2027 Pace Online MS in Data Science vs. Washington Online MSIM Data Science Track: Cost, Curriculum, Admissions, and Format
Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist
Pace's online MS in Data Science and the University of Washington's online MS in Information Management (MSIM) data science track lead to different degree titles - and potentially different kinds of work. If you are choosing between them, the central question is whether you want a data-science-focused degree or a broader information-management degree with data science study.
This comparison separates what the degree titles establish from details you must confirm in current university materials, so you can evaluate cost, technical depth, scheduling, and career fit without relying on an outdated program snapshot.
Key Things You Should Know
- Pace awards an MS in Data Science; Washington's option is an MS in Information Management with a data science track.
- Compare required courses, not just the track label, if technical modeling is your priority. A defensible cost comparison needs each school's current tuition rate, required credits, and mandatory fees.
- A tuition-only quote from one school cannot be compared fairly with an all-in estimate from the other. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a $120,230 median annual wage for data scientists in May 2025, but that occupational figure is not a salary outcome for either program.
How Do Pace Online MSDS and Washington Online MSIM Compare?
The clearest verified distinction is the credential: Pace's named program is an MS in Data Science, while Washington's named option is an MSIM data science track. A track can provide substantial technical training, but its title alone does not establish how many courses cover statistics, machine learning, data engineering, or information strategy. The table identifies the comparison that matters most before you request current catalogs.
| Decision factor | Pace online MS in Data Science | Washington online MSIM data science track |
| Degree awarded | MS in Data Science | MS in Information Management |
| What the title signals | A data-science-focused graduate credential | An information-management credential with a data science track |
| Curriculum question | How much of the required study develops modeling, statistics, and computing skills? | How much data science study is required rather than elective, and how much covers organizational information work? |
| Best potential fit | A student seeking an explicitly data-science-titled degree, subject to course-level verification | A student who wants data science within a broader information-management education, subject to course-level verification |
Neither title proves that its graduates are stronger candidates for a particular job. Compare the courses every student must take, then consider whether available electives and projects close your own skill gaps.
Which Program Costs Less: Pace MSDS or Washington MSIM?
A reliable lower-cost winner cannot be identified without comparable current tuition schedules, required credit totals, and fee policies. Ask both schools for a written estimate for your intended start term. Multiply the applicable tuition rate by the credits you would actually need, then add mandatory program and university fees. Confirm whether either quote uses semester or quarter credits before comparing it with the other.
Keep tuition separate from books, software, possible campus travel, and financing costs. Also ask whether your employer will reimburse a degree under either school's policies; the lower sticker price might not be the lower out-of-pocket price. Do not assume that scholarships, transfer credits, or a faster completion plan will reduce your bill until the school confirms your eligibility in writing.
If your real goal is primarily AI training rather than either of these credentials, comparing inexpensive online artificial intelligence programs may reveal a more relevant alternative. Compare their total required costs and curriculum on the same basis.
What Curriculum Does Each Data Science Master's Program Offer?
For Pace, examine how the MS in Data Science divides required study among programming, statistical inference, machine learning, data preparation, and applied projects. For Washington, examine which of those subjects are required within the MSIM data science track and which are optional alongside broader information-management coursework. Current course lists, prerequisites, and elective availability must be confirmed in each university's catalog; a course appearing on a program page is not necessarily one you will take.
A useful test is to map each required course to a skill you need for your target role. For a modeling-heavy goal, look for assessed work in statistical reasoning, model evaluation, and reproducible coding - not merely an introductory AI topic. For work connecting analytics to organizational decisions, examine instruction in data governance, information systems, communication, and implementation. Ask each program for a recent sample study plan and examples of the projects students can complete. If you are weighing a more explicitly AI-centered course of study, this guide to choosing between AI degree pathways provides a separate comparison.
What Are the Admission Requirements for Each Program?
Do not assume the two programs use the same prerequisites because both include data science. Obtain the current admissions checklist for your intended entry term from each university. In particular, confirm the accepted bachelor's backgrounds, any required math or programming preparation, application materials, English-language requirements where applicable, and whether work experience changes how applicants are evaluated. A recommended skill is not necessarily a formal admission requirement.
Applicants with gaps in calculus, statistics, or programming should ask whether prior coursework, professional work, or additional study can demonstrate readiness - and whether any prerequisite must be completed before enrollment. If the time needed to prepare an application is decisive, online ML master's programs with simplified essay requirements offer a useful point of comparison, but their policies do not establish the requirements at Pace or Washington.
How Do the Online Formats Differ Between Pace and Washington?
"Online" does not tell you whether classes meet live, whether attendance is required, or whether projects involve scheduled group work. Neither program's current meeting pattern or residency policy should be assumed from its delivery label. Request a sample course calendar from each school and check the time zone, live-session rules, exam scheduling, group-project expectations, technical requirements, and any campus visits.
This distinction matters most if your work hours vary or you live far from the institution. Recorded lectures may provide flexibility, but fixed team meetings can still constrain a working student's week. If scheduling is your deciding factor, compare these details against other working-professional pathways to a data science master's rather than treating every online program as equally flexible.
