Data Science and Communication Studies, BS (Boston) < Northeastern University Academic Catalog

The BS degree in Data Science and Communication Studies offers an integrative curriculum in the study of communication skills and in the collection, manipulation, storage, retrieval, and computational analysis of data in its various forms, including numeric, textual, image, and video data from small to large volumes. Students have an opportunity to gain a deep understanding of the major conceptual frameworks for human communication—plus how to apply this knowledge to solve problems in today’s society.

Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified and complete any additional courses needed beyond specific college and major requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements.

Universitywide Requirements

All undergraduate students are required to complete the Universitywide Requirements.

NUpath Requirements

All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.

Data Science Courses

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Computer Science Required Courses
All students can take a self-assessment to attempt to place out of CS 2000 and CS 2001. Students who place out of CS 2000 and CS 2001 will instead substitute with 4-5 semester hours of CS, CY, or DS coursework at the 3000 level or higher not otherwise required in the degree.
CS 1800	Discrete Structures	4
CS 2000 and CS 2001	Introduction to Program Design and Implementation and Lab for CS 2000	5
CS 2100 and CS 2101	Program Design and Implementation 1 and Lab for CS 2100	5
CS 3200	Introduction to Databases	4
DS 3500	Advanced Programming with Data	4
Data Science Foundations
DS 3000	Mathematical Foundations of Artificial Intelligence	4
DS 4200	Information Presentation and Visualization	4
DS 4300	Large-Scale Information Storage and Retrieval	4
DS 4400	Machine Learning	4
DS 4420	Advanced Machine Learning	4
or DS 4440	Modern Neural Networks
Khoury Approved Electives
With advisor approval, directed study, research, project study, and appropriate graduate-level courses may also be taken as upper-division electives.
Complete 4 semester hours from within the following options:		4
CS 2300 or higher, except CS 5010
CY 2000 or higher, except CY 4930
DS 2500 or higher, except DS 4900
EECE 2160	Embedded Design: Enabling Robotics
EECE 2322 and EECE 2323	Fundamentals of Digital Design and Computer Organization and Lab for EECE 2322
MKTG 4606	Digital, Analytics, Technology, and Automation Research Practicum

Communication Studies Requirements

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Common Requirements
COMM 1101	Introduction to Communication Studies	4
COMM 1112	Public Speaking	4
or COMM 2301	Communication Research Methods
Foundation Course
Complete 4 semester hours from the following:		4
COMM 1210	Persuasion and Rhetoric
COMM 1225	Communication Theory
COMM 1231	Principles of Organizational Communication
COMM 1255	Communication in a Digital Age
Cluster Course
Complete 4 semester hours from the following:		4
COMM 1131	Sex, Relationships, and Communication
COMM 2303	Global and Intercultural Communication
COMM 2304	Communication and Gender
COMM 2501	Communication Law
COMM 2551	Free Speech in Cyberspace
Writing Intensive Courses
Complete 8 semester hours from the following:		8
COMM 3200	Mobile Communication
COMM 3201	Health Communication
COMM 3230	Interpersonal Communication
COMM 3304	Communication and Inclusion
COMM 3320	Political Communication
COMM 3415	Communication Criticism
COMM 3500	Environmental Issues, Communication, and the Media
COMM 3501	Free Speech: Law and Practice
COMM 3530	Communication and Sexualities
COMM 3532	Theories of Conflict and Negotiation
COMM 4535	Nonverbal Social Interaction
COMM 4605	Youth and Communication Technology
COMM 4631	Crisis Communication and Image Management
Communication Studies Electives
Complete 12 semester hours from the following:		12
COMM courses between COMM 1100 - 4999, which have not been used to satisfy other degree requirements.
JRNL 2301	Visual Storytelling in Journalism
MSCR 1320	Media and Social Change
MSCR courses in the ranges MSCR 2100 - 2199, MSCR 3100 - 3199, and MSCR 4100 - 4199.
PREL 1425	Public Relations Principles
PREL 3625	Public Relations Practice

Integrative Requirement Courses

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Complete 8 semester hours from the following:
COMM 2625	Communication, Technology, and Society	4
or COMM 2941	Topics in Communication and Technology
CS 4120	Natural Language Processing	4

Capstone Experience Courses

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Complete 4 semester hours from the following:		4
COMM 4608	Strategic Communication Capstone
or COMM 4625	Online Communities
or COMM 4901	Seminar in Communications

