Northwestern University · School of Professional Studies

Accelerated Master's in Data Science

Awarded degree: Master of Science in Data Science

Master'sMSData science degree

Overview

A one-year, full-time option of the MS in Data Science that starts in fall and combines two on-campus courses in Chicago with one online course each quarter; students choose one of five specializations.

Official program name: Accelerated Master's in Data Science
Awarded degree: Master of Science in Data Science
Source: sps.northwestern.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: Northwestern University — School of Professional Studies
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Location: Evanston, IL
Specializations: Analytics and Modeling · Analytics Management · Artificial Intelligence · Data Engineering · Technology Entrepreneurship
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Required credits: 12 courses
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Duration: one year (full-time, three courses per quarter)
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Start terms: Fall
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Teaching language: English (not separately stated)

Why this program is listed

Full-time accelerated option of the Master of Science in Data Science with separate tuition, deadlines and format.

Source: sps.northwestern.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: HybridA substantial part of the coursework meets in person and part is online.
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Class schedule: Not verified
Study intensity: Full-time
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Curriculum

7 core courses, 2 specialization courses, 2 electives and 1 capstone project.
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Specializations, concentrations and tracks

Analytics and Modeling
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Analytics Management
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Artificial Intelligence
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Data Engineering
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Technology Entrepreneurship
Source: sps.northwestern.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: RequiredU.S. bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution or foreign equivalent
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Statement / essay: Required300 to 550 word statement of purpose
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required2 letters — Two recommenders
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Résumé / CV: RequiredResume
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Application fee: Required$75 — $75 non-refundable application fee
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Tests

Entrance and English-language test policy: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

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.

Priority deadline
December 1 · for Fall
The university does not print a year with this date.
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Year not printed
Application deadline
January 15 · for Fall
The university does not print a year with this date.
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Year not printed

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.

Category	Amount	Basis and year
All students	$16,215	per term · 2026-2027Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
All students — Tuition for entire program (four quarters)	$64,860	entire program · 2026-2027Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Estimated total tuition: $64,860 (published program total)

Comparison basis: All students — Tuition for entire program (four quarters), 2026-2027. Excludes mandatory fees, books, living costs and any rate changes during the program. How we calculate

Other published fees

Technology fee: $135 per termMandatory
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Student services fee: $350 per termMandatory
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Health services fee (excluding summer): $298 per termMandatory
Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Enrollment deposit applied to program cost: $1,000 entire programMandatory
Source: sps.northwestern.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.

Scholarships, fellowships or assistantships for this program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

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

Higher Learning Commission (HLC) — 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

Admitted international students are eligible to apply for and receive a student visa.Source: sps.northwestern.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 11, 2026.

DAPIP — HLC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026
sps.northwestern.edu/masters/accelerated-data-science/ — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026
sps.northwestern.edu/masters/accelerated-data-science/curriculum.html — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026
sps.northwestern.edu/masters/accelerated-data-science/tuition-costs.html — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 11, 2026
sps.northwestern.edu/masters/admission.html — Official admissions page, verified October 11, 2026
sps.northwestern.edu/masters/healthcare-data-science/ — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026

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Data Science Degrees is independent and not affiliated with Northwestern University. Information is collected from official pages and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the university.