Best Data Scientist programs in California, ranked by enrollment
Develop and implement a set of techniques or analytics applications to transform raw data into meaningful information using data-oriented programming languages and visualization software.
213 schools in California run programs that feed this job, graduating 44,727 people a year. The job pays a median of $141,590 in California across about 39,310 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in California that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
31 programs in California that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in California (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own California page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 11.0701In California → | 16,990 | 38.0% | 136 | $70,374 | $23,250 |
| 2 | CIP 27.0101In California → | 6,489 | 14.5% | 175 | $48,772 | $21,544 |
| 3 | CIP 52.1301In California → | 5,244 | 11.7% | 29 | $62,069 | $23,500 |
| 4 | CIP 45.0603In California → | 4,834 | 10.8% | 34 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 5 | CIP 11.0103In California → | 3,881 | 8.7% | 95 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 6 | CIP 27.0501In California → | 1,438 | 3.2% | 19 | $59,718 | $20,150 |
| 7 | CIP 27.0301In California → | 907 | 2.0% | 18 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
| 8 | CIP 27.0305In California → | 731 | 1.6% | 12 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
| 9 | CIP 30.0801In California → | 722 | 1.6% | 11 | $89,651 | $23,175 |
| 10 | CIP 30.7102In California → | 656 | 1.5% | 16 | — | — |
| 11 | Data Science, Generalmain feeder CIP 30.7001In California → | 616 | 1.4% | 13 | — | — |
| 12 | CIP 26.1103In California → | 279 | 0.6% | 8 | $72,338 | $18,500 |
| 13 | CIP 11.0804In California → | 276 | 0.6% | 8 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 14 | CIP 52.1302In California → | 208 | 0.5% | 8 | $62,069 | $23,500 |
| 15 | CIP 11.0102In California → | 205 | 0.5% | 7 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 16 | CIP 27.0304In California → | 186 | 0.4% | 6 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
| 17 | CIP 11.0802In California → | 165 | 0.4% | 17 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 18 | Computational Sciencemain feeder CIP 30.3001In California → | 152 | 0.3% | 6 | $50,745 | $27,000 |
| 19 | CIP 26.1199In California → | 148 | 0.3% | 6 | $72,338 | $18,500 |
| 20 | CIP 27.0399In California → | 145 | 0.3% | 3 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
| 21 | CIP 27.0303In California → | 143 | 0.3% | 5 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
| 22 | CIP 30.7101In California → | 126 | 0.3% | 5 | — | — |
| 23 | CIP 27.0503In California → | 69 | 0.2% | 2 | $59,718 | $20,150 |
| 24 | CIP 26.1104In California → | 62 | 0.1% | 2 | $72,338 | $18,500 |
| 25 | CIP 30.7104In California → | 30 | 0.1% | 2 | — | — |
| 26 | CIP 27.0502In California → | 7 | 0.0% | 1 | $59,718 | $20,150 |
| 27 | CIP 30.7199In California → | 7 | 0.0% | 1 | — | — |
| 28 | CIP 27.9999In California → | 4 | 0.0% | 1 | $59,063 | $21,500 |
| 29 | CIP 27.0601In California → | 3 | 0.0% | 2 | — | — |
| 30 | CIP 30.3901In California → | 3 | 0.0% | 1 | — | — |
| 31 | CIP 27.0306In California → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
Top 25 schools in California
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 45 of the 213 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 17 feeder programs | 4,844 | Management Science | — | 92% | $26,873 | 10% |
| 2 | University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 11 feeder programs | 2,989 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | $62,091 | 93% | — | 9% |
| 3 | University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 8 feeder programs | 2,921 | Computer Science | $149,866 | 93% | — | 11% |
| 4 | University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA Public · 13 feeder programs | 2,543 | Computer Science | $112,006 | 86% | — | 27% |
| 5 | Stanford University Stanford, CA Private not-for-profit · 8 feeder programs | 1,963 | Computer Science | $138,613 | 92% | $12,032 | 4% |
| 6 | University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA Public · 8 feeder programs | 1,810 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | $66,334 | 83% | — | 33% |
| 7 | University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · 8 feeder programs | 1,663 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | $50,295 | 86% | — | 42% |
| 8 | University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA Public · 11 feeder programs | 1,573 | Computer Science | $82,161 | 87% | — | 29% |
| 9 | University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA Public · 7 feeder programs | 1,084 | Computer Science | $81,034 | 76% | — | 76% |
| 10 | University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA Public · 10 feeder programs | 1,059 | Computer Science | $75,150 | 75% | — | 66% |
| 11 | California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA Public · 5 feeder programs | 850 | Computer Science | $57,307 | 70% | — | 91% |
| 12 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA Public · 10 feeder programs | 788 | Computer Science | — | 69% | — | 85% |
| 13 | California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA Public · 4 feeder programs | 733 | Computer Science | $60,378 | 69% | — | 46% |
| 14 | California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA Public · 7 feeder programs | 608 | Computer Science | $60,740 | 68% | — | 75% |
| 15 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA Public · 9 feeder programs | 598 | Computer Science | $74,523 | 76% | — | 36% |
