An Accelerated Associate to Master’s Degree Pathway in Data Analytics

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated data analysts and scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at Bunker Hill Community College and Northeastern University. Over its one-year duration, this project will support the development of a Track 3 S-STEM proposal, that will outline a plan to provide scholarships to over 100 unique full time and part time students who are pursuing associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees in data science.

This project intends to develop a proposal for an S-STEM project that would support data analyst/science students through the entire pathway from associates to bachelor’s to master's degrees in the data science field. Responding to national concerns about the high cost of postsecondary education and the demand for data science professionals, the program intends to offer a low-cost, accelerated alternative to earn degrees and enter careers in data science.

The Track 3 S-STEM program developed in this project intends to provide scholarships, but additionally, the program will embed students in a supportive, accelerated pathway that prepares them for academic success and for data science careers in the greater Boston metro area. With strong industry support, the engagement of local community partners, and workforce development partners, local high schools and local industry partners, and together with existing infrastructure and articulation agreements between Northeastern University and Bunker Hill Community College, this program aims to encourage, enhance, and accelerate student engagement in academic preparation, career development, and entry into the STEM workforce.

The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need by preparing a proposal for a program that provides appropriately tailored pathways to STEM credentials tied to entry-level data analyst/science jobs that are in demand in the Boston area. The program to be developed will facilitate participation in undergraduate research and paid internships, industry and peer mentorship, specialized advising, and other tailored academic, career, and social supports that are recognized by researchers as high impact practices in broadening participation and increasing retention.

Over the course of the project, industry partnerships will be established to ensure that the program is aligned with industry demands and the growing data analyst/science field. Results of this project will support the development of a larger S-STEM grant that will contribute to the STEM workforce and understanding of strategies to support the success of lower income students.

This project is funded by NSF’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers, and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.