In Collaboration with Flatiron School
Birmingham-Southern College launched its Accelerated Data Science Program, the first of its kind for undergraduate students in the state of Alabama, in summer 2021. 365英国上市官网 has engaged Flatiron School, a leading educational organization based in New York, to bring its curriculum to support the program that addresses the growing need of data science skills with the intellectual rigor of a liberal arts education.
Throughout the courses, students will master skills in the key areas of data science: programming, probability and statistics, and machine learning. The curriculum aims to give students insight into various data science disciplines so that they may tackle real-world problems with confidence.
All undergraduate students (365英国上市官网 or non-365英国上市官网) and Birmingham-area professionals may apply. No prior data science or programming experience is necessary. 365英国上市官网 students who successfully complete the 12-week program will be awarded a minor in data science. Non-365英国上市官网 students and working professionals will receive a Certificate of Completion in Data Science from Birmingham-Southern College.
Why Data Science?Data drives decisions in virtually every industry and profession. The World Economic Forum predicted 44 zettabytes of data would be in existence at the beginning of 2020. Because of this vast amount of data, data scientists are in extreme demand. A U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predict 11.5 million job openings in data science by 2026. However, according to a 2018 Burning Glass report, for every 6.4 technology job opportunities in Birmingham, only one position is ultimately filled.
Whether you're currently working in data, planning to enter a new field, or taking classes as a full-time student, the Accelerated Data Science Program will help you gain important data and technology skills.
Data Science at a Glance:
Job Postings:
Based on Birmingham and Huntsville Alabama MSA
“Unleashing the power of data through statistics is a powerful tool that goes hand in hand with critical thinking and is integral to a modern-day liberal arts education.”
Dr. Bradley J. Caskey
Retired 365英国上市官网 Provost
“The advance of computational possibilities opens a new frontier for physics that holds just as much promise for expanding our understanding of the universe.”
Dr. Duane H. Pontius Jr.
T. Morris Hackney Professor of Physics
“Using methods from data science to understand literature may sound new or counterintuitive, but, in fact, it’s a natural function of how literary analysis works.”
Dr. Jessica Hines
Assistant Professor of English
Data Science Students Will...
-
- Retrieve, organize, and interpret data using Python
- Better visualize consumer, social, and popular trends
- Explore data to create new hypotheses for advanced analysis
- Use presentation techniques and share insights on data with others
- Build new and evolving skills on top of a fundamental understanding of data science
- Apply knowledge in data science to any other discipline
Info Session Recordings
Non-365英国上市官网 Students:
365英国上市官网 Students:
Real-World Experience
Students who successfully complete the program will have the opportunity to interview for a paid internship with a local company in fall 2022 or spring 2023, where they will use their new skills in a real-world environment. Internships could lead to full-time positions, helping to build the pool of data science talent in Alabama.
Participating Companies
Our Data Science Advisory Council includes 12 co-founders, a chief technology officer, and a vice president. They are some of the most successful entrepreneurs and business leaders in Birmingham and Huntsville.
Participating companies include Alabama Power, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brasfield & Gorrie, Regions Bank and Shipt, as well as Airship, DealNews, The Distribution Point, Fleetio, Harmony Venture Labs, IllumiCare, MotionMobs, NxtSoft, O3 Solutions, Quanthub, and Vituro Health.
Get Started Today!
Gain real-world experience with trusted companies.
Click below to apply for the Data Science program!
-
Curriculum and Schedule
Course Schedule
Course Name Time/Date and Course Description CAC 181 - Introduction to Programming for Data Science Weeks 1 – 3Introduction to fundamentals of Python for data science. Course focuses on basic Python programming, usage of Jupyter Notebooks, and popular Python libraries (eg. Pandas, NumPy). Git and Github used for collaborative version control. Further topics include: data structures, relational databases, fundamentals of SQL, collection of data using APIs and web scraping. Heavy emphasis on visualizing data in order to provide clearer insights into meaning of data.MA 209 - Statistics & Probability Theory Weeks 4 – 6
Further analysis of data through statistical methods. Course covers fundamentals of probability theory, including probability principles such as combinations and permutations. Additional topics include: statisical distributions and how to create samples when distributions are known, applications with AB tests, linear regression models.CAC 350 - Data Science I
Weeks 7 – 9Introduction to data science and various computing tools to collect, explore, and analyze data through investigation of data driven puzzles in wide array of fields - politics, economics, history, biology, etc.CAC 450 - Advanced Data Science Techniques
Weeks 10 – 12Course focuses on variety of advanced Data Science techniques within unsupervised learning (clustering, dimensionality reduction), threading and multiprocessing, deep learning (neural networks, high-performing classification performance). Additional topics include using regular expressions, managing string values, analying text and performing sentiment analysis.
Course Structure: Monday - Friday, 9am - 6pm (1 hour lunch break)
Sample Weekly Schedule:
-
Tuition / Pricing
Full Program, Full Summer (365英国上市官网 or non-365英国上市官网 students)
•Four three-week classes
•May 23 – August 12
•$7,200 (365英国上市官网 students), $9,500 (non-365英国上市官网 students)
*Need-based scholarships are available for non-365英国上市官网 students. Scholarships are granted on a first come, first served basis.
Half Program, Half Summer (365英国上市官网 students only)
•For interested students who’d like to take the first two classes
•Two three-week classes
•May 23 – July 1
•$3,600 -
Credentials Earned
365英国上市官网 Students will receive a Minor in Data Science upon the successful completion of the Accelerated Data Science Program and an internship. 365英国上市官网 students will be offered a 10 hour/week internship either during the Fall or Spring Term.
Non-365英国上市官网 students will receive a Certificate of Completion in Data Science from Birmingham-Southern College and an opportunity to network and apply at partnered companies.
During the program, students will build and create work examples to demonstrate proficiency in a variety of skills for future interviews.
-
Advisory Council
We would would like to thank these individuals and their respective companies in providing assistance in making our program possible.
Council Member Company Role City Trent Kocurek Airship Co-founder & CEO Birmingham Kaitlynn Roark Crossflow Technologies, Inc. Director of Human Capital Hunstville Dan de Grandpre DealNews Co-founder & CEO Hunstville Tony Summerville Fleetio Founder & CEO Birmingham Craig Parker Guideway Care President & CEO Birmingham Shegun Otulana Harmony Venture Labs Founder Birmingham G.T. LaBorde IllumiCare Co-founder & CEO Birmingham Krzysztof Soltan Vulcan Materials Company Chief Information Officer Birmingham Chris Kramer Brasfield & Gorrie Chief Strategy Officer Birmingham David Brasfield NXTsoft Chairman & CEO Birmingham Josh Girvin O3 Solutions Co-founder & CEO Birmingham Joshua Jones QuantHub Founder & Chairman Birmingham Chun Schiros Regions VP/Data Science Birmingham Mike Calvo Shipt CTO Birmingham Drew Jackson StreetMetrics Founder & CEO Birmingham Ranson Roussel The Distribution Point President & CEO Birmingham Clete Walker Vituro Health Founder & CEO Birmingham Ryan Connell Blue Cross Blue Shield Healthcare Analytics Manager Birmingham