Why choose Nazareth for ethical data science?

Ethical data science is about using data and technology better, to make better decisions.

At Nazareth, this major is a collaboration of liberal arts and sciences to improve your technical, ethical, and sociological skills in working with artificial intelligence. Those combinations of skills will enable you to seek meaningful careers in the midst of the disruptiveness and uncertainty of emerging technologies. The ethical data science major prepares and encourages you to develop the understanding, commitment, and confidence to lead fully-informed and actively-engaged lives in our data-driven world while working to make a difference in your community.

You'll explore how artificial intelligence and other technologies can be used to solve social problems. The ethical data science program is part of Nazareth’s new Institute for Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Society (ITAS). Aligning with Nazareth's commitment to social justice and the integration of the liberal arts and professional studies, the institute focuses on the technical, social, and ethical issues posed by technology broadly, with an emphasis on artificial intelligence, algorithmic decision-making, and machine learning technologies.

Nazareth is among three dozen members of the Public Interest Technology University Network — alongside Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, and Stanford University — focused on building the nascent field of public interest technology and growing a new generation of civic-minded technologists.

This major's courses include Revolutionary Computing: Programming and Problem Solving for a Better World; Can Computers Think: An Introduction to A.I. and Machine Learning; Artificial Intelligence and Data Ethics; Practical Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning; and Technology, AI, and Society Capstone.

Program Highlights   

  • Strong community that promotes interaction between faculty and students
  • Dedicated math center for food, fun, and free peer tutoring
  • Undergraduate students can work collaboratively and choose to do research with faculty 
  • Support for travel to present research and attend professional conferences with faculty and students
  • A strong emphasis on experiential learning

Program Details

Options, Requirements, and Course Descriptions
Wendy Norris

Spotlight

Prof. Wendy Norris, Ph.D.

"I use project-based learning to help students discover how to apply computational thinking, human-centered computing, and ethical data science practices to real-world problems grounded in their own interests and majors.

My teaching mantra is 'hard fun,' where we think deeply about the human and social consequences of technology while learning new practical computing skills.

Previous student projects have developed a data sonification app to help people with mood disorders analyze wellness through sound; design fiction of AI that predicts injury risk in elite athletes; and 'big data' analysis that explores social/cultural/political topics in pop culture."

Along with her doctorate in information science, Wendy Norris, assistant professor of computer science, has experience in social work, public policy investigative journalism, and social venture startups.

College of Distinction: Business badge

Example Careers

  • Data scientist
  • Software engineer
  • Data analyst
  • Actuary
  • Business intelligence analyst
  • Data engineer
  • Data architect

Internships

Your Center for Life’s Work career coach will work with you to arrange an ethical data science internship with a company, nonprofit, or government office, where you will apply the skills you’ve learned in the program and gain more skills and insights.

Nazareth has connections/partnerships with a range of relevant organizations, including:

  • Excellus BlueCross/BlueShield
  • Paychex

Graduate Schools

Nazareth math grads have gone on to:

  • University of Wisconsin
  • University of Nebraska
  • University of Vermont
  • University of Rochester

Employers

Nazareth math grads have been hired by:

  • Excellus BlueCross/BlueShield
  • National Security Agency
  • Paychex
  • Epic software
  • Morgan Stanley