Question 1

What is the scope of the MS in Data Science program with UMass Dartmouth US?

Accepted Answer

The MS in Data Science is an engaging yet rigorous 8 months online and 12-months on-campus program designed for students to develop practical knowledge and skills, establish a professional network, and accelerate entry into data science careers. The student as part of this program will receive dual certification, an Advanced Certificate Program in Data Science from IIIT Bangalore and a Master’s degree in Data Science from UMass Dartmouth US.

Question 2

What should I expect from MS in Data Science?

Accepted Answer

You should expect to carry out several industry-relevant projects simulated as per the actual workplace, making you a skilled data science professional at par with leading industry standards. On completion of the program, you will have the option to apply for OPT in the US as well as get support from UMass Dartmouth Career Services to build a career in the US.

Question 3

Which topics are going to be covered as part of the program?

Accepted Answer

The initial program is designed for professionals with limited Data Science experience to help them build their understanding from the basics to an advanced level. The program covers tools such as Python, MySQL and Excel, as well as important Data Science concepts such as statistics and exploratory Data Science, regression, clustering, tree models, model selection and principal component analysis.

Question 4

What type of learning experience should I expect?

Accepted Answer

The online learning experience will be a mix of interactive lectures from industry leaders as well as world-renowned faculty. Additionally, the program comprises live lectures dedicated to solving your academic queries and reinforcing learning. The on-campus learning experience will offer students the opportunity to engage directly with faculty.

Question 5

Is any certification granted at the end of the program?

Accepted Answer

Post successful completion of the program, an Advanced Certificate Program in Data Science certificate would be awarded from IIIT Bangalore and a Master's degree in Data Science shall be conferred upon by UMass Dartmouth.

Question 6

Can I sign up only for a few specific modules if I am interested in?

Accepted Answer

No, the program is designed to be completed in its entirety, and cannot be taken as standalone modules.

Question 7

Why should you pursue MS in Data Science from UMass Dartmouth USA?

Accepted Answer

UMass Dartmouth's Master's in Data Science is ranked #7 in the US as per Best Value Schools (2021).
It provides a path for individuals from diverse fields such as liberal arts, social sciences, mathematics, engineering and others to rapidly transition to data science careers.
Students will be able to apply modern techniques for managing, mining, and analyzing big data across multiple disciplines at the time of graduation. The program creates innovators, entrepreneurs, and business professionals to lead the development of next-generation information systems.
Students are encouraged to pursue their own research interests and participate in faculty-led initiatives and collaborate on industry and agency projects.
Success-driven, with 96% of students employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation.
The career progression for graduates includes Data Analysts, Machine Learning Engineer, Big Data Architect, Data Scientist, Logistics Analyst and other leading opportunities in the DS field.
According to Payscale 2022, the average base salary of a Data Scientist in the country is $98,624. It is 41% more compared to the national average salary of Americans.
The university’s Career Center offers career planning services to help students develop a successful future.

Question 8

Can international students work to pay for their educational expenses?

Accepted Answer

All students in the USA with a valid F-1 Visa are not eligible to work off-campus. Rather, such students are eligible to work on-campus as graduate assistants or research assistants or other on-campus ad-hoc jobs and receive compensation, beginning in their first semester. The list of available positions will be provided in advance of the Fall semester (please note the number of these positions are limited and not guaranteed).

Question 9

Will I be supported for IELTS/TOEFL/PTE or other English language exams during this program?

Accepted Answer

Yes, upGrad will help you prepare for the English proficiency test to establish your current English proficiency to be eligible for the Master's program in the USA.

Question 10

When will I go to UMass Dartmouth USA?

Accepted Answer

UMass Dartmouth will have 2 intakes for students coming through the accelerator route. The first intake of the year will be the January (spring) intake, the second intake of the year will be August (Fall). Though the application process for UMass Dartmouth will start during the IIIT Bangalore online program, you will be able to go to UMass Dartmouth in the nearest intake which is at least 3 months away from completion of your IIIT Bangalore program.

Question 11

When will I get an Offer Letter from UMass Dartmouth?

Accepted Answer

upGrad will apply for you to UMass Dartmouth once all the documents are provided by you (as given in the offer letter issued to you by upGrad). Apart from the documents mentioned in the offer letter of UMass Dartmouth you will have to give proof of English proficiency for application of admission in UMass Dartmouth. upGrad will support you to get your English proficiency scores within 3 months of the start of the batch to accelerate this process.

Question 12

How do I know if the program is right for me?

Accepted Answer

If you like finding meaningful insights from data and if you get excited by the prospect of informing business decisions through analysis and have an analytical bent of mind, then this program is meant for you. As long as you can clear the selection test (or are exempt) and are excited about the transition to Data Science, this program is meant for you.

Question 13

My current role does not include exposure to data. Does it make sense for me to opt for this program?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! The role of data is becoming a necessity for more informed business decisions across industries. Hence, there is a critical demand for quality data professionals and because the supply is constrained, this is one of the most lucrative career options across industries.

Question 14

What is the list of documents required for the application ?