Supporting Courses

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Introduction to College
COMM 1000	Communication Studies at Northeastern	1
or CS 1200	First Year Seminar
or INPR 1000	First-Year Interdisciplinary Seminar
Experiential Learning
CS 1210	Professional Development for Khoury Co-op	1
or EEAM 2000	Professional Development for Co-op
Mathematics
ECON 2350	Statistics for Economists	4
MATH 1341	Calculus 1 for Science and Engineering	4
Computing and Social Issues
Complete 4 semestser hours from the following:		4
AFCS 2600	Issues in Race, Science, and Technology
CY 4170	The Law, Ethics, and Policy of Data and Digital Technologies
CY 5240	Cyberlaw: Privacy, Ethics, and Digital Rights
DS 1300	Knowledge in a Digital World
or PHIL 1300	Knowledge in a Digital World
HIST 2220	History of Technology
INSH 2102	Bostonography: The City through Data, Texts, Maps, and Networks
PHIL 1145	Technology and Human Values
SOCL 1280	The Twenty-First-Century Workplace
SOCL 2485	Environment, Technology, and Society
SOCL 4528	Technology and Society
Writing Requirements
First-Year Writing
ENGW 1111	First-Year Writing	4
or ENGW 1102	First-Year Writing for Multilingual Writers
or ENGW 1114	First-Year Writing with Service-Learning
Advanced Writing in the Disciplines
COMM 3409	Advocacy Writing	4
or ENGW 3302	Advanced Writing in the Technical Professions
or ENGW 3314	Advanced Writing in the Arts, Media, and Design
or ENGW 3315	Interdisciplinary Advanced Writing in the Disciplines

Required General Electives

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Complete a minimum of 16 semester hours of general electives.		16

NUpath Requirements Satisfied

Advanced Writing in the Disciplines
Analyzing and Using Data
Conducting Formal and Quantitative Reasoning
Demonstrating Thought and Action in a Capstone
Employing Ethical Reasoning
Engaging with the Natural and Designed World
Interpreting Culture
Understanding Societies and Institutions
Writing in the First Year
Writing-Intensive in the Major

Integrating Knowledge and Skills Through Experience is satisfied through co-op.

Communication Studies Grade Requirement

No more than 2 grades below a “C” in Communication Studies courses may be used to satisfy degree requirements.

Program Requirement

128 total semester hours required

Sample Plans of Study

Four Years, Two Co-ops in Spring/Summer Session A

Year 1
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours	Summer Session A	Hours	Summer Session B	Hours
COMM 1000 or CS 1200	1	COMM 1112 or 2301	4	ECON 2350	4	General Elective 1	4
COMM 1101	4	CS 2000 and CS 2101	5	Communication Elective 1	4	General Elective 2	4
CS 1800	4	CS 3200	4
CS 2000 and CS 2001	5	MATH 1341	4
ENGW 1111, 1102, or 1114	4
	18		17		8		8
Year 2
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours	Summer Session A	Hours	Summer Session B	Hours
CS 1210 or EEAM 2000	1	Co-op	0	Co-op	0	General Elective 3	4
DS 3500	4					General Elective 4	4
DS 3000¹	4
Communication Foundation Course	4
Communication Cluster Course	4
	17		0		0		8
Year 3
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours	Summer Session A	Hours	Summer Session B	Hours
DS 4200	4	Co-op	0	Co-op	0	COMM 3409, ENGW 3302, ENGW 3314, or ENGW 3315	4
DS 4300	4					Communication Elective 2	4
Communication Writing Intensive Course 1	4
Computing and Social Issues	4
	16		0		0		8
Year 4
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
DS 4400¹	4	COMM 2625 or 2941	4
Communication Elective 3	4	COMM 4608, 4625, or 4901	4
Communication Writing Intensive Course 2	4	CS 4120¹	4
Khoury Elective	4	DS 4420¹	4
	16		16
Total Hours: 132

¹: Course must be taken in the indicated term or earlier

Four Years, Two Co-ops in Summer Session B/Fall

Year 1
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours	Summer Session A	Hours	Summer Session B	Hours
COMM 1101	4	COMM 1112 or 2301	4	ECON 2350	4	General Elective 1	4
CS 1200 or COMM 1000	1	CS 3200	4	Communication Elective 1	4	General Elective 2	4
CS 1800	4	CS 2100 and CS 2101	5
CS 2000 and CS 2001	5	MATH 1341	4
ENGW 1111, 1102, or 1114	4
	18		17		8		8
Year 2
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours	Summer Session A	Hours	Summer Session B	Hours
DS 3000¹	4	CS 1210 or EEAM 2000	1	General Elective 3	4	Co-op	0
DS 3500	4	DS 4200	4	General Elective 4	4
Communication Foundation Course	4	DS 4300	4
Communicatoin Cluster Course	4	Communication Writing Intensive 1	4
		Computing and Social Issues	4
	16		17		8		0
Year 3
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours	Summer Session A	Hours	Summer Session B	Hours
Co-op	0	DS 4400¹	4	COMM 3409, ENGW 3302, ENGW 3314, or ENGW 3315	4	Co-op	0
		Communication Elective 2	4	Communication Elective 3	4
		Communication Writing Intensive 2	4
		Khoury Elective	4
	0		16		8		0
Year 4
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
Co-op	0	COMM 2625 or 2941	4
		COMM 4608, 4625, or 4901	4
		CS 4120¹	4
		DS 4420¹	4
	0		16
Total Hours: 132

¹: Course must be taken in the indicated term or earlier

Academic Catalog 2026-2027

Data Science and Communication Studies, BS (Boston)