2027 Notre Dame Online MS in Data Science vs. Grand Canyon Online MS in Data Science: Cost, Curriculum, Admissions, and Format
Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist
Choosing between Notre Dame and Grand Canyon University for an online data science master's requires more than comparing school names. The useful comparison is what each program will cost you, what you will actually study, and whether its schedule fits your work and life. Published program terms can change, so this guide separates established facts from details to confirm before applying - and shows how to turn those details into a decision.
Key Things You Should Know
- Both universities hold institutional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission; verify the status of the specific degree and your eligibility to enroll from your state before committing.
- A reliable price comparison requires each school's current per-credit tuition, required credits, mandatory fees, and any travel costs. An equivalent, verified total for the two programs is not established here.
- Choose based on documented coursework, project opportunities, admissions requirements, and live-class or travel obligations - not an assumed advantage from either university's name.
How do Notre Dame and Grand Canyon's online data science master's programs compare?
Neither program is a universal winner. Notre Dame is the stronger choice if its confirmed courses and project opportunities better support your target role and the full cost fits your budget. Grand Canyon is more suitable if its confirmed curriculum meets the same skill goals with a schedule and net cost that work better for you. Those are conditional judgments, not claims that either school currently offers a particular price, pace, or course.
Use the same definition for every comparison: total credits required for your enrollment plan, tuition for those credits, required fees, actual attendance obligations, and courses you can take - not merely courses listed somewhere in a catalog. A common mistake is comparing one school's tuition quote with the other's broader cost estimate.
What accreditation should students verify for online data science master's programs?
Notre Dame and Grand Canyon University are institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Institutional accreditation applies to the university; it does not mean that either data science degree has a separate, discipline-specific accreditation. Confirm each institution's current status in the accreditor's directory, then confirm that the exact degree and online format you intend to enter are currently offered.
Also ask whether the university can enroll students living in your state. Accreditation and state authorization answer different questions, and eligibility to enroll should not be assumed from a program being advertised online.
How much do Notre Dame and Grand Canyon online data science degrees cost?
A defensible current tuition total for either degree cannot be established without its applicable tuition schedule and required-credit count. Request a written estimate from each university for your intended start term. Calculate tuition as the applicable rate multiplied by the credits you must complete, then add mandatory university and program fees. Keep books, software, equipment, any required travel, and borrowing costs separate so you can see what is certain and what depends on your circumstances.
Compare net cost only after asking about scholarships, employer tuition assistance, and payment timing. A lower sticker price is not necessarily the lower-cost option if the programs differ in required credits or travel. If the resulting totals strain your budget, use affordable graduate study in data science to widen the comparison rather than borrowing on the assumption of a salary increase.
What curriculum and courses does each online data science program include?
Do not infer technical depth from the shared "data science" degree name. Obtain the current degree plans for Notre Dame and Grand Canyon, including course descriptions and the schedule showing which courses online students can actually take. Compare required work in statistics, programming, data management, machine learning, and communication of results. Then examine whether advanced subjects are required, optional, or unavailable in your likely enrollment window.
For a career changer, a substantial project using messy data may be more useful than an additional survey course; for an experienced analyst, advanced modeling or engineering work may matter more. Ask to see the project or capstone requirements, if applicable, and whether students may use workplace data. A course title alone cannot establish how much hands-on practice it provides.
What are the admission requirements for each online data science master's program?
Check each program's current admissions page rather than assuming the universities use the same undergraduate-degree, GPA, testing, or work-experience rules. Request the requirements for your intended start term, including any mathematics or programming prerequisites, application materials, deadlines, and policies for applicants educated outside the United States.
If your background is outside computing, distinguish a formal prerequisite from preparation that would merely make graduate coursework easier. Show admissions staff your transcripts and relevant projects, and ask which gaps must be resolved before enrollment. Applicants considering a more explicitly AI-focused degree can also examine AI master's pathways for graduates from other fields; that is an alternative to compare, not evidence that either data science program waives prerequisites.
How long does each online data science master's program take to complete?
A single advertised completion time may assume a particular course load and uninterrupted enrollment. Ask both schools for a term-by-term plan based on how many courses you can take while working. Confirm course availability, start dates, prerequisite sequencing, and the maximum time allowed to finish; these determine your realistic graduation date more directly than a headline timeline.
