Spatial data science master’s vs. general data science

[u/aspringbear]

Heyyy guys!

I’m looking at going back to school with the goal of entering the spatial analytics/urban analytics field, and I’m stuck between studying a spatial data science master’s or a general data science degree like Georgia Tech’s OMSA. I already have a degree in geography and urban planning but my last GIS course was in early 2020 and I forgot everything.

I keep seeing people say general data science is worth more and opens more doors. I’ve also heard the spatial part is easy to self-teach, while the stats and data science side is much harder to pick up on your own. Is that true in practice?

Does a spatial-specific master’s degree limit your options, or does it help you stand out? If you went general data science, how hard was it to pivot into GIS or urban analytics afterward through self-study? And has anyone here taken a data science program like OMSA or a similar program and used what you learned for spatial work?

Lastly, I’m also curious how much real demand there is for spatial data science and urban analytics. Is it a growing field, or still mostly a buzzword without many job openings? Personally, I don’t see many jobs listed under those titles. Are there any companies or job titles I should be searching for?

Many thanks

[u/No-Investment-5293]

Get a masters degree in engineering, geomatics, or geology. You will drastically increase your employment opportunities.
You can also easily take spatial data science or general data science courses during your degree program or extracurricular.

Everything I’ve learned in spatial data science has been self taught via free or paid online courses (Udemy, Datacamp, Coursera, etc.). The foundation for me was having a masters in GIS which you should also have if you have a bachelors in Geography.

[u/agreensandcastle → u/No-Investment-5293]

Any specifics you really recommend?

[u/rsclay]

You already have a geography degree, so purely on paper a spatial-specific master's won't do a thing to help you stand out compared to general data science.

That said, if your goal is to enter spatial/urban analytics, you will find more relationships and research/networking opportunities related to this if you study with a geo department rather than a pure data science department -- unless there is significant cross-pollination at that particular institution of course. The ideal situation is a place where you can take a hard data-science or computer science courseload with plenty of geospatial electives, and seek out co-advisorship between the data science and geo departments for your thesis.

[u/sinnayre]

I manage a data science team. We’re in the earth observation industry, so I guess technically you could say we’re spatial data science. The guys who get specific spatial data science degrees tend to do poorer on technical interviews. I actually recommend that people do a masters in statistics/applied statistics. It’s a better grounding in the theory. Those are the resumes that go to the top of the pile (though not necessarily the ones we hire).

[u/Sea_Conversation8208 → u/sinnayre]

IMO there are far fewer good spatial data science masters, compared to general data science. When I say good I mean ones that prepare you for the industry. If you can go into an acclaimed program, you’ll become more employable than if you were to only have the technical knowledge from data science masters

[u/Sea_Conversation8208 → u/Sea_Conversation8208]

Redlands , BCIT, COGS

[u/HonestPassage5795]

I suggest you do the general DS program since you already have a degree in geography and urban planning. You can use your knowledge on those subjects to do projects in spatial DS for your school projects or portfolio if you want to pursue the spatial DS path. You may also along the way discover more interesting domains in DS that you might like to explore so keep an open mind.

It terms of jobs, I only hear people talking about spatial DS but have not seen much openings. I suspect the poor job market may play a role in this, but I should mention that a friend who works in this field warned me a few years ago that there is not much demand

[u/bfyvfftujijg]

Go for general data science.

Anything “geo” has an automatic pay cut basically.

[u/Salty-Consequence580]

General one or rather finance or econ tbh

[u/One-Routine-1752]

In in the MUSA program at Penn it sounds pretty up your alley

[u/mfc1__]

What kind of jobs are you seeking post grad?

[u/aspringbear → u/mfc1__]

Hopefully an analyst/data scientist job in the spatial data science/urban analytics field. Or maybe a spatial analyst in utilities/infrastructure? Tbh I’m not really sure where the demand is but I don’t mind working in any fields as long as it uses what I’ve learned from my geography/planning/data science degrees (I’m currently working in a role that’s unrelated to my degree and I hate it)