Students with graduate credentials in analytical sciences can study in the S2DS program to gain experience in applied data science. As they work on teams with industry partners, students develop real-world projects to showcase in their professional portfolio.
Science to Data Science describes its school as “Europe’s largest data science training bootcamp.” Founded by Kim Nilsson, an astrophysicist-turned-entrepreneur, the school started as an experimental project organized in 2014 by the global professional services network KPMG and Nilsson’s data scientist staffing startup Pivigo. A former scientist who holds both a Ph.D. and an MBA, Nilsson got the idea for the school after she struggled to exit the academy and enter the industry. Nilsson established Pivigo to provide data scientists to businesses seeking data science support, but businesses were skeptical of the PhDs that she recruited. Thus, Nilsson founded Science to Data Science, also known as S2DS, to bridge former scientists’ gap between academic theory and commercial practice. What began as a single summer program has expanded into a thrice-yearly bootcamp for master- and doctorate-level scientists who want to translate their data skills into settings outside of the laboratory.
The Sheffield-based Pivigo typically runs the Science to Data Science bootcamp online as well as in London. Historically, Pivigo has partnered with CMS to host the in-person Science to Data Science sessions at CMS’s City of London offices on the Thames, conveniently located steps from the London Cannon Street railway and Underground station.
As one might expect, Science to Data Science specializes in training former academic scientists in industry data science. With the “Classes Near Me” tool from Noble Desktop, all students can search for more opportunities for learning data science and compare a wide range of data science classes and bootcamps.
Science to Data Science offers one self-titled flagship bootcamp, in which students work with real-life clients to deliver real-world data science projects. Students learn how to articulate their skill sets for industry clients and how to demonstrate their data know-how for commercial projects. Some of the school’s industry partners include Barclays, British Gas, Marks & Spencer, and the Royal Mail. The Science to Data Science curriculum is a practical one. The students the school recruits already have data science skills that they have honed in the analytical sciences. What Science to Data Science helps with is exposing students to industry frameworks so that they can apply their skills in contexts outside the academy.
Science to Data Science runs as a five-week, full-time bootcamp, running from 9 am to 6 pm on London time with optional social events after hours. Historically, the school has offered the program three times a year, once in-person in London and twice live online. The bootcamp begins with some prework, and the first day of live participation involves networking and some presentations on industry best practices, but the rest of the course is devoted to applied learning. Students work together in small teams in collaboration with their assigned clients to deliver projects for clients to use. At the end of the bootcamp, all groups present their polished projects to the whole class.
Enrollment in the Science to Data Science bootcamp is limited to students with a background in analytic science, and applicants must hold an MSc or a Ph.D., or plan to graduate from their Ph.D. program within a year. Students are required to have 100-hours of experience working in Python or Ruby, and familiarity with data visualization and modeling is beneficial. Applicants to the program must first complete a short online application to be considered for the admissions process. Those chosen to move on to the interview stage will need to participate in a personal interview and a technical interview. Admission is very competitive. Not all interviewed candidates will receive an invitation to participate in the bootcamp, but those who are not selected are invited to reapply.
Tuition for Science to Data Science is a flat, inclusive fee of £800, which must be paid upfront at the time of registration. In the online application, students have the opportunity to submit a 150-word essay to apply for a partial tuition scholarship, which is awarded on both need-based and merit-based terms.
From the first day, the entire curriculum in the Science to Data Science bootcamp is geared toward entering a data science career. Students work on professional data science projects, learn to network with data science professionals, and participate in seminars and hiring events on entering careers in the data science industry. Science to Data Science provides all graduates with lifetime access to mentorship, career coaching, and professional networks.
Pivigo does not report student outcomes from its Science to Data Science bootcamp. However, the school does highlight that its students have found data science jobs at major organizations like Lloyds Banking Group, the Royal Mail, and Spotify.
Students at Science to Data Science go to the school for one primary reason: to get the practical experience necessary to succeed as data scientists working in the industry. Graduates of the school’s bootcamp point out that theoretical learning is not the primary or even secondary goal of Science to Data Science. Rather, as one student observed, “What the boot camp does teach very effectively is how to use the skills acquired in academia in a commercial setting, ” while also allowing students to pick up “extra skills that are not relevant in academia but vital in business”—for instance, “how to connect and deal with clients and their requests, and how to translate their needs into a business case and then into a project.”
One student in the live online version of the bootcamp verified that the quality of the digital learning experience was indistinguishable from the in-person version. According to this graduate, “Through Slack, Google Hangouts, daily group Zoom chats, and ‘speed networking’ with the other participants the S2DS program didn’t end up feeling very ‘virtual.’” The graduate emphasized that the support structures in place ensured that all students could access the necessary help to maximize their learning experience: “Both the technical mentors and the community mentor were there as resources in addition to the company mentor for the project to help us out when we had difficulties.”
Science to Data Science is a UK-centric program. As one non-European graduate noted, “If you live outside England[, ] the possibilities they offer to support you for your first job research are limited.” But for students who intend to work in the UK, the professional connections made during the experience can be invaluable.
Learn more at s2ds.org
Designed for academics and scientists with prior coding knowledge who want to transition to a data science career, this program combines team projects, lectures, and industry preparation.
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Data science is one of the fastest-growing career fields, with competitive salaries and nearly endless opportunities for specialization. Data science uses machine learning algorithms, statistics and other analytic tools to understand data.