UNH Partners with Galvanize to Offer Master's Degree in Big Data
NEW HAVEN, CT — The University of New Haven (UNH) recently announced an agreement with the Galvanize organization to create an accredited master’s degree program designed to address the demand for industry-ready data scientists. The offering is part of the launch of GalvanizeU, an expansion of Galvanize’s educational programming.
“The GalvanizeU curriculum is focused on outcomes,” says President Steve Kaplan. “Students who complete the program will acquire both knowledge and hands-on experience, an exceptional value in today’s business world.”
“UNH provides the highest-quality education through collaborative and discovery-based learning,” adds Dan May, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “Our partnership with Galvanize makes it possible for us to offer relevant, hands-on experience and extend our leadership into the highest-growth technical sectors of the economy.”
Two years ago, Galvanize became a leader in competency-based learning with the creation of gSchool — a six-month, comprehensive learn-to-code program that produces ready-to-code programmers.
“We have spent the last two years creating a community where working and learning are in a single context — the urban campuses of Galvanize,” says Jim Deters, CEO of Galvanize. “The Galvanize campus consists of entrepreneurs, industry leading companies, venture capitalists and gSchool students, and now GalvanizeU data scientists are creating the most unique and industry-aligned education environment.”
The master’s degree program will provide students with the skills they need to become world-class data scientists, and the Galvanize community will give students unprecedented access to hands-on skills, mentors and employers. The curriculum is an accelerated one-year program requiring students to complete 30 credit hours covering statistics, machine learning, computer science, practical coding abilities and real-world projects with industry partners.
Authorities in California and Connecticut have approved the program. Degrees will be granted by UNH, and courses will be delivered by faculty appointed by the university.
The program is targeting recent graduates from engineering, mathematics, computer science and other technical disciplines, as well as professionals looking to expand their skill sets and career paths. The program will prepare graduates for leadership positions in data-centric businesses by integrating the hiring needs of employers into the curriculum and learning experiences.
“IBM estimates that 90 percent of the world’s data was created in the last two years,” says Robert Scoble, author of Age of Context and startup liaison officer at Rackspace. “Given the massive increase in availability of data, we unfortunately don't have enough people with the skills and expertise to make productive use of it. GalvanizeU is primed to solve this problem.”
“There is a huge demand for data scientists with skills and experience,” says Steve Allan, head of analytics and managing director of Silicon Valley Bank. “Programs that integrate industry experience with theoretical application, such as the GalvanizeU master’s program, will provide students with the right mix of practical and hands-on education that companies are actively seeking.”
The program’s education model features:
- Interactive classroom time with expert faculty
- Mentor-driven teaching from industry practitioners
- Opportunities to shadow practicing faculty mentors as they participate in real-world data science projects from the Galvanize community;
- Lab hours to practice coding by completing data-science products and machine-learning algorithms
- Applied learning during supervised internships and capstone projects
To learn more, visit GalvanizeU.newhaven.edu.