IU Indianapolis Bulletin » Schools » Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering » Graduate » Degree Programs » Master of Science » Applied Data Science with Sports Analytics Specialization

Master of Science in Applied Data Science with a specialization in Sports Analytics

Combine sports marketing skills with the analysis and management of data when you earn a master’s in Applied Data Science with a specialization in Sports Analytics at IU Indianapolis.  Analytics is a crucial part of decision-making in amateur and professional athletics. Teams rely on those with the knowledge to interpret data and relate it to the world of athletics.

Students who earn a Master of Science in Applied Data Science with a specialization in Sports Analytics learn core competencies in data analysis, data management and infrastructure, and client–server application development, and ethical and professional management of informatics projects. Earn additional competencies in sports sales, the management of massive, high-throughput data stores, cloud computing, and the data life cycle.

Plan of Study (30 credits)

The plan of study is 30 credit hours. It includes six core courses and four specialization/ elective courses. Transfer students may be able to transfer in approved graduate courses from an accredited institution.

F-1 students can only take one online course per semester. They must take a minimum of 8 credit hours per semester; the exception being in their final semester. These limitations apply to fall and spring semesters but not summer sessions.

Core Courses (18 credits)

  • INFO-I 501 Introduction to Informatics
  • LIS-S 511 Database Design
  • INFO-H 510 Statistics for Data Science
  • INFO-H 515 Statistical Learning (Prerequisite: Graduate Statistics course)
  • INFO-H 516 Cloud Computing for Data Science (Prerequisites: Graduate Database course)
  • INFO-H 517 Visualization Design, Analysis, and Evaluation (Prerequisite: Programming experience)

Students may test out of LIS-S 511. Students do not receive credit toward their required 30 credit hours by testing out of a course. However, they may instead replace the course with a specialization course or approved elective.

Specialization + Elective Courses (12 credits)

Specialization Courses

  • TESM-T 562 Economics of Event Tourism (Fall)
  • TESM-T 582 Applied Sport Event Research (Spring)
  • TESM-T 598 Master’s Consulting Project (Summer)

Elective Courses

  • INFO-B 505 Informatics Project Management
  • INFO-H 518 Deep Learning Neural Networks
  • INFO-H 519 Natural Language Processing with Deep Learning 
  • INFO-H 695 Thesis/Project in Applied Data Science (MS Thesis students only)
  • INFO-I 575 Informatics Research Design
  • INFO-I 595 Professional Internship
  • INFO-I 698 Research in Informatics (Independent Study)
  • INFO-P 502 Modeling Crisis
  • NEWM-N 510 Web Database Development

Thesis or Project

The Thesis/Project is available to highly motivated students ready to carry out publishable research. Students must prepare a prospectus and gain a commitment from a primary faculty advisor with research interests in data science by the end of the first semester. By the end of the second semester, students must complete a course on research design and methods (e.g., INFO-I 575 or LIS-S 506).

The thesis or project must be completed in two semesters or in a semester and summer. Thesis students register for a total of 6 credits and project students register for a total of 3–6 credits of INFO-H 695 Thesis/Project in Applied Data Science. Students are required to prepare and defend a research proposal with a timeline of deliverables in addition to the thesis or project.

Last updated: 3/2024