1) Master of Science in Data Science
2) Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence
3) Master of Science in Computer Science 

For the above three courses , does any of these tracks provided a Thesis track for online students ?

If not , are there any other colleges in US that that provide a thesis track option with their online masters specially for data science/AI domains (preferably Under QS-500 rankings) ?

Would AP Statistics and AP Calc AB/BC count for any math classes?

• BBA in Business Management from Asia, GPA 3.3/4.0 (my college ranked around #8 in the country)
• Stat 1, Intro Programming, Honors Calc 2, and Linear Algebra (all A's) at a US community college. Considering Calc 3 next semester
• GRE Quant practice scores consistently 167+
• 2 years as an Employee Data Analyst at a large company in my home country (listed on NASDAQ)
• Some analytics work supporting a Fortune 500 company through a third-party contractor
• Recommendations will probably be average, not exceptional

Honestly, I feel my profile is probably below average for this program, so I'm trying to get a realistic sense of my chances and whether there's anything I can do to improve it.

From what I’ve seen on this thread it looks like waves of admissions decisions come out on Tuesdays. I applied April 15th, so I expect to be one of the last to hear back. Has anyone that applied in April heard back yet?

Hi everyone,

I'm applying to the program and need to upload my academic documents. My official transcripts and degree documents are in Spanish, and the application instructions state that transcripts not written in English must be accompanied by a translation.

For international students who applied with non-English documents, where did you get your transcripts and degree certificate translated? Did you use a certified translator, a university translation service, or another option that was accepted by admissions?

I'd appreciate hearing about your experience and what worked for you. Thanks!

June 3 is my date to start registering as a new grad student, but for the life of me I can’t find what courses I actually need to register for.

From the website I see that the gateway course is “Principles of Data Science” taught my Roger Peng, but no courses show up with his name for Fall 2026. Searching “DSC” courses show nothing.

Is this normal for the first day of registration?

Edit: live updates - I got this email:

Greetings,
 
Thank you for reaching out to us! 
 
We appreciate your enthusiasm for registering for Fall 2026 courses. However, as noted in the Welcome & Onboarding email, there will be a few onboarding steps before MSDS students are able to register for Fall 2026 courses. While you may have access to the UT Registration System at this time, you will be unable to register for courses until July 8th.
 
Our office anticipates on continuing with the onboarding process in the next week or so. Please be on the lookout for emails from our office so that you are best prepared to join the MSDS program and register for Fall 2026 courses.

Hey everyone, looking for advice from people who've been in a similar situation.

Background: I graduated from a premier engineering college in India with a non-CS degree and a strong GPA. I have about 5 years of industry experience in data science and ML, including recommendation systems, demand forecasting, and A/B testing. Currently, I am on an L-2S visa in the US. Recently got rejected from a UT Austin online MS AI program, almost certainly because my formal prerequisites weren't strong enough, despite solid work experience and self-study through massive open online courses (MOOCs).

Now targeting UT Austin MSDS and GT OMSA for Spring 2027. The prereqs needed are linear algebra, multivariable calculus, and probability & statistics. I know this material reasonably well through work and MOOCs, but I can't demonstrate it through accredited coursework, and these programs don't accept MOOCs.

Here's my challenge: I don't yet qualify for CA in-state community college tuition (~$200/course for residents). Non-resident CC rates are ~$1,200/course. Other accredited options I've found, including UND enroll-anytime (~$1,224), Roger Williams / Distance Calculus (~$1,800), and UCLA Extension (~$800), are all significant investments.

Would love to hear from people who've navigated this, especially international students or non-CS folks:

Cheap accredited alternatives: Are there accredited options in the US or internationally that these programs actually accept, ideally under $400/course with a real transcript? CA community colleges are the gold standard at ~$200, but I can't access that rate yet.

In-progress vs completed: With GT OMSA's standard deadline on June 15 and UT Austin MSDS on Sept 1, does listing an in-progress course strengthen an application, or do programs need a completed grade?

