Stanford University

How Stanford is preparing the next generation of data scientists

How Stanford is preparing the next generation of data scientists

The gateway course for the new Data Science & Social Systems major teaches students how data can be used to address important social problems.
  • Melissa De Witte
Jeremy Weinstein is the faculty director of the BA in Data Science and Social Systems and a professor of political science. Mallory Nobles, right, is the program’s associate director. Jeremy Weinstein is the faculty director of the BA in Data Science and Social Systems and a professor of political science. Mallory Nobles, right, is the program’s associate director. Andrew Brodhead

Every day, data scientists are analyzing vast amounts of information about the world, using computational methods to find new ways to understand a problem or phenomenon, and deciding what to do about it.

But it’s not enough to use data on its own – it must be understood within its social and political context as well, according to Stanford political scientist Jeremy Weinstein. This year, Weinstein, along with Stanford statisticians Guenther Walther and Chiara Sabatti, has launched two new degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Data Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Data Science & Social Systems.

Read the full story in the Stanford Report.

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