Best Online Master’s in Data Science Programs (2026): Cost, Admission and Who Each Suits

Last updated: October 2026. Written by Josh Hutcheson. This comparison is based on each framework’s official documentation and release notes, the 2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey and developer discussions, all read in October 2026. See our review methodology.

An online master’s in data science costs anywhere from about $10,000 (UT Austin) to more than $60,000 (Northwestern), and the price has almost nothing to do with how hard or useful the degree is. The three most affordable top-ranked programs, Georgia Tech, UT Austin and the University of Colorado Boulder, all cost under $16,000 in total.

We read the official program page of every degree below on 14 October 2026. Each entry gives the total cost, the credit load, how you get in, and the kind of student it suits. The 2022 version of this page listed prices such as “$670” for Illinois and “$1,000” for UT Austin. Those were per-course or per-credit figures presented as totals, so we have replaced every number.

Try a CU Boulder MS-DS course on Coursera →

Why choose a Master’s in Data Science online?

Employers ask for graduate degrees more often than they used to. 365 Data Science’s analysis of data scientist job postings found that 31.4% mentioned a master’s and 34.7% a PhD in 2026, up from 29.6% and 24.1% in 2025. Postings that mentioned no degree fell from 26.5% to 17.7% (365 Data Science, Data Scientist Job Outlook 2026).

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median data scientist salary at $120,230 (May 2025) and projects 35% employment growth from 2025 to 2035, against about 3.5% for all occupations (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). BLS also notes that most data scientist jobs ask for at least a bachelor’s degree and that some employers prefer a master’s.

An online program lets you keep your job while you study. Most of the programs below are designed for working adults: UT Austin and Georgia Tech run on semesters, Coursera-hosted degrees let you take one course at a time, and WGU lets you pass courses as fast as you can.

Skill development

Every program on this list teaches the same core: Python or R, statistics and probability, machine learning, data engineering and visualization. The differences are in emphasis. UT Austin and Illinois lean toward computer science and theory, Georgia Tech toward analytics and operations, and Michigan and Pitt toward applied projects.

Get qualified

A degree is the credential that clears automated resume screens for roles that list a master’s as a requirement. A certificate does not do that. If the jobs you want list “MS preferred”, the degree is doing real work; if they list skills and a portfolio, a certificate may be enough.

Better salaries

Degrees do not set pay on their own; role, industry and location do. Programs that publish outcomes report strong numbers: Michigan’s School of Information reports a $125K average salary for MADS graduates (2023 to 2025), and Illinois reports average graduate salaries over $145,000 in data science. These are each school’s own figures, not an independent survey.

Hands-on experience

Look for a capstone or practicum. Georgia Tech’s OMSA ends with a 10 to 15 week practicum with an industry partner, and Michigan’s MADS is built around real-world projects in each course. A program with no applied project gives you a credential but nothing to show in an interview.

Career opportunities

Graduates go into data scientist, machine learning engineer, data engineer and analytics manager roles. If you are still choosing between those, read data scientist vs data analyst vs data engineer vs data architect and whether data science is a good career in 2026 first.

How to choose the best online data science master’s program?

Start with three questions: how much you can pay, how you will get in, and how many hours a week you really have. Those three rule out most programs before you compare curricula.

What are the requirements to apply?

Undergraduate degree

Almost every program needs a bachelor’s degree. Northwestern asks for a four-year U.S. bachelor’s from a regionally accredited institution or a foreign equivalent. Most programs prefer a quantitative major but do not require one.

GPA

There is no single cutoff. The 2022 version of this page said 3.5; that is not a rule any of these programs publish. Performance-based programs (CU Boulder, Pitt) skip the GPA question entirely: you take the pathway courses and your grades in them decide admission.

Recommendations

Application-based programs usually ask for letters of recommendation, and Georgia Tech will not review an application until the letters are in. Ask a manager or professor who has seen your quantitative work.

GRE scores

Fewer programs require the GRE than in 2022. Georgia Tech states “No GRE/GMAT requirement” for OMSA, and the Coursera-hosted degrees use performance-based admission instead. Check each program’s admissions page before you book a test.

