Nearing the end of course registration season, Emory University students looking for classes this upcoming spring might have noticed that courses previously titled with Quantitative Theory and Methods (QTM) now appear under the department’s new name, Data and Decision Sciences (DATASCI). According to Data Science Department Chair Clifford Carrubba, the department is changing its name to Data and Decision Sciences to better communicate its core work to those outside of Emory. Additionally, Emory changed the title of QTM’s major from Quantitative Sciences (QSS) to the Data Science major.
Data Science Associate Department Chair Kevin Quinn highlighted that changing the department’s name clarified what the department teaches its students.
“Part of what we were trying to do with the name change was to give the department a name that was a little bit more legible to students so that they had a better sense of what was being taught here, but also more legible to folks on the outside,” Quinn said.
Allison Cuttner (19G, 21G), Data Science assistant teaching professor and director of undergraduate research, emphasized that students were struggling to articulate what it meant to be a QTM major. Like Quinn, Cuttner added that she hopes the department’s name change will clarify the program’s mission to outsiders.
“They were having trouble explaining to their parents or external partners or people who were potentially hiring them what QTM meant, what QSS meant as a major,” Cuttner said.
Data Science major Ria Krishna (26C, 26B) illustrated the sentiment Cuttner expressed, describing how difficult it was to explain what she learned as a QSS major to others.
“Before this, I had always just told people that I’m a QSS major, and a lot of people wouldn’t really know what that meant, and they would ask me, and I honestly didn’t really know what that meant either,” Krishna said. “Even on my resume before this, I would put quantitative sciences, and then, data science in parentheses.”
A fan of the name change, Krishna said that Data Science better reflects her learning focus and makes it easier for those outside Data Science to understand what she studies.
“It’s definitely a lot easier to understand, and the curriculum aligns with data science really well,” Krishna said.
Carrubba described the name change as a response to the rapidly evolving field of data science, aimed at better preparing students for the job market as AI continues to transform it.
“A core element of our program is to teach you there is an array of technology out there to work with data that can do different things,” Carrubba said. “Our name change is meant to help call out the fact that this is the world that we’re working in and that students need to be prepared for.”
Although OPUS now lists the courses under DATASCI instead of QTM, Oxford College Data Science Assistant Professor Zachary Binney (13PH, 18G) wants to reassure students that their experience within the department will not change.
“It’s a change in the name, it’s a change in the words that will appear on your transcript,” Binney said. “But none of our curriculum is changing.”
Cuttner shared her hope that the department’s decision to change the name will make Emory a more appealing place for prospective students interested in Data science. She emphasized that the decision to change the department’s name stems from a desire to ensure that Data Science students receive the recognition they deserve.
“It’s worth all of the work to make sure that our students are well-positioned to explain, and have everyone know all the amazing work that they can do, all the skills that they have, and everything that they are doing and are eligible for,” Cuttner said.
