Is Georgia on your mind for data science? Take a look at our guide to schools, research, job prospects, online alternatives, graduate scholarships, and networking opportunities!

Already have Georgia Tech on your shortlist? Feel free to skip ahead to our list of all the data science programs in Georgia.

Thanks to Atlanta, the Silicon Valley of the South is making a name for itself. Georgia’s capital is studded with Fortune 1000 companies and home to countless data-driven start-ups.

One exciting thing about Atlanta is its technology & innovation centers. If you haven’t visited Atlanta Tech Village, TechSquare Labs, FlatironCity, or any of the city’s other accelerators, now is the time.

Two other important names for data scientists to remember are the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), which serves as a hub of useful info (e.g. jobs, events, training, etc.), and the open-membership Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), which is a major start-up initiative.

It’s no accident that the ATDC is a Georgia Tech project. This famous university has socked a huge amount of money into Atlanta’s Tech Square area, and it’s deeply committed to big data. You’ll find it in US. News & World Report rankings for the top 10 of Best Graduate Computer Science Programs for 2022.

When you’re weighing degrees, here are some related points to consider:

Meanwhile, Georgia Southern University is standing up for small towns like Statesboro, using its Business Innovation Group (BIG) to support projects like the Innovation Incubator. The university also has research interests in health (e.g. Karl E. Peace Center for Biostatistics and Survey Research) and the cloud (e.g. Cloud Computing Solutions Research Laboratory).

Distance learning is coming along in the Peach State. In 2013, Georgia Tech created a partnership with Udacity and AT&T to develop its online MS in Computer Science.

We cover general things to look for in an online data science program elsewhere, so here we decided to look more closely at state offerings.

When it comes to online graduate certificates, Kennesaw State is focused on the business end. Its distance learning options include online certificates in applied statistics using R or SAS®. Kennesaw State also offers online certificates in software engineering and systems engineering. If you’re trying to develop a particular set of skills, have a look at our master list of Online Graduate Certificates in Data Science. This has a list of online graduate certificates from schools across the country.

Georgia Southern has an MS in Computer Science with a concentration in Data Mining and Data Warehousing. Georgia Tech University offers an online master of science in computer science, from their partnership with AT&T and Udactiy.

We also have databases of online master’s degrees in data science, business analytics, and information systems around the nation.

Do you live in Georgia? Are you interested in starting a career in data science or data analytics? If so, you may want to consider attending a data science or data analytics bootcamp. A bootcamp is a short-term, intensive course of study meant to quickly introduce students to a new field. Bootcamps in Georgia are dedicated to data science, the study of developing knowledge from sets of information; data analytics, the process of drawing conclusions from information; or both data science and data analytics. See our guides to learn more about data science bootcamps or data analytics bootcamps or our guide to data science and data analytics bootcamps in Atlanta for more information!

We chose to focus on university awards that would cover data science degrees in our listings, but don’t take this as the end! Your school’s Graduate Studies Office will have more information on general scholarships and fellowships and info on financial options.

As you might expect, a lot of data science meetups are in Atlanta. There are groups devoted to tools (e.g. Hadoop, Python, etc.), platforms, and special interests (e.g. The Business Intelligence SIG). Here are some of the larger ones with useful networking opportunities:

Like other mid-size Silicon centers (e.g. Miami), Atlanta only occasionally hosts major data science conferences (e.g. Strata Data Conference,Predictive Analytics World, IEEE Conferences, SIGKDD, The Machine Learning Conference, etc.). Can’t afford the flights to New York City or San Francisco? Here are some local events to consider:

Bonus round: Every spring, the ATDC hosts an Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) Startup Showcase. This gives promising start-ups a chance to showcase their technologies and attract investors.

Georgia has start-up energy. Atlanta has spawned tech innovators like Kabbage, AirWatch (acquired by VMWare), Predikto, and Kanga, and centers like ATDC just keep on pumping out ideas.

Plus there’s the needs of the establishment. Along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Turner Broadcasting, UPS, Coca-Cola, Home Depot, and many other famous names, Atlanta can now claim General Electric.

According to data from the O*NET OnLine in 2020, data scientists made an average $85,600 per year in Georgia.

Last updated: April 2022

If you’re looking for information on career paths that involve STEM, see our guides below:

Data Science and Analytics Careers:

Computer Science, Computer Engineering and Information Careers:

Marketing and User Research Careers:

Compare Careers and STEM Fields:

We found 8 universities in Georgia offering Masters of Data Science programs (and/or closely related programs, like MS in Analytics / Masters in Business Analytics). The university’s website will have the most up to date information on specific programs.

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.

This page includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

This page includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.