Eastern University’s MS in Data Science | My review

On August 31, 2023 I completed the MS in Data Science program at Eastern University. Some college graduates with an interest in data science have asked me about the program, so I’ve written this article to help you decide if it’s a good option for you.

Yours truly holding up the diploma. It measures 11"x17".

First, the good stuff:

• Eastern University puts their students first. The professors, administrators, and admissions staff at EU have it together when it comes to solving problems and interacting with students. They would usually respond to my emails within an hour and give helpful feedback. Each course has graduate assistants who, along with the professor, can answer questions about the assignments if you get stuck. Of course, they won’t do your work for you, but they will nudge you in the right direction.
• It’s super flexible if you want to take time off school. I skipped multiple terms because I had too much going on with my full-time job, national guard activations, familial obligations, etc. You just let your advisor know that you won’t be taking any classes and all you have to do is sign up the next time a term comes up.
• EU is super military-friendly. I used the Post-9/11 GI Bill to fund my studies. If you have 100% GI Bill and take just one class at a time, then you get a degree for free and pocket at least $15k in stipends. Even if you only have 60% GI Bill like I did, you’ll still net around $6k. At Eastern, you only need to take one class at a time to qualify as a full-time student, so you can collect that $894/month stipend while only enrolled in a single class. They also offer a $30 per credit discount for veterans and active duty personnel. If you’re using tuition assistance while serving, the whole program will only cost you $500 out of pocket, which is an insanely good deal for a graduate degree.
• Everything is self-directed. No weekly modules. If you burn the midnight oil, you can finish an entire seven-week course in just a week or two! That’s quite convenient if you’re a full-time working professional with an unpredictable schedule.
• The professor’s videos give a clear description on how to use programming languages. I enrolled with zero programming experience, but they hold your hand through the whole thing and explain in detail how it all works at a theoretical level. I usually have the instructional videos open in one window and my Python editor open in another so I can pause and play around with it. It’s an effective way to learn. Even outside the program, there’s a massive amount of free information online if you just Google it.
• The learning management system lets you access all the videos, notes, syllabi, and assignments from previous courses, so if you need to brush up on a programming language required for a new course, you can do so.

And, there are a few drawbacks:

• Academically, it’s not super challenging. For example, some assignments can be retaken until you get the grade you want. Also, as an online program, it’s possible for an unscrupulous student to cheat their way through, although I have no idea why someone would spend all this money on a degree to learn data science and then just “coast” through the program.
• Eastern University isn’t a high-ranked or prestigious institution. It’s not in the USNWR T150 national universities and the college prep website Niche gives it an overall B-. That being said, prestige carries little importance once you gain some experience as a data scientist. One example: an old classmate of mine attended an open-enrollment state school for two years before dropping out. He’s a mostly self-taught programmer with no degree and yet he makes close to $200k working for a major media company. As such, I wouldn’t sweat bullets about prestige or name recognition. The longer you’re in the workforce, the less they scrutinize your educational credentials.
• The student account website isn’t the most user-friendly. Simply signing up for a new class is a cumbersome process that took me a while to figure out. The learning management system they use, Brightspace, isn’t my favorite either.

Eastern University is a Christian school. Would my status as a non-Christian affect my educational experience?

I would say no. Eastern is indeed a Christian school, affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. However, only one course in the program touched on Christian theology: Ethical and Philosophical Issues in Data Science. That class included some readings from Christian philosophers about how biblical principles apply to the field of data science. However, I would say that the values that Eastern teaches apply to people of all faiths, and that biblical literacy isn’t a prerequisite for doing well.

What’s a manageable course load for this program? How much time does every course require?

I took one class per term, and that was while working a full-time job as an engineer and a part-time job as an Air National Guard officer. I also had a new baby to take care of while my wife worked part-time. Even all that going on, I could easily manage one course. The amount of time you have to dedicate to each class would depend on how quickly you can grasp the material. For me, I only needed about 3–4 hours per week to get it all done by the 7-week deadline.

What about future employment? Can this degree land me a data scientist job?

The answer to that question is a resounding yes. I know multiple classmates who’ve graduated from this program and landed entry-level data scientist jobs shortly thereafter. Most of them had irrelevant undergraduate degrees and no programming experience prior to enrolling in the MSDS program!

But here’s the thing: while completing all the assignments in this program will give you a foundation in data science, achieving mastery will require hours and hours of practice with all the programming languages (and yes, the instructor provides you with several practice problems outside the required curriculum.)

Let me put it this way: can you become an expert driver just by studying a driver’s ed textbook in a classroom setting? Of course not. To become an expert, you need to spend time behind the wheel. The same is true for data science: you have to practice, not just study. There’s so much that programming languages like Python, R, SQL, etc. can do, there’s no way any college can offer a course to teach you all of it.

Self-taught programmers are a thing so if you can pass a technical interview, getting your foot in the door is a cinch. A master’s degree will carry more cachet than a coding boot camp, and it’ll help with certain jobs (e.g. government jobs, the military, etc.) with inflexible requirements.

The bottom line:

I know this sounds cliché, but you’ll get out of this program what you put into it. If you only do the bare minimum to pass each course, you can pay all this money just to get a fancy diploma, but lack the data science knowledge to succeed in the real world. If you go the extra mile and take time to master the material on your own, you’ll have a strong enough foundation in data science to get into the industry, gain experience, and build a successful career in a lucrative field. EU’s program is a convenient and affordable option for working professionals who want to branch out into data science and have the motivation to work for it.

If I have more questions about the program, where can I go for additional information?

We set up a LinkedIn group. It’s open to anyone who’s interested in the program. You can post on there.