Resume

A resume showing analytical work helps in every application. If you have none, a short portfolio of two or three projects (a cleaned dataset, a model, a dashboard) does more than a generic statement of purpose.

Prerequisite math

Expect to need calculus, linear algebra and some programming. Georgia Tech, for example, expects familiarity with vectors and matrices, and lists eigenvalues as helpful. Several programs run bridge or pathway courses if you are missing one.

Which are the top master’s in data science online programs?

Here is every program at a glance, then the detail. Costs are total tuition from each official page on 14 October 2026; fees are extra where noted.

1. Georgia Tech Online Master of Science in Analytics (OMSA)

Georgia Tech’s OMSA is the best value on this list. Total tuition is $11,880 for Georgia residents, $12,348 for other U.S. students and $12,960 for international students ($330, $343 or $360 per credit hour), plus an online learning fee of $212 to $531 each semester. The degree is 36 credit hours (12 courses) and takes 24 to 36 months.

It is an analytics degree with three tracks, and the Computational Data Analytics track is the data science track. There is no GRE or GMAT requirement. Georgia Tech advises about three hours a week per credit hour, so two courses at once means roughly 18 to 20 hours a week. Fall 2027 applications have a priority deadline of February 1, 2027, and the application fee is $95 ($105 for international applicants). Georgia Tech OMSA program page.

2. The University of Texas at Austin Online MS in Data Science

UT Austin prices its online MSDS at $10,000 plus fees. It is a 30 credit-hour program of 10 semester-length courses: a gateway course, Principles of Data Science, then 12 credit hours of required core courses and 15 of electives. The curriculum mixes statistics (probability, regression, visualization) with computer science (machine learning, data structures, optimization).

For a Fall start, applications open December 15 with a priority deadline of March 15 and a final deadline of April 15. For Spring, they open June 1 with deadlines of August 1 and September 1. UT also offers the same coursework as a graduate certificate. UT Austin MSDS program page.

3. University of Colorado Boulder MS in Data Science (on Coursera)

CU Boulder’s MS-DS costs $15,750 in total, paid course by course at $525 per credit hour. It is 30 credit hours, and Boulder estimates about 24 months to finish, at 4 to 6 hours a week per course. Courses come from five Boulder departments, mixing computer science, statistics and business applications.

The selling point is performance-based admission. There is no application: you take the pathway courses, and earning the required grades admits you. That makes it the easiest program here to start, and the most forgiving if your undergraduate record is weak. You can also try a course before you commit. See CU Boulder’s MS in Data Science on Coursera.

4. University of Pittsburgh Master of Data Science (on Coursera)

Pitt’s Master of Data Science costs $15,300 in total. It is 10 courses (30 credits), takes 20 to 36 months at 9 to 10 hours a week, and uses performance-based admission: you pay per term for the courses you enroll in. Pitt says no programming experience is required, which makes it the most beginner-friendly degree on this list.

Pitt offers payment plans of 3 to 6 months for balances of $300 or more, with a $45 sign-up fee each term. See Pitt’s Master of Data Science on Coursera.

5. University of Illinois Master of Computer Science, data science pathway (on Coursera)

Illinois offers its online MCS with a pathway in data science. Tuition is $620 per credit hour for a total of $19,840 for Illinois residents, or $793 per credit hour ($25,376) for everyone else. It is 32 credit hours over 8 courses, takes 12 to 36 months, and needs 10 to 12 hours a week. Illinois reports average graduate salaries over $131,000 in computer science and $145,000 in data science.

This is a computer science degree first, so it suits people who already program. If you want data science without the systems coursework, UT Austin or CU Boulder is a better fit. See the Illinois MCS on Coursera.

6. WGU Master of Science in Data Analytics (data science specialization)

Western Governors University charges a flat $4,425 per six-month term rather than per credit. You must complete at least 8 competency units each term, with no maximum, so the faster you pass courses, the less you pay. WGU offers a data science specialization within the MS in Data Analytics, and some third-party IT certifications are included in tuition.

The format is independent study with faculty support, not live classes. It suits self-starters and is the riskiest choice for anyone who needs deadlines to keep moving. WGU MS in Data Analytics.

