Master’s in Data Science Programs in New Mexico

Enchanted by the prospect of earning a data science degree in New Mexico? Keep reading for an exploration of the state’s job market, big scholarships, and professional communities for data scientists.

Peruse our list of data science graduate degrees and certificates in New Mexico to get started. 

Studying Data Science in New Mexico

New Mexico has two National Laboratories in the state. One, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), runs the Exascale Computing Project, which is dedicated to making better models and simulations with more data but less time. The other, Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, has established the Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) program dedicated to predicting the effect of nuclear weapons on the environment. It falls under the lab’s computing and information science wing, which is creating supercomputers at scale.

So, what does high-level research mean for students? New Mexico supports multiple state-run research universities, including University of New Mexico (UNM), New Mexico State University (NMSU), and New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. Together, they form the New Mexico Consortium (NMC), pooling resources with Los Alamos National Laboratory to tackle advanced computing as well as modeling and analysis. For advanced computing, it runs theNMC Ultrascale Systems Research Center, which seeks to push supercomputing toward even faster computations. As for NMC’s modeling and analysis wing, it aggregates system data to predict changes to climate, economic behavior, and the spread of viruses. Oh, and quantum computing.

NMC isn’t the only active network in the state. University-based data scientists working on healthcare applications of big data can join the bioinformatics team at New Mexico IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE). Studying under a participating professor at New Mexico Highlands University, San Juan College, UNM or Northern New Mexico University may expose you to some cutting-edge genetic research. For instance, INBRE’s Sequencing and Bioinformatics Core (SBC) in Santa Fe falls under the National Center for Genome Resources, which created the first genome sequence database back in 1994.

Data Science Research & Initiatives at New Mexico Universities

Now that you know what the state’s researchers are up to in general, let’s drill down to the work being done at individual universities:

• The Bureau of Business & Economic Research (BBER) at the University of New Mexico was created by the state in 1945 to parse New Mexico census data. BBER relies on permanent and student staff to produce research for state and city policymakers, including economic forecasts and fiscal impact studies. 
• Big Data & Big Computations is a big research area at UNM’s Center for Advanced Research Computing (CARC). The center is open to researchers from any department, and undergraduates and graduates work in one of a handful of resident research groups.
• Data science is also on the School of Medicine’s agenda because it has a Translational Informatics Division. The division launched aClinical Informatics Fellowship program to train doctors in new healthcare technologies.
• New Mexico State University has its own Bioinformatics Research Lab. It’s goal is to increase quantitative understanding of life processes through advanced computational technology.
• That lab often works closely with the Data Mining Laboratory at NMSU, which researches a variety of things including cyber-physical systems and smartgrids.

Data Science Scholarships in New Mexico

At the undergraduate level, students get scholarships. At the graduate level, you’ll often have to work for your financial aid. Look for fellowships and assistantships like these from your department:

New Mexico State University

• College of Business Graduate Assistantship: Teach or conduct research under a professor and you’ll get funds. Spots are competitive.

University of New Mexico

• Department of Mathematics & Statistics Teaching Assistantship: Let the program coordinator know you’re interested in the $17,000 stipend and tuition that comes with teaching undergrads. Not everyone gets a placement.

Data Science Events in New Mexico

Data Science Meetups & Communities in New Mexico

For a general introduction to the local tech scene, sample regularly meeting groups such as ABQ Innovation Ecosystem. In New Mexico, the communities really love particular software:

1. Albuquerque SQL Server User Group: The ABQ chapter of PASS (née the Professional Association for SQL Server) holds free meetings for members and nonmembers alike. Come for food and to digest talks from guest speakers on data analytics, business intelligence, and other SQL-ly topics.
2. Las Cruces & El Paso SQL Users Group: Come every second Thursday from 11:30 to 1:00 for pizza and presentations from local pros. Talks typically delve into data analytics and visualization techniques.

Data Science Conferences & Workshops in New Mexico

Here are data science related events in New Mexico, both on and off LANL premises:

1. New Mexico BioInformatics, Science & Technology (NMBIST) Symposium: The New Mexico IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), a network of state universities and federal government institutes, has been hosting the NMBIST Symposium in Santa Fe since 2006. The two-day academic conference attracts investigators and students who are deep in the weeds of genetic research and looking for new methods to understand the data produced by billions of human bodies.
2. NM Data Users Conference: This daylong conference put on by the UNM Bureau of Business & Economic Research (BBER) in Albuquerque with support from the U.S. Census Bureau, explores new tools for visualizing demographic data in the state.
3. Stats Camp: Though it tours the nation’s universities, Stats Camp is based in Albuquerque, so it always comes home for one or two weeklong trainings in the summer. Campers are university undergraduates and graduate students (or faculty) looking for an in-depth course in a particular area of data analysis.

Data Science Jobs in New Mexico

If you want to do some serious data science research, you may wish to consider New Mexico, as it has not one but two of the country’s National Laboratories: Sandia in Albuquerque and Los Alamos northwest of Santa Fe. Both are among the state’s biggest employers. 

If going straight to work for one of these two research behemoths is too intimidating, try the Sandia Science & Technology Park in Albuquerque. The team at Datalytic Solutions mines data for clients in agriculture, healthcare, finance and transportation, while Presbyterian Healthcare Services offers opportunities for graduates with an informatics background.

Data Scientist Salaries in New Mexico

The title “computer and information research scientist” is the closest match to data scientist in the Bureau of Labor Statistics data. In 2018, this profession averaged $136,370 in salary. Ther top 10% of salaries are over $194,390.

Data Science Programs in New Mexico

We found 3 universities in New Mexico 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.