Author Archives: MSDA Admin

What is the department policy on admission conditions?

Pursuant to S16-16, “Conditional acceptance to a program is, in effect, acceptance under probation in the major. Typically, a specified set of courses or requirements must be passed prior to attaining good standing in the program. There may be time limits or unit limits established to satisfy the conditions, which, if not met, may lead to disqualification from the major degree program without an intervening term on explicit probation.

Therefore, all conditionally admitted MS in Data Analytics students are on administrative academic probation until meeting the requirements described in their conditional admission offer. Students who either pass the waiver test(s) or the remedial course(s) (CR/NC only) by the end of the first semester that they are admitted into the MS in Data Analytics program will become fully classified. The waiver test(s) is/are offered before the second week of each semester, and they can be taken only once by each student.

Students who do not pass the waiver test(s) are required to enroll in the remedial course(s) for the upcoming semester. Furthermore, students who do not pass the remedial course(s) on their first attempt, will be notified in writing that they are required to repeat the course(s) the following semester and that failure to pass the course(s) after a second attempt may lead to academic administrative disqualification.

Conditionally admitted students will have one academic year (i.e., the first fall and spring semesters following program admission) to clear these requirements unless there are documented extenuating circumstances, or the student has received a verified extension by the Department Chair. While conditionally classified, students are only allowed to enroll in the remedial course(s) and those courses pre-approved by Graduate Advisor.

What is Program of Study?

Program of Study (POS) is a plan of courses to take in sequence in order to satisfy the course requirements of the MSDA degree.  After consulting with the program advisor, a full-time student should try their best to adhere to the following POS in order to complete the course requirements in time for graduation:

  • Semester 1: DATA 220, 226, 230, 200*, 201*, 202*
  • Semester 2: DATA 228, 245, 236
  • Semester 3: DATA 255, 266, 298A
  • Semester 4: DATA 298B

* For conditionally admitted students only. Please refer to FAQ: What are the DATA 200, 201, 202 Waiver Tests?

 

If I am denied by another program, can I transfer my application to the MSDA?

An applicant who is denied by one program due to limited space may have the opportunity to transfer his/her application to either regular or session of the MSDA program if the session has not reached its admission target. The MSDA program will notify such applicants about the opportunity to transfer their applications.  No additional cost will be charged to an applicant to transfer their denied application to the MSDA program. There is no guarantee that a transfer-applicant will be admitted to the MSDA program.

What are the differences between Regular Session and Special Session?

The MS in Data Analytics program is offered through two different sessions: Regular Session and Special Session.

Regular Session is state-supported and state-subsidized. The cap on the number of Regular Session students who are accepted to the program each semester is related to the amount of money received from the state. In addition to the state tuition fees (based on the number of enrolled units), non-California resident surcharge fees (currently $396 per unit) might be applicable. Regular Session students pay campus mandatory fees and are eligible to take advantage of San José State University student services, such as Santa Clara County transit services, student body organizations, student health care, and recreational facilities. Enrollment in Regular Session affords California residents other financial support options such as the CSU employee or CalVet fee waiver.

Special Session is completely funded from student tuition, and it does not receive any financial support from the State of California. Special Session tuition is assessed as a per unit fee. Students can opt to pay the same student fees as Regular Session students if they wish to access student services, such as Santa Clara County transit services, student body organizations, health care, and recreational facilities.

Regular Session and Special Session students must meet the same graduation requirements (e.g., same required courses, same number of elective units, same total number of units to graduate), and they will receive the exact same diploma when they graduate. The classes of both MSDA sessions are taught by the same instructor pool at the same location.

If you need assistance in deciding between the two sessions, please contact ms-data-analytics@sjsu.edu.

What should be my computer configuration for taking classes?

Due to the unique nature of the MSDA curriculum, each student should be able to access a laptop computer with the minimum configuration of

CPU: Core i7 (preferred) or Core i5
RAM: 16G Bytes
Storage: SSD 256G Bytes (highly recommended)
Screen size: 15” or above

This computer will enable you to download the necessary environments, tools, applications, and course materials to engage in classroom exercises, in-class quizzes, midterm and final exams, as well as class and master projects.

