TY - JOUR
T1 - Unravelling the skills of data scientists
T2 - A text mining analysis of Dutch university master programs in data science and artificial intelligence
AU - Mol, Mathijs J.
AU - Belfi, Barbara
AU - Bakk, Zsuzsa
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 Mol et al.
PY - 2024/2/1
Y1 - 2024/2/1
N2 - The growing demand for data scientists in both the global and Dutch labour markets has led to an increase in data science and artificial intelligence (AI) master programs offered by universities. However, there is still a lack of clarity regarding the specific skills of data scientists. This study addresses this issue by employing Correlated Topic Modeling (CTM) to analyse the content of 41 master programs offered by 11 Dutch universities and an interuniversity combined program. We assess the differences and similarities in the core skills taught by these programs, determine the subject-specific and general nature of the skills, and provide a comparison between the different types of universities offering these programs. Our analysis reveals that data processing, statistics, research, and ethics are the core competencies in Dutch data science and AI master programs. General universities tend to focus on research skills, while technical universities lean more towards IT and electronics skills. Broad-focussed data science and AI programs generally concentrate on data processing, information technology, electronics, and research, while subject-specific programs give priority to statistics and ethics. This research enhances the understanding of the diverse skills of Dutch data science graduates, providing valuable insights for employers, academic institutions, and prospective students.
AB - The growing demand for data scientists in both the global and Dutch labour markets has led to an increase in data science and artificial intelligence (AI) master programs offered by universities. However, there is still a lack of clarity regarding the specific skills of data scientists. This study addresses this issue by employing Correlated Topic Modeling (CTM) to analyse the content of 41 master programs offered by 11 Dutch universities and an interuniversity combined program. We assess the differences and similarities in the core skills taught by these programs, determine the subject-specific and general nature of the skills, and provide a comparison between the different types of universities offering these programs. Our analysis reveals that data processing, statistics, research, and ethics are the core competencies in Dutch data science and AI master programs. General universities tend to focus on research skills, while technical universities lean more towards IT and electronics skills. Broad-focussed data science and AI programs generally concentrate on data processing, information technology, electronics, and research, while subject-specific programs give priority to statistics and ethics. This research enhances the understanding of the diverse skills of Dutch data science graduates, providing valuable insights for employers, academic institutions, and prospective students.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85186285704&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0299327
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0299327
M3 - Article
C2 - 38422040
SN - 1932-6203
VL - 19
JO - PLOS ONE
JF - PLOS ONE
IS - 2 February
M1 - e0299327
ER -