How Useful is a Data Science Degree?

Last Updated By • December 2, 2020

The digital age has ushered in an incredible amount of data into the average person’s life, and future college students may wonder about the usefulness of a data science degree in an information-obsessed society. In 2016, data science became an essential role all the way up to the federal government with the appointment of the first Chief Data Scientist. Although the role is still in its early stages, the creation of the job is evidence of the importance of data science in today’s economy, government, and society.

Government Technology Magazine reports that data analytics has become an essential facet of big data, open data, and data analytics. The growth of data science as an essential part of modern research has vaulted the career into the mainstream for many companies, organizations, and the government.

Data Scientist Potential Earnings

One of the deciding factors for many people considering a career is the potential paycheck they might receive in that profession. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Computer and Information Research Scientists may expect median pay of $111,840 a year, but that income requires a graduate degree. The BLS expects 19 percent growth from the industry for these jobs over the next ten years, which is much faster than the average for all professions.

Future data scientists have the potential to earn impressive paychecks if they’re willing to enter a graduate degree program. Data scientists who work for software publishers and research & development groups tend to earn the most with top earners bringing in anywhere from $123,180 to $125,860 a year. The lowest paid data scientists, on average, work for schools and universities, but their earnings of $72,030 are still much higher than the average for all occupations, which is just $37,040.

Jobs for Data Scientists

Computers are a ubiquitous part of the working world today, and no industry is untouched by the statistics and information offered by data scientists. Popular environments for data scientists include federal government positions and jobs with computer systems design and similar services. Data scientists may also work in research and development for organizations or companies dealing with life, physical, and engineering sciences. Some data scientists also work for schools and universities, and the remaining data scientists find work with software publishers.

A data scientist will commonly work in a job with the same title, but there are also variants available for data scientists like Data Science Lead, Data Science Engineer, Applied Data Science, and Big Data Engineer. Earning a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a graduate degree in data science will grant a student access to these and similar jobs in the industry. A quick search on any internet-based job search website will return thousands of results for data scientist jobs across the country.

A certificate or boot camp program in data science may help a future data scientist decide whether he or she is a good fit for the profession, but a four-year degree and a graduate degree are all but mandatory. Jobs in technology continue to grow at a significant rate, and specialized careers like those in data science have the potential to grow with even greater swiftness. Not only is a data science degree useful for its high earnings potential, but it’s also an excellent way to enter an industry with high demand for new workers.

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