Dec 09, 2025  
2025-2026 Catalog 
    
Catalog Navigation
  Catalog Home

  Academic Calendar
  Academic Programs
  Course Descriptions


  Undergraduate Education
  General Education
  School of Engineering
  School of Natural Sciences
  School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts
  Graduate Studies
  Research at UC Merced


  About UC Merced
  Academic Policies
  Undergraduate Admissions
  Fees and Expenses
  Financial Aid and Scholarships
  Directions and Map
  Directory
  Veteran Services
  My Catalog
HELP
2025-2026 Catalog

Data Science and Analytics, B.A. Four-Year Course Plan

All General Education course options can be found here . 

Please Note: This four-year plan serves as a general guide and assumes that all prerequisite requirements have been met prior to each course. Students may need to complete additional prerequisite coursework (WRI 001 ) based on placement results or prior preparation. Be sure to consult with your academic advisor to create a personalized plan that aligns with your individual progress and goals.

First Year
Fall Spring
Major Mathematics Requirement Major Mathematics Requirement
DSA 001: Foundations of Data Science & Analytics    WRI 010: College Reading and Composition  
DSA 002: Thinking Like a Programmer   ECON 001  or COGS 001  or POLI 001  or MIST 001  or PH 001  
SPRK 001: Spark Seminar  or  SPRK 010: Spark Seminar   PHIL 002: Introduction to Ethics  or  PHIL 003: Contemporary Moral Problems  

Second Year
Fall Spring
MIST 050: Introduction to Entrepreneurship  or  MIST 070: Innovation Management   ECON 110: Econometrics  or  PHIL 123: Technology Ethics   
General Education: Lower Division Language General Education: Area A–Life and Physical Science
General Education: Area A–Life and Physical Science Free Elective
General Education: Area B–Approaches to Knowledge Social Science, Literary and Textual Analysis, Media and Visual Analysis, Societies and Cultures of the Past  

Third Year
Fall Spring
ECON 110: Econometrics   PHIL 123: Technology Ethics  
Major Advanced Data Science and Methods Qauntitative Major Advanced Data Science and Methods Visualization
General Education: Global Awareness Intellectual Experience General Education: Upper Division Crossroads
Free Elective  

Fourth Year
Fall Spring
DSA 120: Capstone I  DSA 121: Capstone II
Major Technical Elective/Emphasis Requirement or Elective Major Technical Elective/Emphasis Requirement or Elective
Major Technical Elective/Emphasis Requirement or Elective General Education: Upper Division Writing in the Discipline
Free Elective Free Elective