Master’s in Data Science Programs in Missouri

Hearing intriguing rumors about Kansas City and St. Louis? To get you up-to-speed on developments, we’ve put together a short guide to earning a Missouri data science degree. Already have a school in mind? Skip ahead to our list of all the data science programs in Missouri.

Studying Data Science in Missouri

Missouri is home to many schools offering data science programs, many of them conducting fascinating and innovative research in the field.

So what are all these data specialists working on? The Internet of Things, Ag tech, biotech, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, financial services—you name it.

• Missouri’s fertile soil is fueling research at companies such as Monsanto, DuPont, the Yield Lab, and NewLeaf Symbiotics, as well as non-profits such as the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.
• Advances in biotech and medical research are being fostered by organizations such as  BioNexus Kansas City and the BioSTL coalition.
• St. Louis is where you’ll find the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) West, which provides intelligence to warfighters, policymakers, intelligence professionals, and first responders.

Data Science Research & Initiatives at Missouri Universities

Happily, Missouri universities are eager to support the state’s surge in advanced industries. We can’t cover every data-driven initiative, but here are a few highlights…

• Thanks to its Saint Louis University Center for Health Outcomes Research (SLUCOR) and its medical school, Saint Louis University (SLU) has a serious stake in healthcare data. Their research falls under four main categories: diabetes, cardiology, pharmacoeconomics, and healthcare quality
• One of the University of Missouri’s (Mizzou) major data investments is the University of Missouri (MU) Informatics Institute—a multi-prong initiative devoted to bioinformatics, health informatics, and geoinformatics. It has a large number of research labs & centers, many focused on health and biology.
• Meanwhile, Washington University in Saint Louis (WUSTL) is exploring the business side of big data. The Olin Business School has close ties to Boeing (e.g. the Boeing Center for Supply Chain Innovation (BCSCI)) and its Center for Analytics & Big Data (CCABD) is very tight with the corporate world. Not only that, but WUSTL is a key player in medical research—the McDonnell Genome Institute has been a huge player in human genome sequencing.

Online Data Science Programs in Missouri

Missouri schools are deeply invested in distance learning for data scientists. We’ve listed general things to look for in an online data science program elsewhere, so here we decided to concentrate on your choices in the Show-Me State.

Online Graduate Certificates in Data Science

One player in online graduate certificates is Missouri S&T, which has several distance learning programs. Two are offered by the Department of Business and Information Technology:

• Online Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics and Data Science
• Online Graduate Certificate in Business Intelligence

And two are offered by the Department of Computer Science:

• Online Graduate Certificate in Big Data Management & Analytics
• Online Graduate Certificate in Big Data Management and Security

The business certificates can be used as a gateway to the university’s MBA or the MS in Information Science and Technology; the big data certificates as a gateway to the MS in Computer Science. This means if you earn a B or better in each certificate course, you can proceed to a graduate degree without being required to submit GRE/GMAT scores or letters of recommendation.

Online Master’s Degrees in Data Science

You’ll have your pick of specialties when it comes to online master’s degrees in data science—almost every university in Missouri has developed an option. Even better, each school has tried to stand out from its competitors by personalizing the program. For example:

• Mizzou’s online Master of Science in Data Science and Analytics allows you to pick an emphasis area in biotechnology, high performance computing, human centered design, strategic communications, geospatial, or data journalism.
• Missouri S&T’s online Master of Science in Information Science and Technology offers a variety of specialization options.

If you’re interested in the business side of data science:

• Maryville’s online Master of Science in Business Data Analytics includes skills-focused credits, an analytics capstone, and preparation for SQL and AZURE certification.
• SLU’s online Master of Science in Applied Analytics has coursework that melds tools and technologies with human and organizational applications.

Data Science Scholarships in Missouri

Here we chose to focus on university scholarships and assistantships that specifically apply to the school’s data programs. But don’t take this list as the end! The Graduate Studies Office will have more info on general aid, alternative financing options, and tuition discounts.

