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Data ScienceDegrees
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Harvard University · Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Master's in Data Science

Awarded degree: Master of Science in Data Science

Master'sSMData science degree

Overview

A 12-course (48-credit) on-campus SM in Data Science led jointly by the Computer Science and Statistics faculties, completed in at least three semesters, with a capstone project or a thesis option. Admission is for fall only; GRE scores are optional.

Official program name
Master's in Data Science
Awarded degree
Master of Science in Data Science
Source: seas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Degree level
Master's
Program classification
Dedicated data science degreeThe awarded degree or official program title is data science itself.
School
Source: seas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Location
Cambridge, MA
Required credits
48 credits (12 classes)
Source: seas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Duration
at least 3 semesters (one and a half academic years); some students extend to a fourth semesterA minimum under the stated conditions, not a typical length.
Source: seas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Start terms
Fall
Source: seas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Teaching language
English (not separately stated)
Why this program is listed

Awarded degree is a Master of Science (SM) in Data Science.

Source: seas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026

We list data science bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees — dedicated, joint, and (separately labelled) related degrees with an officially named data science concentration. Eligibility rules

Format and attendance

Delivery, required in-person attendance, class schedule and study intensity are shown separately, each only as the university states it. “Fully online” appears only when official wording supports it.
Academic delivery
On campusClasses meet in person on campus.Classes meet in person on campus.
Source: seas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Class schedule
Not verified
Study intensity
Not published

Curriculum

Capstone

  • Research experience requirement fulfilled by AC 297r (Capstone Project).
    Source: seas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Thesis

  • Optional master's thesis with oral defense; thesis proposals are evaluated by the Data Science faculty committee.
    Source: seas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Curriculum

  • Core includes AC 209a, AC 209b, CS 1810 and one statistics course, plus computing, ethics and elective courses.
    Source: seas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Admissions

Required, optional, waived and not-required items are shown exactly as the university states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.
Prior degree
RequiredBA, BS or equivalent undergraduate degree by matriculation
Source: seas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Minimum GPA
Not requiredNo GPA cutoff
Source: seas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Mathematics prerequisites
RecommendedNo formal prerequisites; successful applicants need working knowledge of calculus, linear algebra and differential equations, probability and statistical inference, and a programming language
Source: seas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Statement / essay
RequiredStatement of Purpose, about 1,000 words
Source: seas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Recommendation letters
Required3 letters — Three letters of recommendation
Source: seas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Résumé / CV
RequiredResume/CV
Source: seas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Interview
Not requiredNo interview
Source: seas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test
OptionalGeneral and Subject GRE optional
Source: seas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026
TOEFL iBT
RequiredRequired for non-native English speakers without a bachelor's degree from an English-medium institution; IELTS accepted instead
Source: seas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026
IELTS Academic
OptionalMay be taken instead of the TOEFL
Source: seas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances.

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the term the university printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its student category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-term and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other, and tuition is not the full cost of attendance.
CategoryAmountBasis and year
All students — First year$67,504per academic year · 2026-2027Source: gsas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026
All students — Second year (one term only)$33,752per term · 2026-2027Source: gsas.harvard.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Funding

Funding policy and awards exactly as the university publishes them. Available assistantships do not establish guaranteed funding; loans must be repaid and are not scholarships. Understanding funding

Funding classification: Funding not verified

We have not verified an official funding policy for this program. That does not mean funding is unavailable.

Accreditation and enrollment restrictions

Two separate questions: is the university institutionally accredited, and does it publish restrictions on who can enroll (for online programs, usually by state of residence)?

Institutional accreditation

  • New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 10, 2026

Programmatic accreditation

No programmatic accreditation verified for this program. Institutional accreditation does not imply it.

Published enrollment restrictions (state authorization)

None recorded for this program.

International applicants

Not verified for this program.

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 11, 2026.
  1. gsas.harvard.edu/apply/cost-attendance-2026-2027 — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 11, 2026
  2. DAPIP — NECHE institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026
  3. seas.harvard.edu/applied-computation/graduate-programs/masters-data-science — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026
  4. seas.harvard.edu/masters-data-science/degree-requirements — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026
  5. seas.harvard.edu/masters-data-science/how-apply — Official admissions page, verified October 11, 2026

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Similar programs at other schools

Same degree level and format family, programs in Massachusetts first. Listed for discovery, not ranked.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute logo

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Master of Science in Data Science

Master's in Data Science

Master'sMS
Location: Worcester, MA
Delivery: On campusClasses meet in person on campus.On-campus classes · Study intensity not published
Duration: Length not published · 30 credits
Tuition: $1,775 per credit · All students — Graduate Tuition, per credit · 2026-2027Est. total tuition $53,250 (30 credits × $1,775 per credit; fees excluded)
Next deadline: Rolling admission (as published)
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Boston University logo

Boston University

Master of Science in Data Science

MS in Data Science (Residential)

Master'sMS
Location: Boston, MA
Delivery: On campusClasses meet in person on campus.On-campus classes · Full-time or part-time
Duration: As little as 9 months full-time; 16 months with the internship or thesis option (full-time) · 32 credits
Tuition: $2,282 per credit · All students — Part-time (2-11 credits) per-credit rate · year not stated
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
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