Category Archives: Taking Classes

What is Program of Study?

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

  • Semester 1: DATA 220, 225, 230, 200*
  • Semester 2: DATA 228, 245, 270
  • Semester 3: DATA 240, 255, 298A
  • Semester 4: DATA 298B

* For conditionally admitted students only. Please refer to FAQ: What are DATA 200 and the Waiver Test?

 

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 and the Waiver Test?

Please refer to FAQ – What is the department policy on admission conditions? Each conditionally admitted student is required to pass either the DATA 200 Waiver Test or the DATA 200 class offered in Fall 2023. A student who fails this test can’t take another Waiver Test in a coming semester. A student who fails this test must enroll in DATA 200 in Fall 2023. Conditionally admitted students may choose to skip this test if they already know they want to enroll in DATA 200 in Fall 2023. A student who fails the DATA 200 class in Fall 2023 will have one and only one more chance to enroll and pass this class in Spring 2024. The status of a student who has passed the Waiver Test or the DATA 200 class will be changed from “Conditionally Classified” to “Classified” at the end of the Fall 2023 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 2023.

The DATA 200 Waiver Test for Fall 2023 will be held at 6:00 pm on August 24 in BBC 226. 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 late July 2023.

This is a closed book and close note test. Only pens and pencils and erasers are allowed to be on the table. Each student must present a government-issued identification with a photo. The scope of this test includes Python language, data structures and algorithms. This test may include some common test formats such as multiple choices, short answer questions, and coding exercises.

 

I am currently an MSDA student, can I take a class from another program?

You can take a class from another program if you receive the approval by the Director/Graduate Advisor of the other program.

Unless you receive the pre-approval by the MSDA Graduate Advisor, a course taken from another program can’t be counted toward your MS in Data Analytics degree.

Before taking a course from another program, please email ms-data-analytics@sjsu.edu for more information.

This is my first term at SJSU and I cannot attend, what will happen to my status?

If you do not attend SJSU in your first term of admission, your status will be cancelled. You will need to re-apply through the California State University website to attend SJSU at a future time.  (Please refer to http://www.sjsu.edu/registrar/faqs/Attendance_and_Policy_FAQs/index.html#q4)