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Data ScienceDegrees
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University of California San Diego · Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute (HDSI), with Computer Science and Engineering

Master of Data Science Online (MDS)

Awarded degree: Master of Data Science

Master'sMDSData science degree Fully online

Overview

A part-time online master's degree of ten 4-unit courses (40 units), including three electives and a quarter-long capstone, with a normative time to degree of 18 months; delivery is mostly asynchronous with synchronous review sessions and office hours.

Official program name
Master of Data Science Online (MDS)
Awarded degree
Master of Data Science
Source: mds.ucsd.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: mas-dse.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Location
La Jolla, CAWhere the university is located. Study is online; this is not a residency requirement and does not decide whether you may enroll from your state.
Required credits
40 units (10 quarter-length courses at 4 units each)
Source: mds.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Duration
normative time to degree completion is 18 months (typical pace of two courses per quarter for five quarters, without summer coursework)
Source: mds.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Start terms
Winter, Fall
Source: mds.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Teaching language
English (not separately stated)

A separate residential MS in Data Science exists (see ms-data-science).

Why this program is listed

Online degree awarded as Master of Data Science.

Source: mds.ucsd.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
Fully onlineAll coursework is online and the university states no required in-person attendance for this program.All coursework is online and the university states no required in-person attendance for this program.
Source: mds.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
In-person attendance
In-person requirements: not published
Class schedule
Mixed (live + self-paced)
Source: mds.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Study intensity
Part-time
Source: mds.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026

The pages we checked do not say whether any orientation, residency, exam or presentation must be attended in person. Ask the university before you apply — missing information is not “no requirement”.

Curriculum

Capstone

  • Quarter-long capstone project on domain-specific, real-world problems.
    Source: mds.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Other

  • Arkansas and Minnesota residents must complete 45 quarter units.
    Source: mds.ucsd.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
RequiredBachelor's degree or equivalent
Source: mds.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Minimum GPA
RequiredMinimum 3 — At least a B average (3.0 GPA) or equivalent
Source: mds.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Prerequisite courses
RecommendedIntroductory programming course, multivariate calculus and linear algebra
Source: mds.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Recommendation letters
Required3 letters — Three letters of recommendation
Source: mds.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Application fee
Required$135 — $135 for US citizens, permanent residents and undocumented applicants; $155 for international applicants
Source: mds.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test
Not requiredApplicants may include scores if already taken.
Source: mds.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
TOEFL iBT
RequiredInternational applicants only; IELTS, DET or PTE also accepted.
Source: mds.ucsd.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.

  • Final deadline

    November 4, 2026 · for Winter 2027

    Source: mds.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
    Upcoming

  • Final deadline

    July 28, 2027 · for Fall 2027

    Source: mds.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
    Upcoming

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 — Self-supporting programs: Master of Data Science Online (MDSO), per unitFrom the university-wide rate table covering online students at this level$815per credit · 2026-2027Estimated tuition$32,600 = 40 credits × $815 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required in-person sessions, transfer credit reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of attendance.Source: students.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
All students — Program page, per unit, AY2025-2026$780per credit · 2025-2026Estimated tuition$31,200 = 40 credits × $780 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required in-person sessions, transfer credit reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of attendance.Source: mds.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Estimated total tuition: $32,600 (40 credits × $815 per credit)

Comparison basis: All students — Self-supporting programs: Master of Data Science Online (MDSO), per unit, 2026-2027. Excludes mandatory fees, books, living costs and any rate changes during the program. How we calculate

Other published fees

University-wide fees (approximate)
$810 per termMandatory
Source: mds.ucsd.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

  • WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) — 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)

  • UC San Diego cannot accept new applications to online programs from residents of certain states; the program now accepts New York, Delaware, Missouri and Virginia residents. Official pageSource: mds.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
  • UC San Diego is unable to accept new applications to online or distance education programs from residents of certain states; the list is subject to change. Official pageSource: mds.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026

International applicants

  • International students may apply, but as a fully online degree it does not confer F-1 visa status or CPT/OPT eligibility.Source: mds.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
  • Same tuition for in-state, out-of-state and international students.
    Source: mds.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 11, 2026.
  1. mas-dse.ucsd.edu/admissions/index.html — Official admissions page, verified October 11, 2026
  2. mds.ucsd.edu/admissions/index.html — Official admissions page, verified October 11, 2026
  3. mds.ucsd.edu/program/curriculum/index.html — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026
  4. mds.ucsd.edu/program/index.html — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026
  5. DAPIP — WSCUC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026
  6. students.ucsd.edu/finances/fees/registration/2026-27/self-supporting.html — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 11, 2026

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