Director Georgios Zervas on CDS’s New OMDS
‘We Truly Created It From Scratch for Our Intended Audience’
It only seems natural that Computing & Data Sciences (CDS) at Boston University (BU) has embraced virtual education. This fall marks the debut of the Online Master of Data Science (OMDS), which includes 30 credit hours of coursework spread across 11 modules. Students can finish the program in as little as 16 months, and it includes a heavy focus on artificial intelligence (AI), which is proving transformative in every part of the economy. The curriculum also provides practical hands-on projects that utilize cloud-based programming environments. The program is designed for working professionals and offers the entire program online. It also allows students to interact with practitioners in the field through the “AI for Leaders” class.
In this Q&A, Director of CDS Online Programs Georgios Zervas, also an associate professor of marketing and CDS, discusses the vision for OMDS, the role of AI in the program, and the value of bringing practitioners in to speak to students.
Please talk about the role AI plays in the OMDS.
The degree is targeted primarily at professionals who want to acquire advanced skills in data science. AI is the culmination of these skills. We start the program by teaching students foundational data science and machine learning skills, and then we build on this foundation to teach students about AI.
“AI for Leaders” takes that concept even further, letting students see how AI is deployed in the field. What is the OMDS vision for the course?
Our vision is driven by our audience. So many of our students are working professionals who have significant experience in their corresponding industries, and many of them are decision-makers, though they're not necessarily data scientists or software engineers. And what I think many of our students are seeking is to pick up these data science and AI skills, with the goal of using these tools as business leaders and decision-makers.
One thing that we want to instill upon our students through the “AI for Leaders” course is how people who have gone through this path before them actually use those tools in their own specific domains and businesses.
What is the value for students of hearing from practitioners generally as they learn? How does that help them?
Before becoming the faculty director of OMDS, I was the faculty director of the MS in Business Analytics at Questrom, and I have been teaching machine learning at BU for years. One thing that I have noticed is that, in the end, machine learning and AI are disciplines that are based on mathematics, statistics, and programming, and these are topics that not necessarily all of our students have encountered or encountered recently. They can be a bit intimidating at first, and they can be a little bit too abstract and removed from our students’ day-to-day professional reality.
I think having leaders from industry, government, and academia show our students how these tools can be used in practice can motivate them and give them purpose while they work through some of the more technical foundations that we try to lay, especially in the beginning of the program.
What are some other things students can gain from hearing from practitioners?
Another benefit is improving students’ communication skills. Communication is extremely important as data science projects these days are huge, with data scientists often working within a big team towards a shared goal. I think giving students the opportunity to hear from good communicators, to ask them questions and to exchange ideas with them can also help them improve their own communication skills in a safe learning environment. Students know who the guest speaker is ahead of time, and they can prepare to ask a few intelligent questions and learn something new.
Is there anything else people should know about OMDS?
Something that we value as faculty and staff who have worked on the program is that we truly created it from scratch for our intended audience. We put a lot of work into customizing the materials, thinking through the learning goals for every course, for every lesson, for every assignment. We truly made an effort to create something new and up to date that works well for our students.
Learn more about the Boston University's Online Master's in Data Science.