Updated: February 25, 2025
Welcome to the DSCI Major page, we’re very glad you’re interested in this new major program!
Important News: On February 19, the Data Science Major program was approved by the UBC Senate. The final step in the approval process is with the Ministry of BC, and we expect to receive their approval soon. We are happy to announce the new DSCI Major program will be accepting students in September 2025. We will soon update this website to include more information about this new major program - thank you for your patience while we get things ready!
In the meantime, here are a list of frequently asked questions and answers:
Q: (Updated) Can you tell me any more about the new DSCI Major program?
A: Yes! We now know a lot more about the new DSCI Major program. There is new page here as well as a more general description of career prospects here. Over the next few weeks, we will also add more information about the types of students we are hoping will apply to the new DSCI major, as well as other useful information about courses you’ll need to take (and the order!). Until then, this formal announcement by UBC of the program in April 2024 is still relevant, as it contains high level details.
Q: When will the DSCI Major begin accepting applications?
A: Similar to other major programs at UBC in the Faculty of Science https://science.ubc.ca/students/specialization-requirements, applications for admission into the new DSCI major will open in the Spring/Summer at the end of students’ first year in the faculty of science and the program will begin in Year 2. The first cohort of DSCI Major students will enter into the program in September 2025.
Q: I am a first-year student in the Faculty of Science and would like to apply for the DSCI Major - what are the admission requirements?
A: The admission eligibility requirements are now set. To be eligible to apply for the new DSCI major program, students will need to take and successfully complete DSCI 100 and Math 100 (or equivalent). In addition, students are highly encouraged to complete CPSC 103 (or CPSC 110) by the end of the summer. Otherwise, students will not be able to enroll into DSCI 220 in Year 2 Term 1 or DSCI 221 in Year 2 Term 2 and this means it will take longer to complete the program. Completing the eligibility requirements does not guarantee admission into the program.
Note: students in the Science One program will also be eligible to apply but need to know some additional information (in the next question).
Q: If I am in the Science One program, what should I know before applying to the DSCI Major?
A: We welcome Science One students to apply for admission into the DSCI Major! The unique interdisciplinarity nature of Science One would be excellent preparation for the DSCI major and we believe students will also really enjoy the experience. We are aware that the scheduling constraints of Science One will make it infeasible for students to take two additional courses (DSCI 100 and CPSC 103) in their first year. Therefore, Science One students will be considered for admission into the program without completing DSCI 100 or CPSC 103. However, Science One students admitted into the program should aim to complete DSCI 100 in the summer session (and CPSC 103 if possible).
Q: How many students will be admitted into the DSCI Major?
A: We are aiming to admit forty (40) students into this major in the first year. We anticipate the program to expand in the future assuming there is interest from students, as well as resources and funding to deliver an excellent program to students!
Q: Will everyone who wants to be a DSCI major be admitted?
A: Unfortunately not - the program is expected to attract high levels of interest so we expect more students to apply than we have seats. That said, the admissions committee will do our best to ensure that admitted students are diverse and representative of the faculty and our institution. We will have more details to announce about our admission process soon.
Note: We will be following the application processes outlined on the FoS website. https://science.ubc.ca/students/specialization-requirements
Q: I’m currently enrolled in a different program at UBC or at a different university than UBC and want to apply to the DSCI major – how can I apply?
A: Unfortunately, for the first year (2025), students will only be admitted into the DSCI major through the Faculty of Science BSc Specialization application (https://science.ubc.ca/students/specialization-requirements). In other words, there will be no late entry into the DSCI major yet.
Q: If I have questions about the DSCI Major, who can I ask?
A: We are still working out our advising procedures, but you can email datascience.advising@ubc.ca if you have a question that isn’t answered in the FAQ above. We will do our best to get back to you as soon as we can.