As I've talked about before in older blog posts, data science is composed of math & statistics, computer science, and a dash of communication. But what classes would data scientists take in high school and college? Well, in this post I'll be giving an overview of classes I'm taking in my high school career and classes that I may take in college to prepare me for a career in data science.
To begin, as of my sophomore year, I've taken all honors math courses. That includes geometry, algebra 2, and pre-calculus (my favorite so far). But I am registered for AP Calculus for my junior year and AP Statistics for my senior year. In addition to those math courses, I will be taking AP Computer Science Principles next year and AP Computer Science: Java the following year. While some of those classes will set me up for the basics of data science, I have also explored my interests in the healthcare side of data science. I've done so by taking advanced science-related courses. To date, I've taken honors physical science and honors biology. I also plan on taking honors chemistry, AP Biology, and advanced anatomy/physiology.
Now for the fun stuff. While discussing college-level courses, I will be using the University of Minnesota's course catalog as a reference for required classes for a data science bachelor's degree. First things first: the science core. A physics course is required, along with one that is chemistry-focused. Also, classes in applied statistics, calculus, and linear algebra are required. Next, some of the computer science courses are Machine Learning Fundamentals, Algorithms and Data Structures, Intro to Operating Systems, and Practice of Database Systems. In addition to the science, math, and computer science classes, the University of Minnesota offers courses like Technical & Professional Writing and Consultation & Communication for Statisticians to cover the communication aspect of data science.
In sum, you can explore classes at a high school or college level to immerse yourself in data science. But if those options aren't available to you, there are plenty of other possibilities. Online courses, for example, can teach you the fundamentals of data science. Websites like edx.org and coursera.org are great resources.
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