7. University of Virginia Online MS in Data Science

UVA’s School of Data Science runs a part-time, 100% online MSDS of 33 credit hours over five terms. It is cohort-based, so you move through a set sequence with the same classmates, and UVA says most students finish in about 20 months. The first semester opens with data engineering and pipeline architecture. Tuition is on UVA’s tuition and fees page, which we could not load in full on 14 October, so check it directly. UVA online MSDS program page.

8. University of Michigan Master of Applied Data Science (MADS)

Michigan’s MADS is 38 credits, fully online and cohort-based. Full time (three courses a month) takes 12 months with advanced placement or 16 with standard placement; part time takes 24 to 36 months. UMSI reports a $125K average salary for graduates (2023 to 2025). Michigan residents pay a lower rate.

The 2022 version of this page sent readers to Coursera for MADS. Coursera’s data science degree list no longer includes it (checked 14 October), so apply through Michigan. For comparable degrees that do enroll on Coursera, browse Coursera’s data science degrees. Michigan MADS program page.

9. Johns Hopkins Engineering for Professionals MS in Data Science

Johns Hopkins charges $5,620 per course, and the master’s takes 10 courses, which puts tuition at about $56,200. Classes are online in both asynchronous and synchronous formats, and Hopkins says admission decisions take about 2 to 3 weeks. Prerequisites must be completed with a B- or better; Hopkins offers a Master’s Bridge Program whose completion guarantees full admission. Johns Hopkins EP data science program page.

10. Northwestern University School of Professional Studies MS in Data Science

Northwestern’s part-time online MSDS is 12 courses at $5,098 each, an estimated $62,796 for the 2026-2027 academic year. You need a four-year bachelor’s degree, and a quantitative background is preferred. A stackable certificate lets you start with four graduate courses and apply that credit to the master’s later. The 2022 version of this page described a Great Learning partnership; Northwestern’s own program page does not mention one, so we removed it. Northwestern SPS MSDS program page.

11. UC Berkeley Master of Information and Data Science (MIDS)

Berkeley’s MIDS is offered online through the School of Information. The standard path for working professionals takes 20 months at two courses per semester; the accelerated path takes three courses per semester and can finish in as few as 12 months. The program is WASC-accredited and includes live classes. Berkeley does not show tuition on its overview page, so get the current figure from its admissions team before you compare it with the options above. Berkeley MIDS program page.

Programs we removed from this list

The 2022 list also included Tufts, IU International University of Applied Sciences, Simplilearn’s Purdue program and upGrad. Tufts and IU were listed at “$1,697” and “98 Euros”, prices that matched no current tuition page. Simplilearn’s postgraduate program is a certificate, not a master’s degree. upGrad’s data science master’s (with Liverpool John Moores University and IIIT Bangalore) is still sold; our upGrad data science review has its current price and structure.

See Pitt’s $15,300 Master of Data Science →

What does an online master’s in data science cost?

Total tuition ranges from about $10,000 to more than $60,000. The table orders the programs whose official pages show a total.

How to pay less

• Employer tuition assistance. Under a qualifying educational assistance program, a U.S. employer can pay up to $5,250 a year toward your tuition without it counting as taxable wages (IRS Publication 15-B). On a $15,000 program, three years of that covers the whole degree.
• Pay per course. Coursera-hosted degrees and UT Austin bill per course, so you never owe a full year up front.
• Scholarships and fellowships. See our data science scholarships guide for funding you can apply for this cycle.
• Start with a certificate. Northwestern’s stackable certificate and UT Austin’s graduate certificate let you test the program before committing to the degree.

When should you apply for a Fall 2027 start?

Deadlines vary more than prices. These are the dates each program published on 14 October 2026.

How we chose these programs

We included degrees that are fully online, regionally accredited, and titled data science, analytics or computer science with a data science pathway. We then read each official program page for total cost, credits, time to degree and admission rules, and ranked the list by value: what the degree costs against the depth and the reputation it carries. We do not rank on graduate salary claims because each school measures them differently.

OnlineCourseing earns a commission if you enroll through some links on this page, including the Coursera-hosted degrees. That does not change the order: Georgia Tech and UT Austin, which pay us nothing, sit at the top because they are the best value.

What are the outcomes of a master’s degree in data science?

