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Data Science Master’s Degree Requirements

The Master of Liberal Arts, Data Science degree program is offered online with one three-week course required on campus here at Harvard University.

Getting Started

Upcoming Terms: Fall 2025 

Take an admission course this fall.

Learn about Course Search and Registration.

Required Course Curriculum

  • Two people on a zoom call.

    Online core and elective courses

  • School building.

    On-campus precapstone course

  • Lightbulb in a hand.

    Capstone project

12 Graduate Courses (48 credits)

The degree assumes you can write functions in Python and are comfortable with calculus. If not, we recommend you take CSCI 7 Introduction to Computer Science with Python and MATH 15 Calculus 1 before registering for any degree-applicable courses.

The program covers a broad range of core and elective data science topics and culminates in an applied capstone project where you solve a real-world industry problem.

Online courses are primarily asynchronous, providing flexibility for international students and those with variable work schedules.

Required Core & Elective Courses

  • CSCI 101 Foundations of Data Science and Engineering
  • CSCI 106 Statistical Data Modeling
  • 4 data science core courses
  • 4 data science electives

Learn how to search and register for courses.

 

Precapstone Course: The Three-Week Harvard On-Campus Experience

Nearly all courses can be taken online, but you come to Cambridge for the precapstone course where you and your team, along with an industry partner, create the research protocol for your final capstone project.

The precapstone course is offered:

  • On campus in the three-week January session
  • On campus in a three-week summer session through Harvard Summer School (HSS). The Summer School offers, for an additional fee, housing, meal plans, and a prolonged on-campus experience at Harvard University. Learn more about campus life at Harvard.

International Students Who Need a Student Visa

To meet the on-campus requirement, you study with us in the summer for a minimum of three weeks. For more details, see International Student Study Options for important visa information.

Capstone Course & Project

In your final online course, you complete a team-based capstone project. The capstone is taken as your sole remaining degree requirement in the semester immediately following the precapstone.

Capstone Experience

In the capstone, with your project team and industry partner, you execute a real-world data science project that you crafted and developed in the precapstone.

The team format allows you to strengthen your communication, collaboration, and project management competencies, which are critical skills demanded by employers.

At the completion of the capstone, you are able to demonstrate your ability to think critically about data, communicate with diverse audiences, and advance innovation in ways that benefit society.

Optional Graduate and Microcertificates

You can choose to focus your degree by earning a graduate certificate or microcertificate along the way.

Graduate Certificate:

Microcertificates:

 

In-Person Co-Curricular Events

Come to Cambridge for Convocation (fall) to celebrate your hard-earned admission, Harvard career fairs offered throughout the year, HES alumni networking events (here at Harvard and around the world), and, of course, Harvard University Commencement (May).

Admissions

  • Diploma.

    Confirm your initial eligibility with a four-year bachelor’s degree or its foreign equivalent.

  • Person climbing toward a flag.

    Take two courses to earn your way in.

  • Checking off a box.

    In the semester of your second course, submit your application.

Below are our initial eligibility requirements and an overview of our unique admissions process to help get you started. Be sure to visit Degree Program Admissions for full details.

Initial Eligibility

Earn Your Way In: Courses for Admission

With our performance-based admission process, you begin by taking courses with us first. You’ll simply register — no application required — for the following two 4-credit, graduate-level degree courses (available online).

These prerequisite courses count toward your degree once you’re admitted; they are not additional courses. They are investments in your studies and help ensure success in the program.

  • CSCI 101 Foundations of Data Science and Engineering
    • CSCI 101 cannot be more than two years old at the time of application.
  • CSCI 106 Statistical Data Modeling

You need to perform well in the two courses earning a grade of B or higher without letting your overall Harvard cumulative GPA dip below 3.0.

You have two attempts to earn the minimum grade of B in both CSCI 101 and 106 (a withdrawal grade counts as an attempt).

The two courses don’t need to be taken in a particular order or in the same semester, and both are available for registration in fall or spring, and ordinarily in summer as well.

Learn how to search and register for courses.

Applying to the Degree Program

During the semester of your second degree course, submit the official application to the program.

Don’t delay! You must prioritize the two degree courses for admission and apply before completing subsequent courses. By doing so, you’ll:

  • Avoid the loss of credit due to expired course work or changes to admission and degree requirements.
  • Ensure your enrollment in critical degree-candidate-only courses.
  • Avoid the delayed application fee.
  • Gain access to exclusive benefits.

