A recently released update to the QS subject ranking for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence puts the University of Waterloo second in Canada and 4oth globally.
The results are part of the annual QS World University Rankings by Subject, which rank approximately 1,600 universities in 54 disciplines. Indicators for the subject rankings are drawn from a peer review survey, employer survey, citations data and collaboration data.
“The new rankings from QS show the ways that data scientists at Waterloo are leading innovation in the field and providing opportunities for our students to learn from the absolute best,” said M. Tamer Özsu, co-director of the Graduate Data Science Program and a professor of computer science. “Achieving this recognition only five years since the start of the program shows it’s an exciting time to be working in data science and artificial intelligence at Waterloo.”
Along with undergraduate specializations, recent years have seen the growth of new master’s programs in data science, including the hugely popular Master of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (MDSAI). The program is unique, in that it offers a graduate-level co-operative and experiential educational component, allowing students to gain valuable on-the-job training.
Data science research and teaching at Waterloo is at the intersection of the University’s traditional strengths in computer science, statistics and optimization. The field is set to take on even greater prominence at Waterloo through new labs and teaching spaces in the Faculty of Math’s new M4 building.
“Data science and artificial intelligence is an area that we’re seeing more and more students taking an interest in,” said Yuying Li, co-director of the Graduate Data Science Program and a professor of computer science. “Many of our top undergrad students in computer science and statistics are looking at data science when they are considering graduate programs, especially because the skills they gain are in such high demand by industry.”
“Our interdisciplinary MDSAI program attracts students in other STEM fields as well, since it naturally broadens students’ undergrad training, providing a path into the exiting field of data science. We expect to see this interest continuing to grow,” Li said.
Check out the full methodology on the QS World University Rankings website.