Declare a Major in Data Science

When to Declare

  • Ideally, you should declare the major as soon as possible after becoming eligible, in order to take advantage of departmental advising and other activities each semester.
  • UWM recommends the major be declared before a student earns 75 credits.
  • Data Science is a rigorous and technical major and profession. We suggest you complete MthStat 215 or 216 before declaring this major (but they are not required to declare).
  • You are welcome to make an advising appointment before becoming eligible to declare, so we may assist you in planning — Contact Prof Daniel Gervini

Process to Declare the Major

  • The first step to declare a major in Data Science is to fill out and submit the
    Declaration of Major Form »
  • After submitting your request to declare a major, you must request an appointment with the Undergraduate Advisor for Data Science—Prof Daniel Gervini .
  • At that appointment, Dr. Gervini will be able to answer your preliminary questions about the major and help make sure you understand the degree requirements, course offering patterns, and career outlook.

Advising for Majors

Once you have declared your major, you will have access to two different advisors:

  • Your L&S college advisor, who will help you with your overall degree requirements;
  • The department’s Data Science advisor, Prof Daniel Gervini, who will answer any questions that come up regarding technical aspects of the major (e.g., which courses satisfy which requirements), and who can help you plan a coherent array of courses within the major, provide career advice, and generally act as a mentor to you.

You should plan to meet with an advisor once a semester, before registering for classes, to talk over your progress in the major and your plans for future classes.

A good sequence for majors to follow in planning each semester’s course array would be:

  • First see what courses you need to fulfill specific requirements and which of those are being offered in the upcoming semester.
  • Then, go to the online schedule and check what courses will be offered. The course descriptions should help you to refine your choices.
  • Next, talk over those choices with an advisor to get his/her feedback.

Remember to do all this early enough so as not to be closed out of any courses you may want or need.