Graduate Certificate in Data Science

The fully online Graduate Certificate in Data Science is designed to educate professionals or non-traditional students with a stackable set of core Data Science courses, which help students obtain industry-recognized, immediately valuable, and in-demand skills in the workplace.

Additional Information:  Reference the Program Landing Page for additional information, such as cost, delivery format, contact information, or to schedule a visit.

Applicants seeking admission to the Graduate Certificate in Data Science program must submit the following directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions

  1. Graduate Application
  2. Application fee
  3. Official transcript from the baccalaureate degree granting institution
  4. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a closely related field with a minimum GPA of 3.0
  5. Up-to-date Resume

Stem Requirement

At the minimum, students are expected to present a background comparable to that provided in the following courses as described in the Undergraduate Catalog of Sam Houston State University:

Prerequisite courses

Prerequisite Courses
COSC 1436Programming Fundamentals I4
COSC 1437Programming Fundamentals II4
COSC 3318Data Base Management Systems3
COSC 3319Data Structures and Algorithms3
COSC 4318Advanced Language Concepts3
COSC 4327Computer Operating Systems3
MATH 1420Calculus I4
STAT 3379Statistical Methods in Practice3

Students who have not fulfilled the prerequisites in formal coursework are required to take one or more of the graduate stem courses. These courses do not apply towards the degree plan.

Graduate Stem Course Requirements

Graduate Stem Course Requirements
COSC 5301Quantitative Foundations of Computer Science3
COSC 5302Computer Science Core Topics3
Graduate Certificate in Data Science
Required Courses
COSC 6321Distributed Computing3
COSC 6331Data Visualization3
COSC 6335Big Data Analytics3
COSC 6338Data Science Capstone3
Prescribed Electives3
Select one of the two prescribed electives:
Computer Vision
Deep Learning
Total Hours15

Stem Requirement

At the minimum, students are expected to present a background comparable to that provided in the following courses as described in the Undergraduate Catalog of Sam Houston State University:

Prerequisite courses

Prerequisite Courses
COSC 1436Programming Fundamentals I4
COSC 1437Programming Fundamentals II4
COSC 3318Data Base Management Systems3
COSC 3319Data Structures and Algorithms3
COSC 4318Advanced Language Concepts3
COSC 4327Computer Operating Systems3
MATH 1420Calculus I4
STAT 3379Statistical Methods in Practice3


Students who have not fulfilled the prerequisites in formal coursework are required to take one or more of the graduate stem courses. These courses do not apply towards the degree plan.

Graduate Stem Course Requirements

Graduate Stem Course Requirements
COSC 5301Quantitative Foundations of Computer Science3
COSC 5302Computer Science Core Topics3

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) marketable skills initiative is part of the state’s 60x30TX plan and was designed to help students articulate their skills to employers.  Marketable skills are those skills valued by employers and/or graduate programs that can be applied in a variety of work or education settings and may include interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skill areas.

The Graduate Certificate in Data Science is designed to provide graduates with the following marketable skills:

  • Statistical analysis and computing skills.
  • Processing large data sets skills.
  • Machine learning and deep learning skills.
  • Data analysis and visualization skills.