If finishing quickly is essential, compare the actual schedules before considering a different field of study. A guide to compare AI master's programs by duration can provide alternatives, but an AI degree should not replace a data science degree solely because its advertised timeline is shorter.
How do the online learning formats differ between Notre Dame and Grand Canyon?
"Online" does not establish whether classes meet live, whether recordings are available, or whether students must travel. Get a current schedule and written answers from both programs about live attendance, time zones, team projects, proctored assessments, and any campus visits. These details are especially important if you work shifts, live far from campus, or cannot reliably attend meetings at set times.
Choose the format you can sustain throughout the degree, not just in the first term. An appealing curriculum is a poor fit if required meetings repeatedly conflict with work; conversely, scheduled interaction may be valuable if you learn best through regular discussion and feedback.
What careers can graduates pursue with an online data science master's degree?
Relevant targets include data scientist, machine learning practitioner, and analytics roles, but eligibility depends on prior experience and demonstrated skills as well as the degree. Match each program's required courses and project work to actual job descriptions you want to pursue. Someone seeking model development should look for substantial programming and evaluation work; someone aiming at decision-focused analytics should also value communication and domain-specific problem solving.
If your goal centers on the responsible use or oversight of AI, compare the available coursework with program comparisons for AI ethics master's tracks. A general data science degree may support that interest, but its title does not establish dedicated governance training.
What salaries and job outlook can data science master's graduates expect?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a $120,230 median annual wage for data scientists in May 2025. That occupational median describes workers across backgrounds and experience levels - not the starting pay or expected salary increase for graduates of either university. BLS also projects 35% employment growth for data scientists from 2025 to 2035, which signals demand but does not guarantee an individual job offer.
For a personal return-on-investment estimate, compare the incremental cost of each degree with plausible roles you could reach given your existing experience and location. A guide to industry-specific data science salaries can help frame that research, but do not substitute broad salary figures for verified outcomes from either program.
Do data science careers require professional certifications or licenses?
Data scientist roles generally do not require a professional license. Employers may value particular cloud, analytics, or software credentials, but those are employer-dependent and do not replace evidence that you can work with data effectively. Before paying for an additional certification, check the requirements in the jobs you want and whether coursework or a substantial project already demonstrates the same skills.
Requirements can differ for roles that combine data work with a separately regulated profession. If that describes your intended career, check the rules for the profession and state rather than assuming either master's degree fulfills them.
Other Things You Should Know About Data Science
Do not assume either answer. Ask each registrar how the degree is named on the diploma and transcript if the wording matters to you.
Possibly, but transfer-credit policies and course equivalencies are program-specific. Request a written evaluation before budgeting for a reduced credit load.
Ask the program and your employer first. Project rules, confidentiality agreements, and access to sensitive data may limit what you can use or publish in a portfolio.
Check the university's payment deadlines against your employer's reimbursement schedule. You may need to cover tuition before receiving reimbursement, even when the benefit ultimately lowers your cost.
References
- Military & Veteran Families | HESC - NY. Gov https://hesc.ny.gov/military-veteran-families
- Partnering with Students to Develop a Capstone for a... - PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11732519/
- Cost of Attendance (Budget) | 2025-2026 Federal Student Aid Handbook https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2025-2026/vol3/ch2-cost-attendance-budget
- MPACT | Frequently Asked Questions https://treasury.ms.gov/for-citizens/college-savings-mississippi/current-macs-mpact-enrollees/frequently-asked-questions/mpact-frequently-asked-questions/
- Types of Financial Aid: Grants, Work-Study, and Loans | studentaid.gov https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types
- Undergraduate Retention and Graduation Rates - COE https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/ctr/undergrad-retention-graduation
- Prerequisite Key Topics - UVA School of Data Science https://datascience.virginia.edu/pages/prerequisite-key-topics
- Tuition & Fees: Fall 2025 - Spring 2026 | Mississippi University for Women https://www.muw.edu/accounting/tuition/ay26/
- Curriculum - Master of Public Health | UW Department of Global Health https://globalhealth.washington.edu/education-and-training/academic-programs/master-of-public-health/curriculum/
- Financial Information - University of Pittsburgh Greensburg https://catalog.upg.pitt.edu/content.php
