Biostatistician, research analyst, applications architect. These are among the few jobs students can nab with an ever-more dynamic degree in data science. Aside from its flexibility, it’s also posturing students for a huge payday, and where they graduate from can make a $40,000 difference.
According to Burning Glass’ data published by The Wall Street Journal, a degree in data science earns a student a $100,323 median salary over the first ten years. However, a Princeton graduate can be taking home over $138,000. As far as private institutions go, four other Ivy League schools can land you at least a $20,000 premium.
California schools own the public college top 10 list of data science graduate earnings, earning the first nine spots. The University of California system alone took up six.
Data science has exploded in the last decade and it’s nowhere near its ceiling. The amount of job postings alone has increased from 172 in 2010 to 64,428 in 2023, according to Burning Glass President Matt Sigelman. Moreover, the average percentage of students at each school graduating with a data science degree is less than 2%.
Burning Glass used the company-ratings website Glassdoor to calculate the average salary employees earn 10 years removed from graduating, and they analyzed data on experience and pay from Lightcast, a labor-market data firm as well.
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Top 10 Private Colleges
The average percentage of data science graduates per school is 1.9%. The average net price of a degree in data science is $23,766.80.
Top 10 Public Colleges
The average percentage of data science graduates per school is 0.84%. The average net price of a degree in data science is $16,837.20.
