University of California San Diego · Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute (HDSI)

Master of Science (M.S.) in Data Science

Awarded degree: Master of Science in Data Science

Master'sMSData science degree

Overview

A residential 48-unit master's degree of twelve 4-unit courses (foundational, core and elective groups) completed with either a thesis (Plan I) or a course-based comprehensive examination (Plan II); anticipated time to degree is one to two years.

Official program name: Master of Science (M.S.) in Data Science
Awarded degree: Master of Science in Data Science
Source: catalog.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: University of California San Diego — Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute (HDSI)
Source: catalog.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Location: La Jolla, CA
Required credits: 48 units (twelve 4-unit courses)
Source: datascience.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Duration: between 1-2 years (depending on individual student academic plan and available course offerings)
Source: datascience.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Start terms: Fall
Source: datascience.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Teaching language: English (not separately stated)

An online Master of Data Science (MDS) is a separate degree with separate admissions; see ms-data-science-online.

Why this program is listed

Residential Master of Science in Data Science (MS/DS).

Source: catalog.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: On campusClasses meet in person on campus.
Source: catalog.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Class schedule: Not verified
Study intensity: Full-time
Source: catalog.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Curriculum

Thesis

Plan I: thesis option with 8 to 12 units of DSC 299 Thesis Research.
Source: datascience.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Other

Plan II: course-based comprehensive examination in three subject areas.
Source: datascience.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”.

Prerequisite courses: RecommendedExperience in numerical linear algebra, probability/statistics and programming languages
Source: datascience.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Statement / essay: RequiredStatement of purpose
Source: datascience.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required3 letters — Three letters of recommendation
Source: datascience.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Résumé / CV: RequiredCV or resume
Source: datascience.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Application fee: Required$135 — $135 for US citizens, permanent residents and undocumented applicants; $155 for international applicants
Source: datascience.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Transcripts: RequiredUnofficial transcripts with the application; official transcripts after an offer of admission
Source: datascience.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: Not requiredApplicants may include scores if already taken.
Source: datascience.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
TOEFL iBT: RequiredInternational applicants; IELTS, PTE Academic and Duolingo also accepted; exemptions apply.
Source: datascience.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.

Application deadline
December 2, 2026 · for Fall 2027
Source: datascience.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.

Category	Amount	Basis and year
Resident (in-state) — Graduate, California residents, annual total tuition and feesFrom the university-wide rate table covering online students at this level	$22,985.17	per academic year · 2026-2027Includes feesSource: students.ucsd.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Nonresident (out-of-state) — Graduate, California nonresidents, annual total tuition and feesFrom the university-wide rate table covering online students at this level	$38,087.17	per academic year · 2026-2027Includes feesSource: students.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.

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

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 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

Not verified for this program.

Sources and verification

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

catalog.ucsd.edu/curric/DSC-gr.html — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 11, 2026
datascience.ucsd.edu/graduate/graduate-admissions/ — Official admissions page, verified October 11, 2026
datascience.ucsd.edu/graduate/ms-program/ — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026
datascience.ucsd.edu/graduate/ms-program/progress-to-degree/ — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026
mds.ucsd.edu/admissions/index.html — Official admissions page, verified October 11, 2026
DAPIP — WSCUC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026
students.ucsd.edu/finances/fees/registration/2026-27/graduate.html — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 11, 2026

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