Non-course alternatives: Did strong work experience + MOOCs + a compelling SOP work for anyone without retaking formal courses? Or is an accredited retake essentially non-negotiable?

hey guys , my degree is in finance and i have only one course named Applied maths that has calc 1 , 2 and some of multivariable calc and linear algebra but also i have other maths like probability stats and extra... that use linear algebra and calc in

My question is will they accept my maths if it in one course and applied in other courses or no?

I got in for Fall 2026 and would like a sense of community. Anyone know of, or are wanting to start a text chain or group chat / similar.

I applied on Mar15, called and confirmed if my application was submitted in early deadline. It was, still haven’t heard back. Wondering till what application dates have folks heard back?

Re: I also got an email today, it was in SPAM! Yay!

So I just finished up my spring semester, and I got all A’s but a C in calc 3. I’m a comp sci major and I graduate this fall, and I’ve gotten an A in every class except:

Assembly Programming: B
Pre cal: B
Cal 1: C
Cal 3: C

I was actually able to get an A in calc 2.

Will this reflect very poorly on my transcript? Coincidentally, when I got an A in calc 2 was the only semester I spent unemployed so that definitely played a part. I did get A’s in applied stats, linear algebra, and discrete math as well.

Hello everyone. I am planning to take DSC 382 Regression and DSC 383 Advanced Predictive Models courses together. Any advice on these courses; do you recommend taking a different course replacing one of these?

I recently got accepted into the Online MS-DS Program that I plan to complete part-time alongside my full-time role as an engineer (which would require me to work 9-10 hours per day). I have my undergrad in Industrial Engineering, so I want this degree to pivot me into a Data Science career.

I would appreciate any advice on how the courses in MS-DS are structured, are they integrated with consideration to AI, how easy/difficulty are assignments/exams, time consumption, and if they would be doable alongside a job. I am debating between this program and UPenn MSE-DS - so any input is really appreciated!

Hi everyone,
I’m planning to start my MS in Data Science in Fall 2026 and I’d really appreciate some guidance on course selection.

I completed my bachelor’s degree in 2009, so I have a long gap from academics. Because of that, I want to choose courses that will help me rebuild my fundamentals while also preparing me for the current industry (especially in areas like software development, automation testing, or AI).

Could you suggest:

• Beginner-friendly but important core courses I should not miss
• Any subjects I should revise before starting
• Courses that are manageable after a long academic break

Also, if anyone has had a similar gap before starting MSDS, I’d love to hear your experience.

Thanks in advance!

Hey! I applied March 13th and haven’t heard back. Was wondering when y’all have applied and as well when you heard back, or if you are waiting still.

Over the past 1.5 months, I have heard back from every single MSDS program I’ve applied to… except UT.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the vibe of this university. Hell, I already have another degree from UT in an unrelated field. This was my top pick.

But I can’t help but feel the indifference from both the admissions committee and university. I have a feeling that this is going to be a very isolating experience, especially for those not in Austin who need more interaction with professors.

The last time I attended UT, more than a decade ago, I felt like a number. Now I feel like a decimal point lol.

I was team “get the degree from as prestigious of a university as possible as cheaply as possible,” but now I’m honestly leaning towards paying a little more for a university that seems to actually care and know I exist.

I can’t help but feel like this program is going to be a collection of videos for $10k.

There is nothing wrong with choosing that path, but the more I think about it (especially coming from a semi-STEM background that was neither pure math nor CS), the more I think I’m probably going to accept one of those *slightly* more expensive programs.

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for people who don’t have substantial employer support, however. I probably wouldn’t be doing any DS masters program without employer support, tbh.

But that’s just me. Wishing everyone the best this cycle.

Why are there no reviews for this course on https://msdshub.com/?
1) How does the difficulty of the content and the workload compare to Deep Learning?
2) Are there midterm and/or final exams, and if yes are they proctored?

Hi everyone! I'm a prospective MSDSO applicant trying to get a better sense of how courses are structured.

For those currently in the program (or alumni), how are classes typically split in terms of grading components—like exams vs assignments vs projects? Is it usually more project-based, exam-heavy, or a mix?

Also, are exams proctored? If so, how does that work (e.g., live online proctoring, recorded sessions, testing centers, etc.)? Which proctoring service is used? Or are they mostly honor-code based?