Eligible students who submit a complete and timely application will have 10 more courses after admission to earn the degree.

Applicants can register for courses in the upcoming semester before they receive their grades and while they await their admission decision.

Prospective ALM students can expect acceptance into the program by meeting all the eligibility and academic requirements detailed on this page, submitting a complete application, and having no academic standing or conduct concerns.

MITx MicroMasters® Credential Admissions Pathway

If you have earned the MicroMasters® Program credential in Statistics and Data Science, you may apply the credential toward admission and complete one additional course at the Harvard Extension School. Learn more about the MicroMasters Pathway.

The Office of Predegree Advising & Admissions makes all final determinations about program eligibility.

Searching and Registering for Courses

The Division of Continuing Education (DCE) offers degree courses all year round to accelerate degree completion. You can study in fall, January, and spring terms through Harvard Extension School (HES) and during the summer through Harvard Summer School (HSS). To find courses and register, use our Course Search and Registration platform.

Upcoming Term: Fall 2025

Fall registration is open July 21–August 28.

Start Planning

Explore our 2025–26 course catalog.

You can enroll full or part time. After qualifying for admission, many of our degree candidates study part time, taking two courses per semester (fall/spring) and one in the January and summer sessions.

Most fall and spring courses meet once a week for two hours, while January and summer courses meet more frequently in a condensed format.

Completing Your Degree

  • Trophy on a computer monitor.

    Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

  • Clipboard with a pen.

    Complete your courses in five years.

  • Graduation cap and diploma.

    Earn your Harvard degree and enjoy Harvard Alumni Association benefits upon graduation.

Required GPA, Withdrawal Grades, and Repeat Courses

GPA. You need to earn a B or higher in each of the two degree courses required for admission and a B– or higher in each of the subsequent courses. In addition, your cumulative GPA cannot dip below 3.0.

Withdrawal grades. You are allowed to receive two withdrawal (WD) grades without them affecting your GPA. Any additional WD grades count as zero in your cumulative GPA. See Academic Standing.

Repeat courses. We advise you to review the ALM program’s strict policies about repeating courses. Generally speaking, you may not repeat a course to improve your GPA or to fulfill a degree requirement (if the minimum grade was not initially achieved). Nor can you repeat a course for graduate credit that you’ve previously completed at Harvard Extension School or Harvard Summer School at the undergraduate level.

Alternative Pathway Admission

MITx MicroMasters®

GPA. You need to earn a B or higher in the Foundations of Data Science and Engineering course (CSCI 101) required for admission and a B– or higher in each of the subsequent courses. In addition, your cumulative GPA cannot dip below 3.0.

Withdrawal grades. You are allowed to receive one withdrawal (WD) grade without it affecting your GPA. Any additional WD grades count as zero in your cumulative GPA. See Academic Standing.

Repeat courses. We advise you to review the ALM program’s strict policies about repeating courses. Generally speaking, you may not repeat a course to improve your GPA or to fulfill a degree requirement (if the minimum grade was not initially achieved). Nor can you repeat a course for graduate credit that you’ve previously completed at Harvard Extension School or Harvard Summer School at the undergraduate level.

Courses Expire: You Need to Apply on Time and Finish Your Coursework in Under Five Years

Expired coursework. Courses over five years old at the point of admission will not count toward the degree. As stated above CSCI 101 cannot be more than two years old at the time of application.

Five-year degree completion timeline. Further, you have five years to complete your degree requirements. The five-year timeline begins at the end of the term in which you complete any two degree-applicable courses regardless of whether or not you have been admitted to a degree program.

Don’t delay! Potential degree candidates must plan accordingly and apply to the program in a timely manner, or they risk losing degree credit for completed course work.

Admission eligibility will be jeopardized if, at the point of application to the program, the five-year degree completion policy cannot be satisfied (i.e., too many courses to complete in the time remaining).

Graduate with Your Harvard Degree

When you have fulfilled all degree requirements, you will earn your Harvard University degree: Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) in Extension Studies, field: Data Science. Degrees are awarded in November, February, and May, with the annual Harvard Commencement ceremony in May.

Degree Candidate Exclusive Benefits

When you become an officially admitted degree candidate, you have access to a rich variety of exclusive benefits to support your academic journey. To learn more, visit degree candidate academic opportunities and privileges.