What is Data Science?: Course, Career, and Salary Overview

What is Data Science?

Data is the oil of the 21st century, says Hal Varian, Chief Economist at Google. Data Science is now increasingly used in financial services, healthcare, retail, education, and even in security and governance. It is the comprehensive study of making use of tools like mathematics and statistics, Artificial Intelligence, specialized programming, advanced analytics, and machine learning to extract knowledge and insights from both structured and unstructured data. A data scientist’s role is the “sexiest job of the 21st century” by Harvard Business Review. He is the one who creates programming codes to interpret data for the betterment of the organization. Data science courses teach the fundamentals of analyzing data, performing analyses, and understanding and communicating actionable insights. Students from the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are eligible to pursue data science courses. This article highlights everything you want to know about the Top 5 Data Science courses in India, their details, careers, and salary packages.

History of Data Science

Data Science primarily includes three aspects:- Data design, collection, and analysis. The term Data Science was first introduced in the 1960s as an alternative term for Statistics. Computer Science professionals came with this new name in the 1990s. Later on, statisticians coined this term as the application of traditional statistics. Since then, data science has been evolving to make useful predictions and gain insights into a wide range of fields like astronomy, medicine, business, etc using computer science and statistical methodology.

What are the different tools of Data Science?

A data analyst or a data scientist requires so many tools to gather insights from raw and unclassified data. Microsoft Excel is the most commonly used platform for data analysis and interpretation. Excel provides many user-friendly features like its built-in Pivot Table sharing workbooks, etc. Analysts can easily create Data Aggregation and represent the data visually pleasingly. Apart from Microsoft Excel, the following tools are most commonly used by them in this process.

• R and Python
• Microsoft Excel
• Tableau
• RapidMiner
• KNIME
• Power BI
• Apache Spark
• QlikView
• Talend
• Splunk

Why Data Science Course?

With an overall hike in the demand for Data Scientists in India, many educational institutes in the country have come forward with integrated Data Science Courses along with their academics. The main focus of the course is to build knowledge among the aspirants about machine learning, regression analysis, design and analysis of algorithms, data visualization, application of data science tools in business analytics, and so on. 

Data Science Course Details – Eligibility Criteria and Fee Structure

There are undergraduate and postgraduate Data Science courses as well. Five-year integrated Masters’s course is also preferably the best option for those who have already planned this career path. For professionals, taking into account their time and other preferences, three months, six months one-year post-graduate diploma courses are also available online. Online Certification courses can be extended as per their preferences.

Most commonly, pupils from engineering, statistics, economics, computer science, and mathematics background choose Data Science for their higher studies. Apart from them, those who are from finance or management backgrounds can also go for this course. The basic eligibility for graduation course is Class 12 grade with 50 percent of aggregate marks and minimal understanding of mathematics and statistics. Likewise, while applying for a master’s degree in data science, candidates must have a minimum of 50% in their undergraduate degree (engineering/maths/science/commerce/economics/finance) and have a basic understanding of programming languages such as Python, C, C++, Java, or R, which have major applications in data science. The average annual course fee for an integrated MSc Data Science course is around two lakhs. Individually, the cost of a BSc program can be between 3-6 lakhs and that of a master’s program be 2-4 lakhs per annum. The course fee may vary depending upon the factors like the location and the reputation or brand value of the educational institution.

1. Henry Harvin

Number one in the Top 5 Upskilling Courses in India

Amongst the finest Data Science courses in South Asia currently, Henry Harvin’s training institute is the number one choice. The Data Science Course from Henry Harvin equips students and Data Analysts with the most essential skills needed to apply data science in any number of real-world contexts. It blends theory, computation, and application in an easily understandable and practical way.

Course Curriculum

• Module 1: Introduction to Data Science
• Module 2: Introduction to Python Exploratory
• Module 3: Getting and Cleaning data
• Module 4: Exploratory Data Analysis, Research, and Statistical Reference
• Module 5: Regression Models and Practical Machine Learning
• Complimentary Module 1: Soft Skills development
• Complimentary Module 2: Resume Writing
• Projects Covered

Course features

The Data Science certification given upon successful completion of the course will be endorsed by Henry Harvin who has affiliations from the American Association of EFL, UK Cert, UKAF, MSME & Govt of India. This course is assured and trusted by leading Corporates such as Abbott Pharma, Avon Cosmetics, HostBooks, NTPC, SAB Miller, Apollo Tyres, Deloitte, Fidelity Investments, and Indian Institute of Management including IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore & IIM Calcutta, and Indian Institute of Technology including IIT Bombay & IIT Delhi. There will be 32 hours of two-way live online interactive classroom Sessions and 50hrs of E-Learning access. One year of Gold Membership of Henry Harvin Analytics Academy is an added benefit. Candidates can learn to apply various Data Science and Machine Learning skills and techniques. They can practice and experience various tools used by Data Scientists and become experienced in using them. They also will be learning to write SQL to query databases and explore relational database concepts. They will understand Python which aids Data Science as well. 

