Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences

The Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences (CDS) at Boston University is an interdisciplinary, University-wide academic unit that complements and connects traditional disciplines through the shared language of computation and data. CDS provides undergraduate and graduate students with the necessary agility to steer their education and training in a way that leverages their passion for discovery, innovation, and real-world impact. As such, CDS fosters exploration by encouraging students to take courses in schools and colleges across BU and by providing them with innovative experiential learning opportunities through programs and special initiatives such as BU Spark!.

The CDS curriculum is anchored in foundational, applied, integrative, and in-the-field training. As part of their foundational training, undergraduate and graduate students develop mastery of the capabilities and limitations of the principal methodologies of data-driven prediction and decisionmaking, including data mining, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI). As part of their applied training, students develop the skills necessary to assemble computational pipelines and deliver reproducible data analysis of massive structured and unstructured datasets. As part of their integrative training, students develop the ability to assess the social impacts of data-centered methods, including consideration of policy, privacy, security, and ethical norms in the design and implementation of data-driven and AI systems. As part of their in-the-field training, students leverage the skills and knowledge they acquired throughout their academic journey to synthesize and complete real-world research and development projects curated through CDS Impact Labs and co-Labs, in collaboration with various internal and external partners, including industry, public, and nonprofit organizations.

With this preparation, CDS graduates will be ready to contribute to the art, science, and engineering of the data-driven processes that are woven into all aspects of society, economy, and public discourse. They will pursue careers in which they contribute to the synthesis of knowledge and the scalable extraction of insights from data, as well as to the design of new information and AI systems and products that enable actionable use of those insights toward discovery and innovation in a wide range of application domains.