Master’s in Data Science Programs in Massachusetts

Is Massachusetts the right state for you to study data science? To help answer your questions, we’ve created a guide to schools, online degrees, scholarships, meetups, and more.

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Studying Data Science in Massachusetts

Massachusetts has invested in data science. Under the auspices of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and its Innovation Institute, the state has been investing money in big data, e-commerce, advanced manufacturing, and R&D centers.

Data Science Research and Initiatives at Massachusetts Universities

Massachusetts is home to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard, UMass Amherst, BU, and numerous others.

Just to take a few examples of what’s happening on campus:

• MIT has too many research interests to list! One example of data excellence is the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), which is at the cutting edge of AI research. The Data Science Machine was introduced/published in 2015 by CSAIL researchers. MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS) is another. It spans all five schools and is deeply invested in solving complex societal challenges.
• Harvard has the Institute for Applied Computational Science (IACS); and the Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences (IQSS), which produces projects like the Data Privacy Lab. In 2016, the university signed a six-year, $8.4 million research/commercialization deal with the Tata Group to tackle robotics, wearable technologies, and the Internet of Things.
• University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst is home to the Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, developing and applying methods to collect, curate, and analyze large-scale data and make discoveries/decisions from those analyses, plus operating a Data Core of data scientists/software engineers that partners on applied solutions.
• Boston University (BU) kicked off its Data Science Initiative (DSI) in the summer of 2014, pulling on expertise from the Hariri Institute, the Center for Information & Systems Engineering (CISE), and the Center for Reliable Information Systems and Cyber Security. BU’s Hariri Institute hosts a BU/MIT Lincoln Laboratory Research Collaboration workshop series (cybersecurity).

And we’ve only touched the surface. There’s Worcester Polytechnic Institute, which is the nation’s first interdisciplinary PhD program in Data Science; and smaller schools like Bentley and Babson, which focus on business applications.

Online Data Science Programs in Massachusetts

Choices for online data science programs in Massachusetts are school-dependent. Depending on the school, offerings range from data science to business intelligence to statistical analytics.

And they don’t just vary at the program focus level. There are also programs for those of varying abilities. Master’s for those who have earned their bachelor’s degrees. Doctorates for those with an interest in academia. Certificates for those who want to take a few courses to bolster their knowledge in a technical area. Prerequisites will also vary by program – some are designed for those with an undergraduate background in data or statistics, while others are geared to career changers.

Online Graduate Certificates in Data Science

Northeastern, Boston University, UMass Amherst, and UMass Boston all offer graduate certificates in data analytics and/or business analytics. Typically, these programs cover standard areas like data mining, visualization, and strategic decision-making.

A more unusual approach is Northeastern’s Hybrid Graduate Certificate in Urban Analytics. This is an emerging field in data science, and the university is jumping all over it. For example, academics at Northeastern’s School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs Research Labs have been exploring the intersection of government data and behavioral and social dynamics.

Online Master’s Degrees in Data Science

Massachusetts has notable online options from smaller private schools, plus public options:

• Boston University has a Master of Science (MS) in Applied Business Analytics and a more technical MS in Computer Information Systems with a data analytics concentration.
• Northeastern has all kinds of informatics-themed options, including the hybrid MS in Urban Informatics and MS in Health Informatics.

But that’s not to ignore the efforts of smaller schools. For example, Bay Path has assembled an online MS in Applied Data Science and Brandeis has an online MS in Strategic Analytics.

Whatever the degree name, read up on the course descriptions and the faculty profiles; some master’s degrees may be more for business types than data lovers.

Data Science Bootcamps in Massachusetts

Data science and data analytics bootcamps in Massachusetts may be an avenue to jump-start your transition into the field. Bootcamps are short courses of study meant to quickly introduce students to practice compared to a master’s degree. Bootcamps in Massachusetts may be dedicated to data science, the study of how information is derived from raw data; data analytics, the process of drawing specific conclusions from data; or both data science and data analytics. See our guide to learn more about data science bootcamps or data analytics bootcamps in Massachusetts.

Data Science Scholarships in Massachusetts

Financial aid for Massachusetts data science programs is available. We’ve listed scholarships and fellowships that would cover degrees in our school listings, but this is only the beginning. Your graduate studies office will have lots of info on general scholarships, outside sources and alternative financing options.

Babson College

• MBA Graduate Assistantships: Babson gives merit-based graduate assistantships to highly qualified applicants to its full-time MBA programs.
• MBA Graduate Awards: Thinking about the MBA with a Business Analytics Concentration? You’ll be pleased to know there are scores of MBA scholarships available at Babson.

Bentley University

• Dean’s Leadership Award: Partial and full-tuition scholarships are available to deserving MBA students. Applicants must be academically qualified members with a demonstrated commitment to leadership and social responsibility.
• Graduate School of Business (GSB) Assistantships and Scholarships: The GSB administers all kinds of data-focused MBA and MS programs, and offers a limited number of merit-based assistantships and scholarships to deserving candidates.

Boston University

• Metropolitan College Graduate Scholarships: BU’s Metropolitan College runs a number of analytics-focused MS programs. BU MET instead presents scholarships and assistantships as college-wide opportunities (for graduate and undergraduate students), not typically siloed within one department.

