Data Science (Major) at Simon Fraser University

Programme overview

The data science major leads to a BSc and is a highly structured multidisciplinary program in quantitative methods for business and industry, offered with the Departments of Statistics and Actuarial Science and Mathematics, the Beedie School of Business and the School of Computing Science.

Faculty: Faculty of Science | Department: Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science | Duration: 120 units | Study mode: full-time | Location: Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

What you will study

120 units including 44 upper division units, with required courses such as BUS 217W Critical Thinking in Business, MATH 208 Introduction to Operations Research, DATA 260 Introductory R for Data Science, BUS 232 or STAT 270, and upper division options in database systems, biostatistics, time series, multivariate analysis and computing.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Students apply formally to the program (new or already enrolled). A 2.4 CGPA in DATA program coursework is needed to remain and graduate. SFU undergraduate entry (BC and Yukon secondary school applicants): five approved Grade 12 courses including English Studies 12 or English First Peoples 12, with a minimum 70% in Language Arts 11, English 12 or equivalent; English language and quantitative and analytical skills requirements also apply; admission is assessed on all approved academic Grade 11 and 12 courses. Science programs (Data Science, Earth Sciences) also require two of Chemistry 11, Life Sciences 11 and Physics 11, at least two of Anatomy and Physiology 12, Calculus 12, Chemistry 12 and Physics 12, and Pre-Calculus 12.

Requirements published at program group level.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the courses you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Fall (September), Spring (January) and Summer (May) terms; most students start in the fall term.

Fall 2027: high school applications open 1 October 2026 and close 31 January 2027; other post-secondary transfer applications open 1 March 2027 and close 15 April 2027. Summer 2027: all applications open 1 December 2026 and close 15 January 2027. Spring 2027: all applications opened 1 July 2026 and close 15 September 2026.

The non-refundable application fee is 86 CAD for domestic students and 130 CAD for international students, payable online by credit card. Applications are submitted through EducationPlannerBC.

Apply through the official page: https://www.sfu.ca/students/admission.html

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