History of Duke MIDS Program

Launched in Fall 2018, the Duke University Master in Interdisciplinary Data Science (MIDS) is a two year, on campus program jointly offered by Duke’s Rhodes Information Initiative (iiD) and the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI).

MIDS emerged from a particular vision of data science as an inherently interdisciplinary and team-based endeavor. It borrows technical tools from a variety of quantitative disciplines like computer science and statistics and connects them to an inquiry in nearly all disciplines, including natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

The MIDS curriculum is designed to prepare students to be able to add value to any data-driven team the day they graduate. While at Duke, students develop quantitative expertise through coursework in statistics, math, computer science, and other analytical disciplines. They also develop technical prowess through lessons in programming and computational computing and your professional skills through workshops and continual coaching in communications, teamwork, and leadership.