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences across different courses since I imagine it varies.

Thanks in advance!

hi everyone, i’m an applied math & econ major (3.5 gpa) looking to apply to MSDSO. i was wondering if the acceptance rate is actually around 20-30% (via UT austin’s website). this number kind of seemed unrealistic to me given how large the program is. i was wondering if this number is referring to something else, like in person MSDS?

- 3.04 Overall Undergraduate GPA

- Bachelor of Science in Physics (Minor in CS)

- 9 Years of Work Experience (As a Data Analyst with Data Science Projects)

- Co-Author on 2 Published Papers

I understand that my weakest point is my GPA, but I'm hoping my academic publications and work experience makes up for it.

Hey all, I applied (everything turned in) on March 13th l, where priority deadline was March 15th. From y’all’s experience, what is the average time to hear back on admission decision?

In a previous post, I tried to analyze the admission criteria from the lens of the admission committee. Let's move on to brainstorm how to write an SOP to meet those criteria.

• Can this person handle the coursework?
• Will they stay and finish?
• Can they keep a steady pace while working?
• Are they actually likely to enroll?

That became my working rubric before writing anything.

Think in buckets, not templates

I don’t think one SOP template fits everyone. Different applicants come with different strengths and different risks, so the SOP should address those specifically. Roughly, I think about the risks associated with each background bucket.

• New grads: unclear direction
• Early career (<5 years): lack of commitment
• Experienced (>10 years): outdated academics
• Career switchers: lack of foundation
• Overqualified: unclear intent

One thing that seems to apply to all buckets: Academic recency matters (not just "did you learn this before", but "can you still do it now")

SOP is not for showcasing how good you are

This was a big mindset shift for me. You don’t need to use SOP to:

• list achievements
• prove you’re smart
• repeat your CV

Because transcript already shows academic performance and CV already shows work experience. Instead, SOP should answer:

• Why does your path make sense?
• What concerns might the reviewer have?
• Why don’t they need to worry?

I’m starting to think of SOP as a risk management document, not a highlight reel.

SOP = claim, CV = proof

Another mental model that helped:

• SOP = claim
• CV = proof

The reviewer is likely jumping between the two. If that connection isn't obvious, it creates friction.

You probably have ~1 minute

Realistically, they're not reading everything line by line. More likely:

• quick scan
• jump between SOP and CV
• form an impression quickly

If your writing is too "colorful" or trying to say too many things:

• nothing stands out
• the message gets lost
• the reviewer has to work

And if they have to work, you lose. If someone reads this for 1 minute, what 1–2 things will they remember?

How to start SOP (what NOT to do)

Advice from places like GT is actually very helpful.

Avoid:

• “Ever since I was young…”
• “I am passionate about…”
• vague goals
• dramatic storytelling
• rewriting your resume

None of these help answer the real questions.

What the opening should do

The first paragraph should quickly show:

• where you are now
• where you’re going
• why this program is the next step

After a few sentences, the reviewer should think: "Got it. This makes sense."

CV is not a job resume

For job applications, we highlight:

• revenue impact
• % improvements
• cost savings

But for UT programs, those don't seem as important. More relevant:

• type of problems you worked on
• how technical they are
• relation to AI / DS
• your role

Ideally: SOP introduces an idea; CV shows the project behind it.

It’s okay to talk about what didn’t work

SOP doesn’t have to be all great things. Frustration can be valid motivation:

• applied to ML/DS roles but didn’t get offers
• couldn’t answer deeper interview questions
• realized thinking like SWE instead of AI/DS

That’s not a weakness if framed correctly. It shows self-awareness, clear gap and real reason for applying.

Read the application guide carefully

Make sure your submission complies with the requirements; otherwise, your package may not land on the desk of the admission committee. Not following the instruction also reveals who you are and raises concerns too.

To sum it all, Before writing anything, I would be focusing on:

• What bucket am I in?
• What risks do I need to address?
• What needs to be obvious within 1 minute?

Not "How do I sound impressive?", but "Does this make the reviewer feel confident I'll come in, keep up, and finish?"