The Data Science course provided by Henry Harvin is available in the following cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune, Noida, and Gurgaon.

2. IIT Delhi

Indian Institute of Delhi offers six months live online certificate program in Data Science and Machine Learning. The program’s industry-oriented curriculum will give you exposure to statistics for data science, optimization formulations with ML, deep learning, and storytelling with data. There will be three-hour long online sessions on Sundays, interactive lectures, tutorials using data, hands-on experience with tools like Python, and real-world case study discussions.

Course Curriculum

• Module 1: Statistics for Data Science
• Module 2: Communicating Data and Analysis
• Module 3: Optimisation for Machine Learning
• Module 4: Machine Learning
• Module 5: Deep Learning
• Project

The screening and selection process will be done in IIT itself. The program fee for the six months Data Science Course will be 1,25000 + GST which can be paid in three installments. Participants will be awarded a successful completion certificate from IIT Delhi on scoring at least 50% marks on aggregate in any two out of three quizzes and maintaining a minimum attendance of 70%. Participants who are unable to maintain 50% marks in the evaluation components, but have a minimum attendance of 90% shall be awarded a participation certificate.

Likewise, some other good Data Science courses in IITs and IIM Calcutta have been listed below:

Institute

Course Name

Duration

Fees

IIT Roorkee	Executive PG Certificate Program in Data Science	12 months	₹2,49,999/-  (5% off for one-time payment)
IIM Calcutta	Advanced Program in Data Science	12 months	₹4,40,000 (+GST)
IIT Madras	1. B.Sc in Programming and Data Science    2.  Diploma in Data Science	1-3 years (with the flexibility to complete in 6 years) 1-2 years	₹1,00,000/- ₹55,000/-

3. BITS Pilani(WILP)

BITS Pilani has one of India’s most comprehensive & world-class M.Tech. Data Science & Engineering Programme. It covers fundamentals to advanced skill & knowledge areas and is a four-semester program that helps software & IT professionals build the skill set required to advance their careers as Data Analysts, Data Engineers, Data architects, and Data scientists, etc. This is a Work Integrated Learning Program(WILP) and it is UGC approved. The program offers a set of core courses and elective courses, allowing students to specialize in Data Management for Machine Learning, Ethics for Data Science, optimization techniques for Analytics, Natural Language Processing, etc. The program makes use of tools and technologies like Apache Spark, Apache Storm for Big Data Systems/ Real-time Processing, Tableau for data visualization, Tensorflow for Deep Learning, and various packages within Python for data processing, machine learning, data visualization, etc.

Eligibility Criteria

• Employed professionals holding B.E. / B.Tech. with at least 60% aggregate marks and a minimum of one-year of relevant work experience are eligible to apply.
• Employed professionals holding MCA / M.Sc. or equivalent with at least 60% aggregate marks with university-level mathematics/statistics as mandatory subjects and a minimum of one-year of relevant work experience are also eligible to apply.

Course Curriculum

First Semester

• Mathematical foundations for Data Science
• Introduction to Data Science
• Computer Organization and Software Systems
• Data Structures and Algorithm Design

Second Semester

• Introduction to Statistical Methods
• Elective 1
• Elective 2
• Elective 3

Third Semester

• Big Data Systems
• Elective 4
• Elective 5
• Elective 6

Fourth Semester

• Dissertation

Electives

• Data Warehousing
• Graphs – Algorithms and Mining
• Deep Learning
• Probabilistic Graphical Models
• Ethics for Data Science
• Optimization Techniques for Analytics
• Data Management for Machine Learning

• Natural Language Processing
• Design of Experiments for Data Science
• Information Retrieval
• Data Visualization and Interpretation
• Stream Processing and Analytics
• Artificial and Computational Intelligence
• Machine Learning #*
• Applied Machine Learning

*Machine Learning course is a prerequisite for Deep Learning elective course.