Brandeis University

• Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) Master’s Scholarships & Fellowships: GSAS, which administers the MA in Computational Linguistics, gives merit-based and need-based awards to various graduate students. These scholarships are often awarded at the time of admission and do not require a separate application.

Harvard University

• T.H. Chan School of Public Health (SPH) Grants: The SPH, which administers the MS in Computational Biology and Quantitative Genetics, offers grant aid (in varying amounts) to some graduate students in resident master’s programs.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Master of Business Analytics Fellowships: MIT Sloan notes that all MBAn students receive a $22,000+ tuition offset as part of their participation in the Analytics Capstone Project. Beyond that built-in offset, students typically finance the program through a mix of personal funds, loans, and, where available, fellowship/scholarship awards or employer/government sponsorship (with program-specific details provided after admission). Some students may also explore external awards that explicitly include MBAn eligibility, such as the Aker Scholarship.

Northeastern University

• College of Professional Studies (CPS) Scholarships: If you’re a Northeastern alum and considering the MPS in Informatics from the CPS, you may be eligible for the Double Husky Scholarship.
• School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs Scholarships: The School of Public Policy administers the MS in Urban Informatics, and it has a few awards open to students. For the MS, you may also wish to investigate Northeastern’s College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH) Scholarships (e.g Dean’s Scholarship).

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

• Data Science Assistantships: Graduate students in WPI’s data science programs are eligible for graduate student assistantships (GSAs), teaching assistantships, and research assistantships. TAs receive stipends tuition support, and subsidized health insurance.
• GAANN: In some years and departments, WPI administers federally supported fellowships through the U.S. Department of Education’s Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) program. GAANN provides fellowships (through university academic departments) for doctoral students in designated “areas of national need” who demonstrate financial need, and WPI has received GAANN funding for PhD training in areas such as big data computing (and lists GAANN fellowships in certain departments when available).

Data Science Events in Massachusetts

Data Science Meetups and Communities in Massachusetts

The Greater Boston area has many things: universities, bars, students and data science meetups. There are groups centered on specific tools (e.g. Boston Data Technology), foci (e.g. Boston Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Computing, etc.), and fields (e.g. Bio-Entrepreneurs). As well as those just mentioned, here are five more to explore:

• Data, Cloud, and AI in Boston: This meetup was formed with the backing of IBM. The free meetups give developers and data scientists the chance to work on solutions and tools in IBM’s Big Data portfolio.
• ODSC AI Boston: Home to 5,600+ members, ODSC AI Boston is based in Cambridge and hosts talks and events on all kinds of topics related to data mining/science.
• AI Performance Engineering Invite: This meetup organizes lectures, tutorials and workshops. Topics can cover everything from machine learning to social media.
• Western Mass Statistics and Data Science: Targeted to folks in the Pioneer Valley and Five College Area, this group has evolved into an all-purpose meetup, hosting and cross-listing public talks and events.

Data Science Conferences and Workshops in Massachusetts

Major data science conferences (e.g., Predictive Analytics World, IEEE Conferences, The Machine Learning Conference, etc.) and focused forums often stop in Boston. If you’re pursuing a master’s degree or PhD in the Bay State, you may also be interested in:

1. MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference: If you’re into analytics and sports science, this is the place to be. Along with workshops and talks, there’s a Startup Trade Show, a First Pitch Case Competition, a Hackathon, and a whole lot more.
2. Open Data Science Conference (ODSC) AI East: ODSC alights in Boston for its annual conference. There are talks, in-depth workshops, tutorial sessions, and lots of networking.

Data Science Jobs in Massachusetts

Because of all the state encouragement and university research we’ve mentioned, Massachusetts is fertile ground for data science jobs. Those jobs are being generated by a number of employers, large and small. Some employers include:

• MIT and Harvard form the nuclei of a major technology hub in Cambridge. Google and Amazon have offices here.
• GE moved its headquarters to Boston in 2016, and today GE Vernova (the energy-focused company) is headquartered in Cambridge, reflecting the region’s continuing pull for R&D-heavy employers.

In addition, Massachusetts is world-renowned for its medical institutions. If you’re intrigued by the intersection of data science and biotechnology/healthcare, you’re in the right place. Massachusetts is also world-renowned for its medical and life sciences ecosystem, which drives steady demand for professionals who can work at the intersection of data, healthcare, and biotechnology.

For example, in FY2024, Boston received nearly $2.5 billion in NIH funding, and Massachusetts as a whole received nearly $3.5 billion, a signal of how deep the region’s biomedical research economy runs.

Data Scientist Salaries in Massachusetts

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2024, data scientists in Massachusetts made an average of $139,670 per year.

Information last updated: December 2025

Interested in STEM Careers?

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:

• Computer Engineer
• Computer Scientist
• Information Security Analyst
• Computer and Information Research Scientist
• Computer Systems Analyst

Marketing and User Research Careers:

• Marketing Analyst
• Market Research Analyst
• Digital Marketer
• UX Designer

Compare Careers and STEM Fields:

• Data Analyst vs. Data Scientist
• Computer Science vs. Computer Engineering
• Cybersecurity vs. Computer Science
• Data Analytics vs. Business Analytics
• Data Science vs. Machine Learning

Related Graduate STEM Degrees

Related Undergraduate STEM Degrees

• Online Bachelor’s in Data Science
• Online Bachelor’s in Computer Science
• Sponsored: Computer Science at Simmons

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.