Master’s in Data Science Programs in Florida

Fancy a data science education in the Sunshine State? Explore our guide on useful things to know—from job growth and research opportunities, to scholarships, online degrees, and cool events. Ready for Miami? Skip ahead to our list of all the data science programs in Florida.

Studying Data Science in Florida

Florida has certainly been investing in data science. From funding efforts like The Idea Center at Miami Dade College to investing in economic development initiatives, there is a lot of focus on data science in the Sunshine State.

• One of these initiatives is the Florida High Tech Corridor. Now known simply as “The Corridor,” this project spans three public research universities and 23 counties. 
• The Knight Foundation has a similar goal for South Florida. In addition to the Idea Center, the foundation has invested millions in hundreds of projects like Code Fever Miami, LaunchCode, and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship.

The result? The Miami area is exploding with energy. Low corporate taxes are luring start-ups and entrepreneurs to the city. Some of these start-ups are small, but success stories like Magic Leap have attracted a lot of attention.

Data Science Research & Initiatives at Florida Universities

Florida universities are right behind these efforts. Here’s how schools are supporting growth:

• The University of Florida houses a data science-focused Informatics Institute. Big data researchers at this Institute and other UF groups like the Data Science Research (DSR) Lab and Emerging Pathogens Institute have access to the school’s HiPerGator Supercomputer. UF has also made its inexpensive Innovation Hub available to start-ups.
• The University of Miami draws its firepower from its Pegasus Supercomputer and its Center for Computational Science (CCS). CCS has a huge range of research interests, including smart cities and bioinformatics, and it runs all kinds of training programs.
• Florida Atlantic University has a number of data science projects going on through their many labs and research centers.
• Florida International University’s $3 million Tech Station is deliberately designed to attract top computing talent. Meanwhile, folks at its Startup FIU incubator and its Small Business Development Center (SBDC) are hoping to keep students in the Miami area after graduation.

Online Data Science Programs in Florida

We cover general things to look for in an online data science program elsewhere, so here we decided to concentrate on what makes programs in Florida unique.

Online Graduate Certificates in Data Science

The University of South Florida offers online graduate certificates in Business Analytics, Strategic Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Systems Engineering and Health Informatics. The University of West Florida has a graduate certificates in Data Science, Business Analytics, Geographic Information Science and Health Informatics. Florida State University also offers an online Health Information Technology, Graduate Certificate.

Online Master’s Degrees in Data Science

You’ll see that interest in health spring to life in online master’s programs. The University of Central Florida, the University of Southern Florida, and Jacksonville University all offer graduate degrees in health informatics.

If you’re not involved in healthcare, you could consider Full Sail University’s Master of Science in Business Intelligence. However, we should point out that Full Sail is a for-profit university that is partly owned by a private equity firm called TA Associates.

Data Science Scholarships in Florida

“Okay,” we hear you say, “but can I afford it?” For this section, we chose to focus on university aid that covers data science degrees in our Florida listings, but don’t take this as the end! The Graduate Studies Office will have additional info on general scholarships and fellowships (e.g. diversity funding) and advice about alternative financial options.

Florida International University

• College of Business Graduate Scholarships: The COB, which administers the MS in Health Informatics and Management Systems, offers both scholarships and tuition waivers to graduate students.

Florida State University

• Graduate School Funding: Graduate students from any department are eligible for a variety of types of financial assistance.

• Nova Southeastern University Scholarship Database: Nova has a searchable scholarship database, where you can search by level (e.g. graduate) and category. If you don’t qualify for the scholarships listed above, you may wish to browse through the entries.

University of Central Florida

• UCF Graduate Fellowships: UCF has graduate fellowships available for a variety of students, including minority and underrepresented graduate students. In addition to this list, you may also wish to investigate UCF Assistantship opportunities.

University of Miami

• The business school at the University of Miami has a variety of scholarship opportunities for students.

Data Science Events in Florida

Data Science Meetups & Communities in Florida

Florida has many data science meetups all over the state, though some are obviously more popular than others. If you’re near the Florida Institute of Technology, we also suggest a visit to Big Data Florida.

1. Action Design Network Miami: Organized by Action Design Network and sponsored by the Knight Foundation, this intriguing group explores the intersection of data science, UI/UX, psychology, and advocacy. Topics might include memory vs. experience and behaviorally inspired political marketing.
2. Fort Lauderdale Machine Learning: If you want to dive deeper into ML and get some hands-on experience with tools like Python and TensorFlow, this is the place to be. The group sometimes visits Florida Atlantic University.
3. Miami Data Science (MDS): MDS is open to anyone, of any skill level, interested in data science topics (e.g. R/Python programming, data visualization, data wrangling, big data analytics, machine learning, etc.). There are regular talks from experts and “Open Mike Nights” where participants can share their projects.
4. Orlando Machine Learning and Data Science (MLDS): Orlando MLDS meets monthly for discussion and teaching opportunities in data science skills and to share member projects..
5. Tampa Bay Data Science Group: This meetup is targeted at professional data scientists and analysts in the Tampa Bay area. There are lots of meetings, courses, and camps. 

Data Science Conferences & Workshops in Florida

Major data science conferences (e.g. Strata Data Conference, Predictive Analytics World, IEEE Conferences, SIGKDD, The Machine Learning Conference etc.) tend to bypass Florida for larger centers like New York City and California, but that doesn’t mean Florida is a wasteland. Along with training events and workshops at the CCS, here are a few other options to consider:

1. Blacktech Week: Funded by the Knight Foundation and located in Miami Beach, this is a week-long cultural celebration that highlights cutting-edge technologies and entrepreneurial innovation. Events include bootcamps, start-up workshops, panels, and after-hours networking.
2. Disney Data & Analytics Conference (DDAC): You knew there had to be one! As you might expect, the DDAC attracts companies and universities who are interested in the rich data fields of The Walt Disney Company, but this Orlando conference actually has a much wider focus on business & big data applications. As a bonus, attendees have photo ops with Mickey Mouse.
3. eMerge Americas: Based in Miami, eMerge is a cutting edge, 2-day technology conference centered on innovation across a variety of sectors, including health, education, and finance.
4. IoT Evolution Expo (East): Usually located in Fort Lauderdale or Miami, this conference/exhibition explores everything to do with IoT—the Internet of Things. There are talks, case studies, certification tutorials, awards, special events, and plenty of networking opportunities.

Data Science Jobs in Florida

Florida is home to many big cities, including Tampa, Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Some exciting data science opportunities are found in these places, including the following examples:

• Broward County is home to Magic Leap, the virtual reality start-up that attracted a whopping $542 million from companies like Andreessen Horowitz, Google Ventures, and Qualcomm. Not far away is the telehealth provider MDLIVE, Citrix Systems, and the Boca Raton-based Modernizing Medicine.
• Miami has leased office space to well-known tech names such as Google, Twitter, Facebook, Uber, Lyft, and Vice Media.

Data Scientist Salaries in Florida

According to 2018 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, computer and information research scientists (includes data scientists) in Florida earned an average of $101,120 per year. The Palm Bay area is one of the top paying areas for this profession in the country with salaries averaging $148,510.

Data Science Programs in Florida

We found 13 universities in Florida offering Masters of Data Science programs (and/or closely related programs, like MS in Analytics / Masters in Business Analytics).

If you represent a university and would like to contact us about editing any of our listings, or adding new programs, please send an email to info@mastersindatascience.org.