How long does it take to become a data scientist?

Typically about four years for the degree. That is the usual route rather than a rule — people arrive by other paths all the time.

How much do data scientists make?

The US median is $120,230 a year, meaning half earn more and half less. Pay varies widely by state, employer and experience.

Do you need a degree to become a data scientist?

Yes — a degree is the usual way in.

Where can you train to become a data scientist?

1,874 US colleges, community colleges and trade schools award credentials in a matching program. See which ones →

🎓 My University View

Home › Careers › Data scientists

How to become a data scientist

Computers & IT · SOC 15-2051

$120,230US median pay, 2025

+34.6%Projected growth, 2025–35

24,800Openings per year

DegreeUsual way in

How you get in

A degree is the usual way in.

Bachelor's degree
Work as a data scientist

Programs that lead to this job

These are the federal program codes (CIP) that the Department of Education maps to this occupation, and how many US colleges, community colleges or trade schools report awarding credentials in each.

Program	Code	Schools
Mathematics, General	CIP 27.0101	1,306
Computer Science	CIP 11.0701	951
Information Technology	CIP 11.0103	629
Management Science	CIP 52.1301	313
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics	CIP 45.0603	275
Applied Mathematics, General	CIP 27.0301	216
Statistics, General	CIP 27.0501	194
Data Science, General	CIP 30.7001	164
Business Analytics	CIP 30.7102	121
Financial Mathematics	CIP 27.0305	120
Data Modeling/Warehousing and Database Administration	CIP 11.0802	110
Bioinformatics	CIP 26.1103	96
Business Statistics	CIP 52.1302	89
Data Analytics, General	CIP 30.7101	78
Computational Science	CIP 30.3001	77
Mathematics and Computer Science	CIP 30.0801	72
Artificial Intelligence	CIP 11.0102	67
Mathematics and Statistics	CIP 27.0503	42
Computational and Applied Mathematics	CIP 27.0304	38
Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation	CIP 11.0804	36
Mathematics and Statistics, Other	CIP 27.9999	33
Computational Biology	CIP 26.1104	28
Applied Statistics, General	CIP 27.0601	28
Computational Mathematics	CIP 27.0303	25
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Other	CIP 26.1199	18

…and 10 more related programs.

See the 1,874 schools that offer these programs →

Common questions

How long does it take to become a data scientist?: Typically about four years for the degree. That is the usual route rather than a rule — people arrive by other paths all the time.
How much do data scientists make?: The US median is $120,230 a year, meaning half earn more and half less. Pay varies widely by state, employer and experience.
Do you need a degree to become a data scientist?: Yes — a degree is the usual way in.
Where can you train to become a data scientist?: 1,874 US colleges, community colleges and trade schools award credentials in a matching program. See which ones →

Pay and growth are national figures. What you earn depends on where you work, your employer and your experience, and these are projections rather than promises. Education requirements describe how most people enter the job, not a rule — plenty of people take another route.

Pay, growth, openings and entry requirements: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Program-to-occupation mapping: NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk (2020/2018). School counts: IPEDS completions, 2022–23.

Related careers in Computers & IT

Software developers · Computer user support specialists · Computer systems analysts · Computer occupations, all other · Information security analysts · Network and computer systems administrators · Software quality assurance analysts and testers · Computer network architects