What are DATA 200, DATA 201, DATA 202 and their corresponding waiver tests?

Please refer to FAQ – What is the department policy on admission conditions?

Starting in Fall 2024, a conditionally admitted student will be assigned DATA 200, 201 and/or 202 as admission condition(s). A student must satisfy the admission conditions of DATA 200 by either passing the 200 waiver test or completing the course.
In addition, a student must satisfy the admission condition of DATA 201, if assigned, before taking DATA 226.
A student must satisfy the admission condition of DATA 202, if assigned, before taking DATA 220.

Each conditionally admitted student is required to pass the DATA 200, 201, or 202 waiver tests listed in their admission letter, or the corresponding DATA 200, 201, or 202 class. Each of these courses will be offered in each semester. A student who fails these tests can’t take another waiver test in any future semester. A student who fails one of these tests must enroll in the corresponding DATA 200, 201, 202 course in Fall 2024.

Conditionally admitted students may choose to skip this test if they already know they want to enroll in the corresponding DATA 200, DATA 201, or DATA 202 course in Fall 2024. A student who fails any of the DATA 200, 201, or 202 classes in Fall 2024 will have one and only one more chance to enroll and pass this class in Spring 2025. The status of a student who has passed the Waiver Test or passed the corresponding DATA 200, DATA 201, or DATA 202 class will be changed from “Conditionally Classified” to “Classified” at the end of the Fall 2024 semester.

DATA 200, Computational Programming for Data Analytics, is a remedial course in addition to the 10 required courses of the MSDA degree. As a remedial course, DATA 200 does not count towards earning your degree. The tuition cost of DATA 200 is $2,700 for Fall 2024.

DATA 201, Database Technologies for Data Analytics, is a remedial course in addition to the 10 required courses of the MSDA degree. As a remedial course, DATA 201 does not count towards earning your degree. The tuition cost of DATA 200 is $2,700 for Fall 2024.

DATA 202, Mathematics for Applied Data Science, is a remedial course in addition to the 10 required courses of the MSDA degree. As a remedial course, DATA 200 does not count towards earning your degree. The tuition cost of DATA 200 is $2,700 for Fall 2024.

The purpose of the DATA 200, 201, 202 waiver test is to verify and validate a student’s competency in the DATA 200, 201, 202 topics described in the SJSU Catalog, 

Python is the language for the DATA 200 Waiver Test which may include some of the test formats such as multiple choice questions, short answer questions, and coding exercises. This is a closed book and close note test. Only pens, pencils, and erasers are allowed to be on the table. Each student must also present a government-issued identification with a photo.

The DATA 201 Test is designed to test your knowledge of database technologies. The test format may include some of the test formats such as multiple choice questions, short answer questions, and essay questions. This is a closed book and close note test. Only pens, pencils, and erasers are allowed to be on the table. Each student must also present a government-issued identification with a photo.

The DATA 202 Test is designed to test your knowledge of mathematics related to data analytics. The test format may include some of the test formats such as multiple choice questions, short answer questions, essay questions, and mathematics questions related to calculus. This is a closed book and close note test. Only pens, pencils, and erasers are allowed to be on the table. Each student must also present a government-issued identification with a photo.

The DATA 200, 201, 202 Waiver Tests for Fall 2024 will be held before the second week of the Fall 2024 semester. The time and location will be posted here in August 2024. In order to take this test, a student must (1) indicate “Intent to Enroll” via Next Step, and (2) RSVP to the department test notice issued in August 2024.

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Who teaches the MSDA courses?

SJSU professors and industry experts teach the MSDA courses.  Professors are recruited from current instructor pools from five of SJSU’s colleges: the College of Business, the College of Engineering, the College of Professional and Global Education, the College of Health and Human Sciences, and the College of Science.