Data Science Undergraduate Studies

Fatima's parents left loved ones behind in Mexico in pursuit of the educational opportunities a life in the U.S. could provide for their children. This past fall, their dreams were exceeded as they watched their daughter teach a course at UC Berkeley. 

Fatima was one of 200 students who served as course staff in Fall 2024 and is an example of how the personal experiences and perspectives of student instructors shape the culture of data science at UC Berkeley. 

“I never anticipated that my programming abilities could have the capacity to give voice and attention to those who have had none."

When Eva Smolentseva (née Sidlo), B.A. ’21, shared these words in her spring 2021 data science commencement address, she was referring to her work with the Data Science Discovery Program (now the CDSS Discovery Program), where she used data science to amplify the voices of marginalized communities. Years later, as an alum, Smolentseva realizes those words were not just about her work for others. 

They told her own story. 

“A lot of times, you think as a young woman, well, I want to do something where I can care for the world, where I can make a difference in the world to make it better. Women often don't relate that to computer programming. And so that's where data science comes in and tells a story, where it combines not just the computational skills, but the statistical skills. But then there's also a requirement of having domain expertise. And that domain expertise, that can be anything. It can be healthcare. It could be climate change. It could be whatever field you want to enter. And so it's easier to relate that to caring for people or caring or having an impact in the world.”

—Nathalie Guebels, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC)

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UC Berkeley alum Alex Nakagawa, B.A. ’20, is redefining the role of data in professional sports as the LA Clippers’ Manager of Basketball Development and Engineering. Using cutting-edge technology and analytics, Nakagawa and his team provide insights that shape game strategies, guide player development, and inform injury prevention efforts. His journey from aspiring athlete to data scientist highlights the growing impact of interdisciplinary education, a cornerstone of Berkeley’s data science program, which equips students to apply data-driven solutions across diverse fields.

UC Berkeley’s undergraduate data science program retained its No. 1 spot in the 2025 U.S. News and World Report rankings released late Monday. The university also held its No. 2 ranking in computer science at the undergraduate level. It shared that spot with Carnegie Mellon University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Berkeley was also acknowledged in the rankings for its excellence in other undergraduate programs across campus.

Alan Jian hadn’t always envisioned a career in government. As a data science major at UC Berkeley, he saw himself following the same path many of his peers pursued: working for a major Silicon Valley company, where he’d be surrounded by cutting-edge technology.

But Jian's perspective began to shift when he became a teaching assistant for a class on the human contexts and ethics of data. The course asked students to critically examine the ethical implications of data-driven decisions, particularly their impact on underserved communities. This experience sparked a new curiosity about how his skills could be used beyond the private sector.

UC Berkeley experts received a $1.5 million grant from the California Education Learning Lab (Learning Lab) to launch a first-of-its-kind computing technology hub for the state’s public colleges and universities. The hub will provide access to students across the state to course materials built on the JupyterHub platform, a cloud-based, open-source system widely used in scientific and industrial workplaces. It will be staffed and run by Berkeley for several California higher education institutions, saving money, aligning curricula and facilitating transfer pathways for STEM students.