Grantham University

• Eugene “Gene” Jewett Memorial Scholarship for Business Students: This generous scholarship is open to any student enrolled in a degree offered by the Mark Skousen School of Business, including the online MS in Business Intelligence.

Missouri University of Science and Technology

• Graduate Teaching & Research Assistantships: The university offers a limited number of assistantships to graduate students. Part-time teaching is mandatory in some departments.

Saint Louis University-Main Campus

• Master of Science Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Scholarships & Assistantships: SLU offers research and teaching assistantships to well-qualified MS candidates. 

Washington University in St. Louis

• Dean’s Scholarship: All full-time Specialized Masters Program (SMP) candidates at the Olin Business School, including students applying to the MS in Customer Analytics program, are automatically considered for this merit-based scholarship.

Data Science Events in Missouri

Data Science Meetups & Communities in Missouri

Missouri has plenty of meetups for big data geeks, often with a technical edge. In addition to our list, you may also want to check out Kansas City IT Professionals (KCITP), which is one of the largest tech communities in the nation (13,000+ members), and the Transforming Data with Intelligence (TDWI) St. Louis Chapter, which is explicitly geared toward Business Intelligence & data warehousing professionals.

1. Data Science KC: DSKC is the “biggie” in Kansas City. It has 2,000+ members and hosts regular monthly meetups for data scientists interested in statistical analysis, predictive modeling, and visual representation. There are also hack nights and hands-on workshops.
2. Kansas City Internet of Things Meetup: Folks with any interest in IoT should check out this group. There are targeted talks and demos, as well as a number of networking opportunities.
3. Kansas City Machine Learning+Artificial Intelligence Group: It may be small (1,000+ members), but this meetup has all kinds of fascinating presentations revolving around ML in business and non-business environments—real, in-depth work.
4. Saint Louis Big Data Meetup: This meetup has an interesting mix of webinars and conferences.
5. St. Louis Machine Learning & Data Science: This is one of the biggest and most popular meetups in the city. Its talks and hands-on workshops tend to focus on hard-core skills in Machine Learning, NLP, AI, statistics, big data, etc.

Data Science Conferences & Workshops in Missouri

Missouri cities are not yet at the point where they can attract events such as Strata Data Conference, Predictive Analytics World, IEEE Conferences, SIGKDD, and The Machine Learning Conference. However, there are plenty of smaller conferences that pack a punch. If you can afford the plane ticket, you may also want to look at options in Austin/Dallas, Chicago & Detroit.

1. Missouri S&T Research and Technology Development Conference: Missouri S&T’s annual conference brings together academics, students, researchers, and industry. Though it’s not focused explicitly on data science, there are usually plenty of talks on big data subjects.
2. StampedeCon Big Data Conference: Billed as the “Midwest’s Premier Big Data Conference,” this popular event attracts all kinds of professionals interested in big data technology and management. In addition to the conference, StampedeCon also organizes an IoT Summit and Artificial Intelligence Summit.

Data Science Jobs in Missouri

In your search for data science jobs in Missouri, you’re likely to see the names Monsanto and Boeing pop up frequently. That’s no surprise, considering their size. But as we mentioned in the intro, IT professionals are now involved in a diverse set of industries. For example:

• In the field of bioscience and pharma, Missouri plays host to Sigma-Aldrich, MOGene Genomic Services, Confluence Discovery Technologies, and the U.S. headquarters of Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals.
• Companies such as Cerner, Centene, and Express Scripts are awash in healthcare data.
• Financial services firms such as H&R Block, Edward Jones, Scottrade, and Reinsurance Group of America (RGA) all have their headquarters in the state.

Data Scientist Salaries in Missouri

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for computer and information research scientists, which includes data scientists, in 2018 was $96,810.

Data Science Programs in Missouri

We found 10 universities in Missouri 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.