By the end of any of these programs you should be able to:

• clean, join and model messy real-world data in Python or R and SQL
• choose, train and evaluate machine learning models, and explain why one beats another
• design data pipelines and work with cloud tools for large datasets
• present findings to people who do not read code

The career outcome depends on what you already have. Career changers with no analytical experience usually start in analyst or junior data scientist roles. Experienced engineers and analysts are more likely to use the degree to move into senior or machine learning roles.

Is an online master’s in data science worth it?

It is worth it when the jobs you want ask for one and the price is low enough to pay back quickly. With Georgia Tech, UT Austin, CU Boulder and Pitt all under $16,000, the math works for most people who will use the degree. A $56,000 to $63,000 program needs a bigger salary jump or employer funding to justify itself.

It is not worth it if you mainly need skills to land a first analyst job. In that case a certificate and a portfolio cost less and take less time. Compare the IBM Data Science Professional Certificate (12 courses, 967,190 learners enrolled on Coursera on 14 October) with our best data science courses, or read how to become a data scientist without a degree.

Prices for Coursera Plus and Udacity were read on their pricing pages on 14 October 2026. See the Udacity Data Scientist Nanodegree for its current syllabus.

Data science master’s vs computer science or statistics master’s

The most common advice in data science forums is to compare a data science master’s with a computer science or applied statistics master’s before you enroll. Their argument is that CS and statistics degrees are older, better understood by hiring managers, and keep more doors open, including software engineering and research roles.

If you already work as a data engineer, many practitioners say a CS master’s fits better than a data science one. If you want to stay in analytics, an analytics or statistics degree is a strong, often cheaper choice. Forum posters also warn that a degree from a program nobody has heard of does little for your resume, which is why every program above is from a well-known university.

Tuition, credit counts, deadlines and admission rules come from the official pages linked in this article, read on 14 October 2026. They change every cycle, so confirm on the linked page before you apply or pay.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest online master’s in data science?

Among top-ranked programs, UT Austin’s online MSDS is about $10,000 plus fees and Georgia Tech’s OMSA is $11,880 to $12,960 in tuition plus fees. WGU charges a flat $4,425 per six-month term, so it can cost less if you finish quickly.

How long does an online master’s in data science take?

Most take 20 to 36 months part time. Michigan MADS can take 12 to 16 months full time, Berkeley MIDS as few as 12 months on its accelerated path, and Illinois MCS 12 to 36 months.

Can I get into a data science master’s without a programming background?

Yes. Pitt’s Master of Data Science says no programming experience is required, and CU Boulder uses performance-based admission, so you prove yourself in the first courses rather than with a transcript.

Do online data science master’s programs require the GRE?

Many do not. Georgia Tech states there is no GRE or GMAT requirement for OMSA, and the Coursera-hosted degrees from CU Boulder and Pitt use performance-based admission.

Is an online master’s degree the same as an on-campus degree?

At these universities the online degree is the same accredited degree. Your diploma comes from the university; Coursera only hosts the courses for Boulder, Pitt and Illinois.

Is a master’s in data science worth it in 2026?

For many roles it helps: 31.4% of data scientist postings analyzed by 365 Data Science in 2026 mentioned a master’s and 34.7% a PhD. It pays off fastest at the under-$16,000 programs.

Should I get a master’s in data science or computer science?

If you want machine learning engineering or data engineering, a computer science master’s such as Illinois MCS usually fits better. For analyst and data scientist roles, a data science or analytics master’s is more direct. Compare curricula rather than titles.

How much do data scientists earn?

The BLS median for data scientists was $120,230 in May 2025, with 35% projected growth from 2025 to 2035. Program-reported figures are higher: Michigan reports a $125K average for MADS graduates.

Compare every data science degree on Coursera →

Related reading

• Is data science a good career in 2026?
• The best data science courses, compared
• IBM Data Science Professional Certificate review
• How to become a data scientist without a degree
• Data science scholarships and fellowships
• Data science conferences in 2026 and 2027
• Benefits of learning data science online
• upGrad data science review
• DataCamp vs Coursera
• DataCamp vs Udacity for data science
• Data scientist vs data analyst vs data engineer vs data architect

Related guide: edX MicroMasters review: program prices, credit toward a degree and what changed with MIT.