About Duke MIDS

The Duke University Master in Interdisciplinary Data Science (MIDS) is home to creative problem solvers who want to use data strategically to advance society. We’re cultivating a new type of quantitative thought leader who uses computational strategies to generate innovation and new insights.

The curriculum we offer includes interdisciplinary training within the quantitative sciences, exposure to data-driven problems in a variety of disciplines, and direct experience in interdisciplinary team-based science.

Duke MIDS Program Overview

Our program is developed around the belief that harnessing the power of data requires both interdisciplinary training and experience with team-based science.

  1. We’ve created a core group of courses for all MIDS students that’s inspired by the data-to-decision cycle. These courses are centered on marshalling, analyzing, and visualizing data. They create a shared language for students and a common frame of reference for data-driven projects.
  2. Our core courses draw on expertise and involve faculty from different disciplines across Duke. By doing so, they reflect the multiple quantitative disciplines that contribute skill sets to data science.
  3. Our key aim is to train data scientists who can address a diversity of topics, so students are encouraged to choose electives from different departments across Duke. We also offer opportunities to pursue advanced technical topics related to the core courses.
  4. We teach students the necessary skills to succeed on teams with experts in different fields, fellow data scientists, and stakeholders. This includes leading teams, thinking critically across disciplines, and communicating complex ideas to others.
  5. In order to train data scientists that are both technical experts and can apply their expertise to different topics, our training is a commitment of four semesters.

MIDS invites broad collaboration to connect data science with real-world problems. These problems are as varied as using social media to track health outcomes to visualizing thematic trends in literature across centuries. Duke’s interdisciplinary and collaborative research culture makes our campus an ideal place for such a program.