Ph.D. program
As the School grew, so too would its academic programs. The School of Data Science would achieve another milestone in this area in 2022 with the approval of a doctoral program.
In a release announcing the new program, Ian Baucom, the University’s provost, underscored what this development meant for the field itself: “Creating a Ph.D. in data science at UVA is another step toward using data to solve global problems.”
The full-time, residential program kicked off in August. Thomas Stewart, an associate professor who would join the faculty that fall, would eventually take the helm as program director.
In a video promoting the new Ph.D., Jeffrey Blume, associate dean of academic affairs, described what would distinguish UVA’s degree from others affiliated with data science but focused on statistics or computer science or some other related discipline.
“What makes our program unique is that we’re all in on data science,” Blume said. “We view ourselves as growing the next generation of data scientists.
In a year-end blog post, Phil Bourne reflected on this momentous moment.
“Our new Ph.D. in data science launched this academic year with 16 diverse students, all risk takers who have entrusted us with their careers,” he wrote. “We will not let them down.”
With the doctoral program approved, residential and online master’s degree offerings, and a very popular minor — which began in 2020 — all established, the School of Data Science lacked only one critical degree option to complete a full suite of academic programs: an undergraduate major.
In 2023 that moment would come. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia in September approved a data science major. Current first-year students in the 2023-24 academic year would be eligible to apply that spring to join the program’s first cohort in fall 2024.
Describing the new major, Brian Wright, an associate professor of data science and director of the School’s undergraduate programs, said: “We’ve designed and are going to deploy a curriculum that is not seen anywhere else in the country.”
As for interest in the new major among students, there was little concern about that. The data science minor had become the most popular minor at the University, with more than 740 students enrolled from more than 50 majors by 2024, and the enrollment number continues to climb.
“It will be a popular major based on the demand that you’ve seen already from students,” said University President Jim Ryan.
Ryan also noted that the new undergraduate program would help further the University’s mission of serving Virginia and society.
“My hope is that not only will it enable students to be prepared to pursue a host of careers that we didn’t even imagine a decade ago, but also that we will prepare them to make a genuine contribution,” he said.