Data Analysis and Visualization

Grounded in principles of data ethics and foregrounded in a critical approach to data studies, this degree program offers students the opportunity to learn about the basics of working with data and to explore fundamental concepts and methods for analyzing and interpreting data and statistics. These include how to visualize data, principles of graphic design, and media theory and history. This program will help students think critically and historically about contemporary methods and techniques for working with data.

The program’s diverse faculty and exciting, multidisciplinary approach to scholarship and teaching allow students to gain a broad understanding of data analysis and visualization. Three areas of study offer a learning path that leverages the longstanding culture of social activism at The Graduate Center. Students get to unlock the social nuances of big data and create stories by taking disparate pieces of information and weaving them together into a meaningful narrative.

Why Data Analysis and Visualization?

Data — its production, curation, analysis, and visualization—impacts every area of modern society. More and more of our everyday decisions are guided by computational processing of big data. Computers recommend what route we should take, what news should we read, whom we should follow on social networks, and what music we should listen to.

In light of this, our program understands that the doing of data visualization is inseparable from thinking critically about data and digital methods. We build on the Graduate Center’s tremendous legacy of being on the political vanguard of social justice and activist movements. Our students embody this legacy as they learn to think through the complex issues around data visualization, particularly as these relate to social justice issues. Together, we are committed to leading the development of best practices for working critically and at multiple scales with data.
 

The M.S. Program in Data Analysis and Visualization is a field of study on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) STEM Designated Degree Program List, and meets one of the eligibility criteria required for F-1 students to apply to the USCIS for a STEM OPT extension.