How Long Do the Programs Take to Complete?
A dependable side-by-side completion time requires each school's current credit requirements, course rotation, enrollment options, and rules for taking breaks. Ask for study plans at the pace you can sustain - not just an advertised fastest route. A part-time plan may extend tuition payments over more terms, while a faster plan can reduce your capacity for paid work or portfolio-building.
Check whether required courses are offered often enough to support your proposed finish date. One missed prerequisite or infrequently offered course can matter more than the nominal length of either degree.
Are Pace and Washington Data Science Programs Accredited?
Distinguish accreditation of the university from any separate accreditation of a particular degree or school. Do not infer that either data science option has specialized programmatic accreditation - or needs it - from the institution's status alone. Before enrolling, check each university's current institutional accreditation listing through its recognized accreditor or the U.S. Department of Education, and ask the program whether it claims any additional accreditation relevant to your goals.
If you will study from another state, separately confirm that the university can enroll students where you reside. Institutional accreditation and permission to offer online education in your state answer different questions.
What Careers Can Each Data Science Program Prepare You For?
Pace's degree title may be a more direct signal when applying to explicitly data-science-labeled roles. Washington's MSIM title may be useful when a role combines analytics with information systems or organizational data decisions. Those are interpretations of credential focus, not verified placement outcomes. For either program, eligibility for data scientist, analyst, machine learning, or information-management roles depends on the courses completed, prior experience, technical ability, and evidence of applied work.
Before choosing, collect several job descriptions for the role you want and compare their required skills with each program's required courses and project opportunities. If neither closes the gaps, consider other career-oriented online data science degree options. A common mistake is choosing the degree title that sounds closest to a job while overlooking the skills that job actually requires.
What Salaries Can Graduates Expect in Data Science Careers?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median annual wage for data scientists was $120,230 in May 2025. That is a national figure for people working in the occupation, not an entry-level offer or a forecast for a graduate of either school. Prior experience, job duties, location, and employer can all affect an individual offer.
BLS also projects 35% employment growth for data scientists from 2025 to 2035. Growth indicates demand across the occupation, not guaranteed placement. Neither program's graduate-specific salary or employment rate should be estimated from national labor statistics; ask each school whether it publishes outcomes for this exact online degree or track, including the surveyed population and response rate.
Which Online Data Science Master's Program Should You Choose?
Lean toward Pace if an MS in Data Science is important to you and its confirmed required courses provide the technical depth you need at a cost and pace you can manage. Lean toward Washington if you want an MSIM education that connects data science with information-management work, and the confirmed track requirements provide enough hands-on analytics for your target role. Neither is a universal winner on the evidence available here.
Make the final comparison using the same four documents from each university: a current degree plan, a personalized tuition-and-fee estimate, the admissions checklist, and a sample online course schedule. Mark requirements separately from electives, and get any consequential exception - such as transfer credit or a waived prerequisite - confirmed in writing. If your goal is specifically AI specialization rather than either degree's broader aims, compare those aims before committing to either program.
Other Things You Should Know About Data Science
Not necessarily. A certificate may help you build or document skills, but it does not automatically fulfill a university's prerequisites. Check the program's policy before paying for one solely to strengthen an application.
No degree automatically demonstrates how you solve a practical data problem. Save permissible course projects that show your methods, evaluation, and communication while respecting data-use and confidentiality rules.
Data scientist is not generally a state-licensed occupation in the United States. A particular employer or regulated-industry role may impose other qualifications, so check the jobs you intend to pursue.
Possibly, if the instructor permits it and your employer authorizes the use of the data. Resolve confidentiality, ownership, and publication restrictions before proposing the project.
References
- Types of Financial Aid: Grants, Work-Study, and Loans | studentaid.gov https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types
- Chapter 3 - Courses and Enrollment, Full Course of Study, and Reduced Course Load | USCIS https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-2-part-f-chapter-3
- Complete Your U.S. Application: Undergraduate | EducationUSA https://educationusa.state.gov/your-5-steps-us-study/complete-your-application/undergraduate
- What's the Difference Between Asynchronous and Synchronous Learning? | Ohio State Online https://online.osu.edu/content-hub/blogs/whats-the-difference-between-asynchronous-and-synchronous-learning/
- 4.1.21 Instructional Modalities and Distance Education | Illinois State https://policy.illinoisstate.edu/academic/4-1-21
- Tuition & Financial Aid | MS in Data Science - Pace Online https://online.pace.edu/graduate-programs/ms-in-data-science/tuition-and-financial-aid/
- MSIM - Tuition, Aid & Scholarships - UW Information School https://ischool.uw.edu/programs/msim/tuition-financial-aid
- Estimated Annual Expenses for 2026-2027 - ISS https://iss.washington.edu/annual-expenses/
- Graduate Admission | Fee Schedule | Pace University New York https://www.pace.edu/admission-and-aid/graduate-admission/tuition-and-cost/cost-of-attendance/fee-schedule
- Data Engineer vs. Data Scientist: Key Differences Explained | Syracuse University https://ischool.syracuse.edu/data-engineer-vs-data-scientist/