Accepted Answer

List of documents are:

Passport
Class 10th & 12th Marksheet and Certificate
Graduation- Marksheets from all semesters and consolidated Marksheet (Transcripts)
Graduation degree
Statement of Purpose
One Letter of Recommendation
Resume
English Proficiency Score Card (IELTS/TOEFL/Duolingo)
FERPA Form

Question 15

What is the selection process for this program?

Accepted Answer

upGrad, IIIT Bangalore, UMass Dartmouth world-renowned faculty, and many industry leaders have committed a lot of time in conceptualizing and creating this program to make sure that the learners can receive the best possible learning experience in Data Science. Hence, we want to make sure that the participants of this program also show a very high level of commitment and passion for Data Science. For entry into UMass Dartmouth students have to successfully complete IIIT Bangalore program with a minimum of 3 GPA.

Question 16

Is there any minimum educational qualification required to take this program?

Accepted Answer

For IIIT Bangalore:

B.E/B.Tech/B.Sc (IT/Computer Science)/BCA with minimum of 60% or above marks. Maximum backlogs (ATKTs) accepted will be 5.
A 4-year Undergraduate degree is preferred. However, if a learner has completed 3 years of Undergraduate, then the awarding University must be NAAC A or higher in the year 2020/2021/2022/2023 AND the student must have graduated FIRST CLASS.
If an applicant is coming from any other stream (Business, Humanities etc.) the applicant needs to have 2 years of substantial work experience in IT/Data Science/Computing fields.

For UMass Dartmouth:
An aggregate score of 3.0 CGPA and above in the Advanced Certificate Program in Data Science with a minimum of 3.0 GPA in each course.
TOEFL >= 80 or IELTS score >= 6.5 or equivalent across all bands or Duolingo >= 105.

Question 17

What is the time commitment expected for the programme?

Accepted Answer

At least 12-15 hours per week of time commitment is expected to be able to graduate from the online program. The on-campus program in the US is full-time and will have an appropriate workload.

Question 18

How will my doubts/questions be addressed in an online programme?

Accepted Answer

Peer-to-peer discussion forum where you can post your queries and your peers/faculty/teaching assistants answer your queries within a day. Regular Q&A sessions with faculty to get clarification on conceptual doubts.

Question 19

No cost CC EMI FAQ's

Accepted Answer

0% EMI with Third Party Credit Facilitators /Credit card option availability will vary program wise.

1. Which banks allow using 0% Credit card EMI or Credit card EMI?
No cost EMI is available on credit cards from all major banks (American Express, Bank of Baroda, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, IndusInd Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, RBL Bank, Standard Chartered, Axis Bank, Yes Bank, State Bank of India, CITIBANK and HSBC)

2. Is there any minimum transaction limit ?
Yes. 50000 is the minimum.

3. Standard Chartered Bank offers 18 or 24 months No Cost EMI ?
No. ONLY 12 months is available irrespective of the Program enrolled.

4. Will I have to pay any extra amount for the EMI transaction?
If you are availing 0% credit card EMI, upGrad will not charge any processing fees or down payment for these transactions. Your bank may levy GST or other taxes on the interest component of the EMI.

5. Are there any fees or down payment?
Certain banks charge nominal processing fees between INR 99 - 500 on 0% Credit Card EMI transaction. If charged, will be billed in the first repayment installment.

6. Can I use my International credit card for 0% credit EMI or Credit Card EMI?
Only the Indian bank credit cards can be used. But you can pay the amount using the Credit card option in one shot / part payments, and later you can convert into EMI from your respective bank. The tenures and interest charged will depend on your bank. upGrad will not charge any processing fees or down payment for these transactions, this will be purely between you and your bank.

7. Are there any charges in case I opt for cancellation/refund from the course after paying balance with no cost EMI ?
Yes, there will be additional charges to the extent of interest paid by the upGrad to the bank, you will be refunded only Principal amount, i.e. the amount actually deducted/blocked from your card. This deduction will be in addition to the amount mentioned in the refund policy shared with your offer letter.

8. Can I Pay Using Multiple Credit Cards ?
Multiple cards can be used to complete the payments using Part payment option make sure to inform the student, minimum transaction is INR 50000 to opt for 0% CC EMI E.g. Amount to be paid: 150000. I can pay using 2 Credit cards. Yes, Example :
HDFC Card – Part payment – INR 100000
ICICI Card – Part payment – INR 50000

9. How can I opt for Credit card EMI if my bank is not listed in the 0% Credit card EMI or Credit card EMI?
You can pay the amount using the Credit card option in one shot / part payments, and later you can convert into EMI from your respective bank. The tenures and interest charged will depend on your bank. upGrad will not charge any processing fees or down payment for these transactions.

10. Why is the entire amount blocked on my credit card?
Initially your bank will block the entire amount from your available purchase limit and from your next billing cycle, you will be charged the EMI amount. As you start paying your EMI, your credit limit will be released accordingly. For example, if you have made a payment of ₹100000 on 6-months EMI and your credit limit is ₹200,000 then initially your bank will block your credit limit by ₹100000. After payment of your first month EMI of Rs.15000, the blocked amount will come down to ₹85000.