The program features live online sessions on some of the most exciting developments, and pressing issues faced by businesses in the technology space. Speakers include business leaders, R&D professionals, and academicians from leading technology firms and institutions.

Fee Structure

• Application Fees (one time): INR 1,500
• Admission Fees (one time): INR 16,500
• Semester Fees (per semester): INR 65,500

4. Loyola College Chennai

Recently, NASSCOM has predicted that 1.5 lakh jobs will be generated in the field of Data Science during the next four years. Foreseeing the importance of the stream in various fields, Loyola College, Chennai started the MSc program in Data Science in June 2019. The two-year PG Program lay a strong theoretical foundation for students that will enable them to develop their own customized data science algorithms needed for deriving insights from very large data sets. Apart from the regular classroom interactions, the PG program involves a lot of guest lectures by industry experts, intensive lab work, and discussion of several business case studies. The students will undergo an internship program at the end of the second semester and carry out a major project in the fourth semester. The department has four experienced staff members, all with Ph.D. qualifications in their own field of specialization. The students who are graduates in Statistics/Mathematics / Computer Science are eligible to join the course.

Course Curriculum

Semester 1	Semester 2	Semester 3	Semester 4
Foundations of Data Science, Fundamentals of Mathematics	Statistical Inference, Big Data Analytics), NoSQL Databases, Big Data Analytics – Lab, NoSQL Databases – Lab	Multivariate Data Analytics, Deep Learning, Deep Learning – Lab, Cloud Computing, Cloud Computing – Lab	Project Architecture Planning Project Data Engineering Project Coding, Testing & Implementation
Statistics and Probability, Python for Data Science Lab Machine Learning Lab	Research MethodologyElective 1A: Financial Analytics Elective 1B: Health Analytics	Elective 2A: Natural Language Processing, Elective 2B: Reinforcement Learning
Python for Data Science, Machine Learning	Internship	MEAN Stack
	Cross-Disciplinary: Data Analytics/VisualizationSelf-Study Course – Online Life Skill	Soft Skill Value Added Course Service Learning

Fee Structure

The fees vary for the students who have studied under the Univesity of Madras and outside. For the graduates from Madras University, it is 86000 INR and for those from outside, it is 86250 INR.

5. Jain University Online

There has been immense popularity worldwide for online certification programs due to the freedom it allows learners to obtain a degree sitting in the comfort of their homes without compromising the quality of education. JAIN Online, the e-learning platform of JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), Bangalore, an authorized partner of the Study in India program offers online courses that would help students who dream of a bright career in Data Science. 

Jain Online has been ranked 91-95 among the top Indian Universities program as well.

The degree and the certification courses offered by the institute first build foundations with a comprehensive general management curriculum and adds a deep dive into Data Science & analytics techniques. Mainly, there are four different courses:

1. Online MCA in Data Science Elective
2. Online MBA with elective in Data Science & Analytics
3. Bachelor of Science (Honours) Data Science and Analytics Integrated with Institute of Analytics (IoA-UK) + Royal Economics Society, UK + Royal Statistical Society
4. Python for Data Science(3 months)

1. Online MCA in Data Science Elective

Course Benefits

• Learns competitive data science challenges on platforms like Kaggle
• Learn all the relevant technologies – Python and relevant packages like NumPy, SciPy, ScikitLearn, Matplotlib, Data visualization tools like Tableau, and SQL For ETL

Eligibility

• Any graduate from a UGC acclaimed Uni with minimum marks of 50 or equivalent. 

• Candidates in the final semester of their Bachelor’s program can also apply. 5% relaxation for SC/ST students.

Course Duration

• Two years

Features

• 120 hours of learning

• Pre-recorded audio-video lecture available on the Learning Management System (LMS)

Fees

• 50000 INR *4 semesters=200000 INR

2. Online MBA with elective in Data Science & Analytics

Course Benefit

• Learn the most relevant technologies like Python, Tableau, Excel, and SQL
• Learn the “Tricks of the Trade” through a series of sessions delivered by practicing data scientists, business analysts, and seasoned managers.

Eligibility

• Any graduate from a UGC acclaimed Uni with minimum marks of 50 or equivalent. 

