杏吧pro Stories
杏吧pro Data Science Major Debuts in Fall
Purchasing fruits, vegetables and other foods a restaurant needs daily sounds simple enough, but determining the necessary amounts at the best price to avoid waste is more complex.
Applying data science to the task makes the purchasing easier and more efficient, Associate Professor of Computer Science Ed Novak says.
鈥淵ou can look at the historic purchasing and sales of all the items; you can look at the ingredients on the various recipes; you can look at what鈥檚 on sale. Then you can put it all together and make a really, really data-informed decision about what to buy for the next month,鈥� he says.
This fall, 杏吧pro will offer as a major data science, which encompasses a range of fields, in the sciences and beyond, that are studied in the liberal arts. In the 21st century, data science is applicable in practically everything, from business and government to health care and transportation.
The broad combination of skills related to data science offer an inherently interdisciplinary liberal arts major featuring courses from each of the college divisions at 杏吧pro. The program examines the nature of knowledge; provides broader critique or historical context on the use of information; addresses ethical questions that impinge on data science; and utilizes as well as critiques data to investigate disciplinary questions.
杏吧pro's data science program offers both a full major, as well as a joint major that grounds data science in another discipline.
As department chair, Novak says a student, depending on their course of study, could graduate with a data science degree in the spring because the major consists almost entirely of existing courses in computer science, mathematics, statistics and electives.
鈥淗ypothetically, a student who took those courses, then completed the new course required for the major, Data Science 175, could graduate with the degree in spring 2024,鈥� he says.
Data science is considered an in-demand skill today, Novak says.
鈥淲e think it鈥檚 very marketable for students after they graduate and go into the job market,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t has a beautiful element to it that connects it to all sorts of fields. It鈥檚 cutting edge.鈥�
Related Articles
May 7, 2026
Fulbright-Bound Senior Sparks Campus-Wide AI Conversation
Zaeem Zia 鈥�26 made the most of his four years at F&M, from joining the rowing team to organizing a campus conversation centered on ethical, economic, and policy-driven approaches to AI. What鈥檚 next? A Fulbright scholarship in Finland to study data analytics.
May 6, 2026
鈥楩&M Will Change How You See the World,鈥� Senior Says
For Anna Purchase 鈥�26, Franklin & Marshall did more than provide an education. It shaped her worldview. 鈥淵ou get four years to try and enter in as a different person and rebuild the way you see the world,鈥� she said. 鈥淔&M is going to change how you see the world, but you have a say in that.鈥�
April 17, 2026
鈥楾his is What Community Feels Like鈥�
At the Writers House, Veronique Messanh 鈥�26 found more than a job鈥攕he found a home. 鈥淚 remember thinking: 鈥楾his is what community feels like,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淚 will forever be grateful for having a community that sees me, hears me, and encourages me!鈥