11. Why is interest getting charged on No Cost EMI?
Your bank will charge you interest. However, this interest charge has been provided to you as an upfront discount at the time of your payment, effectively giving you the benefit of a No cost EMI. The total amount paid during the entire EMI tenure to the bank will be equal to the amount to be paid to upGrad.

Eg. Amount payable to upGrad: INR 405000
Let's say Amount deducted at the time of transaction: INR 379850 (Principal amount) Bank charges interest of 12-15% per annum on INR 379850
[Note: Interest factor is reducing rate and not Flat rate]
EMI AMOUNT = INR 33750 x 12 = INR 405000
Effectively, you have taken loan on 379,850 instead of 405,000

Question 20

Is there any deferral or refund policy for this program?

Accepted Answer

Refund Policy:

Students must pay an applicable Caution Amount for the enrollment to the Program. This Caution Amount will be adjustable against the total Program fee payable by the student.
Once the student has made a partial or full payment of Program fee, such student can claim a refund for this amount at any time before the cohort commencement date by raising a refund request through ‘My applications’ page on our website (www.upgrad.com), stating the specific reason for the refund. The refund shall be subject to a deduction of INR. 20,000/- towards processing fee. If less than INR. 20,000/- have been paid in total, students shall not be eligible for any refund in such a case.
Students shall not be eligible for a refund (under any circumstances) if the refund request is raised post-program/Batch Start Date. In such a case, the student will continue to pay the EMI of his loan (if applicable), as the loan cannot be canceled. This is also applicable to students who could not complete their payment and could not get enrolled in their opted cohort. However, the student can request a Pre-Program deferral as per the policy defined below for the same.
Student shall not be eligible for refund of any amount paid towards the Program in case any discrepancy is identified between your application and self-attested documents including but not limited to wrong details about your grades or any other incorrect information provided in your application.
In case of a valid refund request post obtaining the loan from a third party credit facility provider, we would like to clarify that the responsibility of canceling the loan will lie with the student as upGrad is not privy to such arrangements between the student and the third party credit facility provider.
If students do not provide documents as per the timeline mentioned in the offer letter, they will be deferred to the next batch but they will not be eligible for any refunds.
You shall not be eligible for refund of any amount paid towards the Program in case any discrepancy is identified between your application and self-attested documents including but not limiting to wrong details about your grades or any other incorrect information provided in your application.

Deferral Policy: (Pre- Program Commencement)

If a student, due to unavoidable circumstances is unable to commence with the cohort and requests for a deferral before the cohort starts, we provide the opportunity for the student to defer to another batch. However, if a student is deferring from his assigned cohort batch mentioned in the offer letter, the student will not be eligible for any refund post the deferral.
However, the student will be required to pay 50% of the total course fee amount (inclusive of taxes) before the deferral can be approved. Till this is completed, the student will be assumed to be continuing in the same cohort.
A student can request for deferral only once and to either of the scheduled cohorts to start in the next 1 year from the batch start date of the initial batch the student enrolled for.
The student has time till the current cohort launch date to make the payment of the 50% program fee, post which the deferral request will expire. Once the deferral window expires and the student now asks for a refund, the above-mentioned applicable refund policy will apply.
The fee applicable to the deferred student will be as per prevailing fee for the batch student as opted to defer to (No additional deferral fee is required to be paid).

Deferral Policy: (Post Program Commencement)

If a student is facing severe issues in dedicating time to the course, we provide the opportunity for the student to defer to another batch.
A student can request for deferral only once and to either of the scheduled cohorts to start in the next 1 year from the batch start date of the initial batch the student enrolled for.
The student will be required to pay deferral fees of 10% of the total course amount fee + Taxes if any along with the differential program fees between the two cohorts.
The deferral request will be approved once the deferral fee is paid.
Till this is completed, the student will be assumed to be continuing in the same cohort.
The student has 7 days (including holidays and weekends) from the date of deferral request to make the payment of the deferral fee post which the deferral request will expire, and the student will continue as part of the current cohort.
If the student completes the deferral payment, the student’s login will be disabled, the student will leave the deferred cohort and the student will start learning on the new cohort from the point of the last assignment that was graded in the deferred cohort. All grades and progress till that point will be carried forward as it is to the new cohort. For clarification, the grades of the graded assignments will be carried forward, whether the student had submitted these grading during the initial stage.
The deferral can only be requested during the batch for which the student has enrolled is ongoing. Once the batch has been completed, deferral requests shall not be entertained. For clarification, the batch completion here shall mean the “last grace deadline” as communicated by upGrad.

Deferral policy applicable only for International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore (“IIIT Bangalore”)

The first deferral request to any program offered by IIIT Bangalore (pre-program commencement or post-program commencement) shall be free for one time.

The Executive Post Graduate Program learners should complete the course in a maximum duration of 3 years from the initial batch start date.

The Advanced Certificate Program learners should complete the course in a maximum duration of 2 years from the initial batch start date.

The Professional Advanced Certificate Program learners should complete the course in a maximum duration of 2 years from the initial batch start date.

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