for blending Data Science into Computer Science education in systematic ways. It has become the consensus that an adequate exposure to Data Science will better prepare computer science students for taking the challenges in this ever-changing, data embraced world.