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Insights gathered from data have broad-reaching effects. Visualizations communicate findings to audiences. These insights then form the basis of various actions — from introducing new programs and initiatives geared toward specific populations to driving organizational changes to shaping the direction of scientific research.
The human element intertwines with data science and analytics at multiple points during the information lifecycle, starting with platform interfaces to visual presentation to how data is stored and used. The human-centered science design emphasis for the online master of science in data science and analytics sheds light on this relationship while supplying you with the knowledge and tools to refine and advance it further.
The University of Missouri’s (Mizzou) online master’s in data science and analytics program looks forward to the technologies influencing this in-demand field and its spectrum of applications, with the goal of preparing you to impact the state’s economy and beyond. The human-centered science design emphasis explores the influence of human factors on the data science and analytics field to transform you into a stronger visual communicator, a more socially aware analyst and someone well-versed in user-experience principles for every stage of the information lifecycle.
Explore other emphasis areas from Mizzou's master of science in data science and analytics:
Quick facts
Official name
Master of science in data science and analytics with an emphasis in human centered science designCampus
Program type
Master's degreeAcademic home
Graduate School | MU Institute for Data Science and InformaticsDelivery mode
100% onlineAccreditation
Higher Learning CommissionCredit hours
34Estimated cost
$33,422.00*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.
Why earn a data analytics master’s degree in human-centered design?
The overarching discipline of human-centered design sees psychology, information systems, technology and visual presentation merge to shape user interfaces and experiences in a number of contexts. With the goal of improving engagement, human-centered design influences the look and operation of products, software, hardware, systems, interfaces and websites.
Data science and analytics add a secondary yet essential dimension to human-centered design. The convergence helps designers create more usable and effective data analytics tools, helps improve visual communication to technical and nontechnical audiences and requires data analytics professionals and their organizations to consider how findings will impact targeted communities. Our program was ranked No. 9 by Fortune.com for "Best Online Master's in Data Science Programs in 2023". This underscores Mizzou's mission to meet the high demand for training today's top data science professionals.
Diving into this intersection, the online master’s in data science and analytics’ rigorous, immersive structure:
- Introduces you to big data analytics tools and techniques used for compiling, extracting, analyzing and visualizing information
- Approaches data as a problem-solving tool for a number of scenarios, from decision-making in business to assessing populations and trends to research
- Touches on relevant mathematical and statistical principles, visualization methods, database system design and management, programming languages, pattern recognition, data mining and information retrieval
- Goes over ethical considerations in data science, including securing and protecting data sets containing sensitive information
- Covers the components of the information lifecycle and the strengths and limitations of various technical and social analytics techniques
- Explores the economic, ethical, policy and political effects of technical data analytics elements like database systems, social networking, text mining and data mining
- Requires you to think about the relationship between analytics and information lifecycle stages, including collection, curation and transformation
Career prospects
Pursue a career using data to shape design with the end-user in mind, give research a more human perspective or drive new programs, products and services that benefit and grab the attention of an organization’s targeted audience.
With data-driven and user experience-focused roles seeing strong demand in a number of industries, a master’s in data science and analytics opens up multiple opportunities. Potential job titles include:
- Human factors engineer
- User-experience designer
- Education strategist
- Human-centered designer
Program structure
Students interested in this path progress through a 34 credit-hour structure consisting of a core (19 credit hours), the human-centered science design emphasis area (nine credit hours), a case study (three credit hours) and a capstone project (three credit hours).
This master’s program is entirely online and geared toward working professionals interested in growing their knowledge of data analytics and human-centered design. You have the option to attend an on-campus Data Science Week in the spring, where you can work closely with world-class faculty members.
Courses throughout the online master’s in data science and analytics program are held in eight-week modules using a semester structure. Attending full time allows most students to finish in about two years.
No matter the emphasis area selected, all students start with a sequence of core courses covering all facets of data science and analytics and providing a hands-on introduction to tools, languages and techniques. You’ll learn about how to access, extract, model, analyze and visualize data and the statistical foundation of the results derived. Continuing in this direction, courses go over data storage and database systems, ethical considerations for certain industries, data collection, security and applied machine learning and modeling.
Faculty members are invested in both your academic and career success and help guide your progress during the program. Helping you push your knowledge further, an eight-week case study followed by a capstone project requires you to utilize your full breadth of skills to analyze and gain insights from large data sets.
Human-centered science design courses
Once you transition from the core to the human-centered science design emphasis, you’ll learn about:
- Advanced visualization concepts and techniques for creating interactive interfaces, using infographics and telling a story through art, technology and data
- Usability evaluations in data science, including the design of systems and applications to accomplish specific goals
Delivery
100% onlineCalendar system
Semester-basedTypical program length
2 yearsAccreditation
The University of Missouri is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States.
Faculty spotlight
Grant Scott is an assistant professor in the Center for Geospatial Intelligence (CGI) and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Missouri. The CGI is an interdisciplinary center that focuses on geospatial intelligence needs critical for national security, homeland defense and military combat support. He is also an adjunct assistant professor in computer science. Scott is currently the principal investigator for a terrain-based geolocation project. He has participated in projects with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the U.S. Army. His research areas include automated exploitation of high-resolution satellite data, including geospatial database development, imagery feature-extraction algorithm development and distributed automatic imagery processing orchestration architectures.
Dr. Marra conducts research on the design and development of technology-enhanced learning environments for both face-to-face and web-based learning. Her particular emphases are on supporting complex learning with technology in the area of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education examining their impact on problem-solving and meta-cognitive development. Dr. Marra develops and teaches courses in the areas of the systematic design of instruction, meaningful use of technology in learning, online learning and serious games. In a “past life”, Dr. Marra was a software engineer for AT&T Bell Labs.