Professor Manfred Minimair, Data Science, Seton Hall University
As part of its online M.S. in Data Science program, Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, has announced new courses in Text Mining and Machine Learning.
Seton Hall’s master’s program in Data Science is the first 100% online program of its kind in New Jersey and one of very few in the nation.
Quickly emerging as a critical field in a variety of industries, data science encompasses activities ranging from collecting raw data and processing and extracting knowledge from that data, to effectively communicating those findings to assist in decision making and implementing solutions. Data scientists have extensive knowledge in the overlapping realms of business needs, domain knowledge, analytics, and software and systems engineering.
“We’re in the midst of a pivotal moment in history,” said Professor Manfred Minimair, director of Seton Hall’s Data Science program. “We’ve moved from being an agrarian society through to the industrial revolution and now squarely into the age of information,” he noted. “The last decade has been witness to a veritable explosion in data informatics. Where once business could only look at dribs and drabs of customer and logistics data—as through a glass darkly—now organizations can be easily blinded by the sheer volume of data available at any given moment. Data science gives students the tools necessary to collect and turn those oceans of data into clear and readily actionable information.”
These tools will be provided by Seton Hall in new ways this spring, when Text Mining and Machine Learning make their debut.
Text Mining
Taught by Professor Nathan Kahl, text mining is the process of extracting high-quality information from text, which is typically done by developing patterns and trends through means such as statistical pattern learning. Professor Nathan Kahl is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. He has extensive experience in teaching data analytics at Seton Hall University. Some of his recent research lies in the area of network analysis, another important topic which is also taught in the M.S. program.
Professor Kahl notes, “The need for people with these skills in business, industry and government service has never been greater, and our curriculum is specifically designed to prepare our students for these careers.” According to EAB (formerly known as the Education Advisory Board), the national growth in demand for data science practitioners over the last two years alone was 252%. According to Glassdoor, the median base salary for these jobs is $108,000.
Machine Learning
In many ways, machine learning represents the next wave in data science. It is the scientific study of algorithms and statistical models that computer systems use to perform a specific task without using explicit instructions, relying on patterns and inference instead. It is seen as a subset of artificial intelligence. The course will be taught by Sophine Clachar, a data engineer with more than 10 years of experience. Her past research has focused on aviation safety and large-scale and complex aviation data repositories at the University of North Dakota. She was also a recipient of the Airport Cooperative Research Program Graduate Research Award, which fostered the development of machine learning algorithms that identify anomalies in aircraft data.
“Machine learning is profoundly changing our society,” Professor Clachar remarks. “Software enhanced with artificial intelligence capabilities will benefit humans in many ways, for example, by helping design more efficient treatments for complex diseases and improve flight training to make air travel more secure.”
Active Relationships with Google, Facebook, Celgene, Comcast, Chase, B&N and Amazon
Students in the Data Science program, with its strong focus on computer science, statistics and applied mathematics, learn skills in cloud computing technology and Tableau, which allows them to pursue certification in Amazon Web Services and Tableau. The material is continuously updated to deliver the latest skills in artificial intelligence/machine learning for automating data science tasks. Their education is bolstered by real world projects and internships, made possible through the program’s active relationships with such leading companies as Google, Facebook, Celgene, Comcast, Chase, Barnes and Noble and Amazon. The program also fosters relationships with businesses and organizations through its advisory board, which includes members from WarnerMedia, Highstep Technologies, Snowflake Computing, Compass and Celgene. As a result, students are immersed in the knowledge and competencies required to become successful data science and analytics professionals.
“Among the members of our Advisory Board are Seton Hall graduates and leaders in the field,” said Minimair. “Their expertise at the cutting edge of industry is reflected within our curriculum and coupled with the data science and academic expertise of our professors. That combination will allow our students to flourish in the world of data science and informatics.”
