Skip to Main Content
California State University, Chico

Data Science Initiative

Chico State’s Data Science Initiative advances data education, research, and community engagement, offering workshops, consulting, and applied experiences that prepare learners for today’s data-driven careers.

Upcoming Events

Events through March 30, 2026
More from CatsConnect

There are no events scheduled within the next two weeks. Check out CatsConnect for more events.

Students working together during a data analysis competition.

A Celebration of Data!

DataFest Registration is OPEN NOW! The NorCal ASA DataFest is a high-energy, 48-hour collegiate data analysis challenge where undergraduates team up to uncover insights from a secret real-world dataset and compete for prizes and glory!

Services and Activities

  • Community coding session

    Community Coding with Experts

    Free drop-in consulting and coding support focused on handling data and statistical methods through Community Coding. 

    Primary Location: Meriam Library, Second Floor (next to the print center)
    Hours: See the Weekly Schedule

  • Adviser pointing at screen

    Research Support through the Wildcat Data Hub

    Comprehensive support across all stages of data-enabled research. Services include study design consultation, data collection planning, dataset importing and cleaning, statistical and computational analyses, and clear, professional reporting for a wide range of projects.

    Consulting and hands-on assistance are available through both complimentary and fee-based options, depending on the scope and needs of the project.

  • Room full of students sitting at round tables with computers in front of them.

    DataFest

    DataFest is a weekend-long data analysis competition where student teams work with a large, real-world dataset to uncover insights and present their findings. Open to students from many disciplines, it emphasizes collaboration, creativity, and practical problem-solving, with awards for standout analyses and visualizations.

  • The campus community work on coding projects and answer questions as part of the Data Science Initiative (DSI) Community Coding sessions

    Technical Skills Workshops

    Short-term workshops and specialized training on data collection, visualization, statistical analysis, machine learning, and reproducible research, supporting learners from diverse backgrounds.

Relevant Academic Programs

  • Student working on a laptop during a coding class

    Data Science and Analytics MS

    As a graduate of Chico State’s master’s program in Data Science and Analytics, you’ll build the ability to find answers hidden inside troves of raw data. While the program is ideal for students with a background in statistics, computer science, business analytics, or other STEM fields, this degree serves any student devoted to making sense of hard-to-solve problems.

  • Laptop showing coding data.

    Data Science Certificate

    The Certificate in Data Science provides students with the technical skills to extract different types and quantities of data from multiple sources, create visualizations, build and interpret predictive models, and build data products for the information consumer to use under a background of responsible and ethical data management. The certificate is offered through both the Computer Science and Mathematics and Statistics departments.

  • Math and data science help to student from professor

    Blended Mathematics (BS) + Data Science and Analytics (MS)

    The Mathematics (BS) + Data Science and Analytics (MS) blended program offers an accelerated pathway for students who want to deepen their quantitative expertise and expand into advanced data-driven applications. By integrating undergraduate and graduate coursework, students can begin earning master’s-level credit while completing their bachelor’s degree, positioning themselves for high-impact careers in analytics, technology, research, and industry. This streamlined option allows motivated students to build strong mathematical foundations alongside practical data science skills in an efficient and cohesive academic plan. Apply here

Courses and Curriculum

This is a non-comprehensive list of data-related classes at Chico. Visit the University Catalog for course descriptions.

  • Data Science

    • MATH 185: Data Analytics for Social Good
    • MATH/CSCI 385: Introduction to Data Science
    • MATH/CSCI 485: Advanced Topics in Data Science
    • MATH 490: Data Science Capstone
    • MATH 500: Data Science Seminar
    • MATH/CSCI 608: Data Science for Graduate Studies
    • MATH 651: Probability and Statistics for Data Science

  • Mathematics and Statistics

    • MATH 317: Cryptography
    • MATH 318: Topological Data Analysis
    • MATH 314: Probability and Statistics
    • MATH 315: Applied Statistics I
    • MATH 450: Computational Statistics 
    • MATH 456: Applied Statistics II
    • MATH 458: Sampling Methods
    • MATH 589: Field Experience in Statistics and Data Science
    • MATH 641: Combinatorics and Graphy Theory

  • Computer Science

    • CSCI 417: Applied Linear Algebra for Computer Science
    • CSCI 580: Artificial Intelligence
    • CSCI 581: Machine Learning
    • CSCI 582: Bioinformatics
    • CSCI 605: Data Structures and Algorithms for Data Science
    • CSCI 611: Applied Machine Learning
    • CSCI 644: DevOps Engineering

  • Biology

    • BIOL 485: Bioinformatics for Biologists

  • Business Information Systems

    • BSIS 111: Digital Literacy
    • BSIS 308: Decision Analysis for Business
    • BSIS 460: Data Analytics
    • BSIS 461: Business Analytics with Python
    • BSIS 610: Business Analytics
    • BSIS 625: Data Warehouse Systems
    • Masters in Business Analytics (MS)

  • Political Science

    • POLS 521: Research Experience: An Introduction to Exploring Data in Politics and Criminal Justice

About the Data Science Initiative (DSI)

The Data Science Initiative (DSI) at Chico State is a fledgling grassroots program, initiated in 2015 to develop the Data Science capabilities of our campus and community. By leveraging expertise across a wealth of disciplines including Statistics, Computer Science, Business, Biology, Nutrition, Mathematics, and Political Science, Chico State is well poised to become an educational and workforce training leader in the North State.

Our vision is to foster a data-empowered society working within a culture of open science.

  • Foster a supportive, inclusive, and diverse community for data science researchers, practitioners, learners, and enthusiasts.
  • Provide high quality data science education to learners from all backgrounds and domains.
  • Develop and support interdisciplinary teaching and research opportunities.
  • Emphasize the use of data in an accountable and transparent manner for the benefit of all persons.
  • Furthering the advancement of the algorithms and scientific methods to make decisions and extract insights from data.

  • Building relationships with community partners to build data-enabled solutions and provide high impact real world learning experiences for students.
  • Provide training on data privacy and security, responsible and ethical research, responsible, transparent and ethical uses of data and algorithms.
  • Provide learners with the skills and knowledge, and build and confidence to develop and implement data-driven solutions in an ethical and socially responsible manner.
  • Using multiple methods of training including
  • Traditional classroom and online curriculum
  • Workshops & specialized trainings
  • Interdisciplinary projects that engage learners from diverse sectors
  • Being a campus wide resource through Community Coding - an open work and support session.

Current Team