A Master of Science in Data Science is an interdisciplinary degree program designed to provide studies in scientific methods, processes, and systems to extract knowledge or insights from data in various forms, either structured or unstructured, similar to data mining. Overview As an area of expertise and field, data science is defined as a "concept to unify statistics, data analysis and their related methods" in order to "understand and analyze actual phenomena" with data. It employs techniques and theories drawn from many fields within the broad areas of mathematics, statistics, information science, and computer science, in particular from the subdomains of machine learning, statistical classification, cluster analysis, data mining, databases, and visualization. The degree is relatively new, with graduate schools, business schools, and data science centers often housing the programs. Data science degree programs have emerged to address the growing and unique need for data scientists who can provide insight into multiple organizational issues and interests across several disciplines. When Harvard Business Review called data scientist "The Sexiest Job of the 21st Century" the term became a buzzword, and is now often applied to business analytics, or even arbitrary use of data, or used as a term for statistics. While many university programs now offer a data science degree, there exists no consensus on a definition or curriculum contents. Data scientist was listed as the "Best Job in America" for both 2016 and 2017 by employment website Glassdoor. It was also listed by Forbes as the top job for work–life balance. Some degree programs focus squarely on the science of data analysis and statistics (mathematical, statistical, computational and programming skills) and allow for exploration of electives focused on special areas of interest, such as Stanford University’s MS in Data Science. Some degree programs can be found within an institution’s school of Engineering, Computer Science or Statistics department. Other institutions may take an interdisciplinary approach to the degree, bringing a pairing of data science and a specific application, e.g., Biostatistics, Cybersecurity or Marketing, such as the University of Connecticut’s Master of Science in Data Science or Columbia University's Data Science Institute. Master in Data Science programs Australia James Cook University Macquarie University Monash University Queensland University of Technology University of Melbourne University of New England (Australia) University of New South Wales University of Newcastle (Australia) University of Queensland University of Sydney University of Technology Sydney University of Western Australia Western Sydney