| 16 | DeVry University - California Ontario, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 539 | Information Technology | — | 22% | $35,320 | 99% |
| 17 | California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA Public · 5 feeder programs | 530 | Computer Science | $111,141 | 86% | — | 31% |
| 18 | California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA Public · 4 feeder programs | 530 | Computer Science | $60,371 | 48% | — | 97% |
| 19 | California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA Public · 5 feeder programs | 518 | Computer Science | $45,846 | 55% | — | 94% |
| 20 | California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA Public · 4 feeder programs | 503 | Computer Science | $60,028 | 56% | — | 94% |
| 21 | California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA Public · 4 feeder programs | 481 | Computer Science | $62,821 | 57% | — | 93% |
| 22 | San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA Public · 6 feeder programs | 408 | Computer Science | $50,553 | 50% | — | 96% |
| 23 | California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 369 | Computer Science | $44,530 | 53% | — | 91% |
| 24 | Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 369 | Information Technology | — | 88% | $44,094 | 48% |
| 25 | Allan Hancock College Santa Maria, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 362 | Information Technology | — | 26% | — | — |
All 213 schools in California
Every school in California with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles | Private not-for-profit | 4,844 | 17 |
| University of California - Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public | 2,989 | 11 |
| University of California - Berkeley | Berkeley | Public | 2,921 | 8 |
| University of California - San Diego | La Jolla | Public | 2,543 | 13 |
| Stanford University | Stanford | Private not-for-profit | 1,963 | 8 |
| University of California - Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | Public | 1,810 | 8 |
| University of California - Davis | Davis | Public | 1,663 | 8 |
| University of California - Irvine | Irvine | Public | 1,573 | 11 |
| University of California - Riverside | Riverside | Public | 1,084 | 7 |
| University of California - Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz | Public | 1,059 | 10 |
| California State University - Fullerton | Fullerton | Public | 850 | 5 |
| San Jose State University | San Jose | Public | 788 | 10 |
| California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach | Public | 733 | 4 |
| California State Polytechnic University - Pomona | Pomona | Public | 608 | 7 |
| San Diego State University | San Diego | Public | 598 | 9 |
What data scientists earn in California
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $120,230. California pays above the national figure.
Concentrated here: California employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in California
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Data Scientists page.
How to become a Data Scientist
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in California
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 25 majors mapped to Data Scientists25 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 11.0102Artificial Intelligence
- 11.0103Information Technology
- 11.0701Computer Science
- 11.0802Data Modeling/Warehousing and Database Administration
- 11.0804Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation
- 26.1103Bioinformatics
- 26.1104Computational Biology
- 26.1199Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Other
- 27.0101Mathematics, General
- 27.0301Applied Mathematics, General
- 27.0303Computational Mathematics
- 27.0304Computational and Applied Mathematics
- 27.0305Financial Mathematics
- 27.0306Mathematical Biology
- 27.0399Applied Mathematics, Other
- 27.0501Statistics, General
- 27.0502Mathematical Statistics and Probability
- 27.0503Mathematics and Statistics
- 27.0601Applied Statistics, General
- 27.9999Mathematics and Statistics, Other
- 30.0801Mathematics and Computer Science
- 30.3001Computational Science
- 30.3901Economics and Computer Science
- 30.4801Linguistics and Computer Science
- 30.7001Data Science, General
Common questions
Answers for people weighing data scientists programs in California.
What degree do you need to become a Data Scientist?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Computer Science, which awarded 16,990 degrees in California in 2024-25, 38.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Data Scientist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 31 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer Science, Mathematics, Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Economics, plus 12 more. Together they graduate about 44,727 people a year in California.
How much do data scientists earn in California?+
The median is $141,590 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 17.8% above the U.S. median of $120,230. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for data scientists growing?+
BLS projects a +33.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 23,400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in California?+
213 institutions in California reported graduates from at least one of the 31 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do data scientists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Intelligence Analyst, Clinical Data Manager, Data Management Manager, Market Intelligence Consultant, Competitive Intelligence Analyst, Business Intelligence Analyst (BI Analyst) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 15-2051.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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