• Candidates in the final semester of their Bachelor’s program can also apply. 5% relaxation for SC/ST students

Course Duration

• Two years

Features

• Learn the most relevant technologies like Python, Tableau, Excel, and SQL

Fees

• 50000 INR *4 semesters=200000 INR

3. Bachelor of Science (Honours) Data Science and Analytics

This course under Jain University is integrated with the Institute of Analytics (UK), Royal Economics Society, (UK ), and Royal Statistical Society (UK)

Eligibility

• 10+2 pass in Science or Commerce with Mathematics or Statistics as core subjects with PUC/ISC/CBSE or an equivalent board.

University Address

School of Sciences,

#34, 1st Cross,

J C Road,

Bangalore- 560027

Ph: 8043430100

4. Python for Data Science(3 months)

This is a three months course that will help in understanding the basic concepts and features of the Python language. It also helps to have a Python interpreter handy for hands-on experience. After this course, the students will be proficient enough to examine Python syntax and semantics and be fluent in the use of Python flow control and functions and demonstrate proficiency in handling strings and file systems. The total fees for this Data Science course will be 15000 INR. For International students, the course fee is 300$.

Modules

• Introduction to Python
• Data Structures in Python
• Conditional statements
• Functions
• Object-Oriented Programming in python
• Inheritance
• NumPy – Arrays
• NumPy – Functions
• Pandas – Series and Dictionaries
• Pandas – Data frames
• Data Visualization – Matplotlib
• Data Visualization – Seaborn
• Introduction to Exploratory Data Analysis
• Outlier detection and treatment
• Case Study

The evolution of Data Science can be traced from being only analytics and statistics to decisions, predictions, and actions that move the world. During the pandemic, the volume of data increased unexpectedly and that too needed to be structured and analyzed. Hence, job openings in this field have also been tremendously increased. In 2021 alone, Glassdoor shows around 37,000 data science jobs are available in the country, including machine learning engineers, data analysts, business analysts, and financial analysts. Data scientists with excellent expertise in advanced technical skills and in programming languages are high in demand and more likely to get recruited for higher-paying positions. MNCs like Amazon, Deloitte, LinkedIn, Flipkart, IBM, and Accenture offer plenty of Data Science jobs.

There are plenty of data science careers. Let us look at some of them: 

Data Scientist

Unlike Data Scientists, data analysts use structured data to solve business problems. Using Data Science tools such as SQL, Python, R, and the like, data analysts acquire, process, and reorganize data for analysis to find trends that can be turned into business insights. A Data Analyst translates findings into reports and makes them understandable to the management, thus helping them in decision making. 

Average annual salary in India : ₹ 4.3 LPA

Average annual salary in US: $63,344 

Data Architect

The main role of a Data Architect is to train employees for gaining access to information whenever they need it. Data architect designs plan in order to process all kinds of data sources. He also develops application programming interfaces (APIs) to retrieve data. Moreover, he translates business requirements into databases. Collaborating with other teams within the organization, he implements data strategies, builds models, and assesses shareholder needs and goals. 

Average US Salary: $115,196

Salary in India: ₹13.5-23.5 LPA

Business Analyst

 It is the primary role of a business analyst to identify any issue associated with the organization. For that purpose, they constantly evaluate past and present business data and help in decision-making. 

Average Salary in US: $74,366

Average Salary in India: 7.0 LPA

Project Manager

As the name implies, a Project Manager oversees the execution of the project and gives suggestions. The different stages in the process like data mining, extraction, testing, analysis, and application for creating a blueprint require proper management by a team led by the Project manager. The Manager acts as a link between the team and clients to communicate requirements and changes in the project.

Average Annual Salary in India: ₹ 14.5 LPA

Average Annual Salary in US: $81,315

Some of the other designations are R Programming Trainer, Lead Python Developer, Al and Machine Learning Expert, ML Specialist, Python Programmer-Machine Learning, Lead Data Scientist, Data Scientist Developer, Data Engineer, Applied Data Scientist, etc.

Conclusion

Online marketing and entertainment giants like Amazon and Netflix are largely dependent on Data Science to get consumer insights. Experts believe and foresee Data Science as the most predictive skillset that has largely helped organizations to obtain meaningful insights from unstructured and raw data. 

Data Science Courses are in high demand these days. With the certification courses and years of work experience, students can explore different domains like marketing, sales, data quality, finance, business intelligence, etc., and even work as consultants with leading data-driven firms.

Frequently Asked Questions