2027 Online Data Science Master's Options for Professionals in Burlington, Vermont

There is no single best program for every Burlington applicant. A useful starting shortlist includes the named online degrees below, followed by a check of each institution's current catalog, admissions page, tuition schedule, and Vermont enrollment eligibility. Program details can change between application cycles.

The comparison highlights curriculum direction rather than declaring a winner or treating unlike cost figures as equivalent.

These are candidates, not a verified ranking or a promise that every course is available in every term. Ask each program whether Vermont residents may enroll, whether attendance is live or asynchronous, and what support online students receive. If you already know your target role, use that role - not the degree title alone - to guide choosing a data science degree for data career opportunities.

The University of Vermont is worth checking for local courses, events, and contacts, but do not assume a nearby graduate offering is an online data science master's. A national online degree may be the better fit if commuting or fixed campus hours would prevent enrollment.

An online program can let a Burlington resident remain employed and avoid routine travel. A campus-based program may make in-person research, peer collaboration, and local faculty contact easier. Neither format automatically provides stronger instruction or better hiring results.

Compare the actual operating schedule, not just the "online" label: required live sessions may conflict with work, and group projects can still require evening meetings. Check whether exams are remotely proctored, whether a capstone requires travel, and whether online students can use career services and campus events. Burlington's Eastern Time location makes published meeting times particularly important when comparing schools elsewhere in the country.

If your goal is AI specialization rather than a broad data science degree, compare curricula before switching credentials. Lists of inexpensive online artificial intelligence programs can broaden an affordability search, but an AI-focused program may not provide the same statistics or data-management preparation.

Check that the university holds recognized institutional accreditation and that the credential awarded online is the master's degree described in its official catalog. Do not assume that a data science program needs a separate, discipline-specific accreditation; ask the school if any additional accreditation claim matters to your intended employer or career path.

Accreditation and permission to enroll a Vermont resident are different questions. Before paying an application fee, confirm the institution's current accreditation status through the accreditor or U.S. Department of Education and ask the program to confirm Vermont enrollment eligibility in writing. This is especially important if the school operates outside Vermont.

A strong match for many data science roles combines statistics, programming, data preparation, machine learning, and communication of results. The emphasis varies: an analytics degree may prioritize decisions and modeling, while another program may offer more advanced computing or data-engineering work. Inspect required courses rather than relying on a program's name.

For Burlington professionals, a project can be particularly valuable when it demonstrates a relevant problem - such as healthcare operations, manufacturing quality, or public-sector analysis - without exposing confidential employer data. As AI tools become part of analytical workflows, look for coursework that teaches evaluation, reproducibility, and responsible use, not merely how to operate a tool.

Requirements vary by institution. Expect to check the current policy for a bachelor's degree, transcripts, mathematical preparation, programming experience, recommendations, statements, and any testing or English-language requirements that apply to you. Professional experience may strengthen an application, but it does not automatically satisfy a formal prerequisite.

If your background is in business, healthcare, or another noncomputing field, compare what you already know with each program's stated calculus, linear algebra, statistics, and coding expectations. Ask admissions which gaps must be completed before admission and which can be addressed through approved foundational study. AI master's bridge course comparisons may suggest questions to ask about preparation, but an AI program's bridge policy does not establish a data science program's requirements.

Completion time depends on required credits, course availability, and how many courses you can take while working. No single duration or price applies to the programs above, and a published per-credit rate is not a total-degree quote. Request a current Vermont-resident estimate based on your intended pace.

For a sound comparison, ask each school to itemize these costs before deciding whether a program fits your budget:

• Tuition for every required credit or course, including any different rates for online or out-of-state students.
• Mandatory university, technology, and course fees; required software or materials; and any travel for in-person requirements.
• The likely effect of taking longer to finish, plus the timing and conditions of employer tuition assistance or other aid.

Compare total expected cost at your pace, not one school's tuition-only figure against another's advertised total. Employer reimbursement can change the calculation, but verify eligibility and repayment conditions first. If an AI degree is also on your shortlist, low-cost online AI master's programs offer a separate comparison; their prices should not be substituted for a data science quote.

Possible targets include data scientist, machine-learning specialist, analytics lead, and roles emphasizing data engineering or business analytics. The right program depends on the work you want to do: predictive modeling calls for different project evidence than building reliable data pipelines or presenting analyses to decision-makers.

For a working Burlington applicant, the most realistic next move may be within an existing industry or employer. Domain knowledge can help you define useful projects and interpret results, but a degree alone does not establish production coding ability or guarantee a role change. Compare target job descriptions with required courses and the projects you could show an employer.

A reliable Burlington-specific pay figure cannot be inferred from a national median. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a $120,230 median annual wage for U.S. data scientists in May 2025. That is a benchmark for the occupation nationwide - not a Vermont salary estimate, an entry-level offer, or an expected increase from earning a master's.

When evaluating local opportunities, compare posted pay for roles matching your experience and skills, and consider remote-job location rules. Industry, responsibility, and employer can also affect compensation; data science degree salary differences across fields provide context, but should not replace current Vermont job postings when making a financial decision.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 35% U.S. employment growth for data scientists from 2025 to 2035. That signals strong national demand relative to many occupations, but it cannot establish how many suitable openings will appear in Burlington or how competitive any one opening will be.

A Burlington search may include local employers and remote positions, but remote listings can carry state-of-residence restrictions. Before choosing a program for its career promise, review current roles you would actually apply for and note their requirements. Treat claims about placement or graduate salaries cautiously unless a school explains who was counted, when outcomes were measured, and how many graduates responded.

Check whether your chosen master's already provides substantial practice in the tool before paying for an additional credential. For most applicants, a well-documented project showing how they defined a problem, evaluated a model, and communicated limitations will be more informative than collecting unrelated certificates.

• Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) Help and Documentation | U.S. Census Bureau https://lehd.ces.census.gov/data/pseo_documentation.html
• A Guide to Choosing Between Data Science vs. Data Analytics | UCLA MSOL Data Science https://www.msol.ucla.edu/data-science-engineering/articles/demystifying-data-guide-choosing-between-data-science-vs-data-analytics/
• What Is Data Science? Definition, Skills, Applications & More | Harvard SEAS https://seas.harvard.edu/news/what-data-science-definition-skills-applications-more
• Online Learning | missioncollege.edu https://missioncollege.edu/academics/online-learning/index.html
• IvyOnline | Ivy Tech Community College https://www.ivytech.edu/programs/ivyonline/
• 2026 UNC Online Master of Applied Data Science (MADS) https://online.unc.edu/online-masters-programs/masters-data-science/
• Course Modes & Definitions - Office of the University Registrar https://registrar.washington.edu/classrooms/course-modes/
• Master of Data Science | pitt.edu https://www.sci.pitt.edu/academics/masters-degrees/data-science
• M.S. in Data Science, Online | virginia.edu https://datascience.virginia.edu/degrees/msds-online