As the university continues to make strides towards widening the array of available studies to undergraduate students, the Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science (ECECS) department is in the process of finalizing a new minor program in data science, which will become available for students to add to their degree beginning the upcoming fall 2022 semester.

The new program’s content is broad enough to hold value for undergraduate students in a wide variety of degree programs. Professor Vahid Behzadan, developed the program within the Taglia College of Engineering; however, they are encouraging students of all colleges and degrees to consider the addition of this program to their studies.

The University of New Haven already offers a Masters program in data science, however the introduction of this new program will expand these areas of study to the undergraduate student population.

Studies under this program are sought to expand students’ understanding in the primary areas of statistics, probability, computation and artificial intelligence.

Behzadan said “the program offers a core foundation in data science and trains students in competencies to work with data using computational and statistical techniques and tools as well as applying models and algorithms.”

While this minor is applicable to a wide array of major disciplines within the university, it will be especially supplemental in its connections to the areas of science, engineering, ​business and social sciences.

The minor is set to be heavily student-interactive, with the ability to “design and carry out rigorous computational and inferential analysis for their field of interest” being described by Behzadan as a core component of the training in the curriculum.

The overarching goal of the ECECS at the university is described to “provide students with the skills and basic background needed to become proficient in today’s technology.”

Their department mission statement also reinforces what Behzadan spoke of surrounding the data science program, with an aim to “prepare students from diverse backgrounds for professional practice.”

This addition to the university’s curriculum will give interested students an opportunity to study content that Behzadan says will yield “practical knowledge of the methods and techniques of data analysis, as well as the ability to think critically about the construction and implications of data analysis and models.”

As the program works its way through the remainder of the curriculum approval process, new information will emerge prior to the fall 2022 semester. Students seeking to hear more about adding a minor in data science to their degree should keep an eye out for updates from the ECECS and Behzadan.