Best Data Scientist programs in Colorado, 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.
27 schools in Colorado run programs that feed this job, graduating 5,691 people a year. The job pays a median of $117,400 in Colorado across about 6,280 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Colorado that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
18 programs in Colorado that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Colorado (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 Colorado page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 11.0701In Colorado → | 2,180 | 38.3% | 17 | $70,374 | $23,250 |
| 2 | CIP 11.0103In Colorado → | 1,555 | 27.3% | 8 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 3 | Computational Sciencemain feeder CIP 30.3001In Colorado → | 392 | 6.9% | 1 | $50,745 | $27,000 |
| 4 | CIP 45.0603In Colorado → | 357 | 6.3% | 5 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 5 | CIP 27.0101In Colorado → | 302 | 5.3% | 21 | $48,772 | $21,544 |
| 6 | CIP 52.1301In Colorado → | 293 | 5.1% | 6 | $62,069 | $23,500 |
| 7 | CIP 52.1302In Colorado → | 162 | 2.8% | 2 | $62,069 | $23,500 |
| 8 | Data Science, Generalmain feeder CIP 30.7001In Colorado → | 113 | 2.0% | 6 | — | — |
| 9 | CIP 27.0301In Colorado → | 93 | 1.6% | 3 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
| 10 | CIP 27.0501In Colorado → | 68 | 1.2% | 4 | $59,718 | $20,150 |
| 11 | CIP 27.0304In Colorado → | 67 | 1.2% | 1 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
| 12 | CIP 27.0601In Colorado → | 31 | 0.5% | 2 | — | — |
| 13 | CIP 30.7101In Colorado → | 27 | 0.5% | 1 | — | — |
| 14 | CIP 11.0802In Colorado → | 19 | 0.3% | 4 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 15 | CIP 11.0804In Colorado → | 15 | 0.3% | 1 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 16 | CIP 11.0102In Colorado → | 7 | 0.1% | 1 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 17 | CIP 30.7102In Colorado → | 7 | 0.1% | 1 | — | — |
| 18 | CIP 26.1104In Colorado → | 3 | 0.1% | 1 | $72,338 | $18,500 |
Top 25 schools in Colorado
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 10 of the 27 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO Public · 9 feeder programs | 1,386 | Computer Science | $77,385 | 74% | — | 78% |
| 2 | Colorado State University Global Denver, CO Public · 2 feeder programs | 1,018 | Information Technology | $68,010 | — | — | 98% |
| 3 | Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 894 | Computer Science | $67,531 | 19% | $16,966 | — |
| 4 | Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO Public · 4 feeder programs | 518 | Computer Science | $86,268 | 82% | — | 61% |
| 5 | Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO Public · 7 feeder programs | 379 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | $48,462 | 67% | — | 89% |
| 6 | University of Denver Denver, CO Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 369 | Information Technology | — | 76% | $29,726 | 78% |
| 7 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO Public · 6 feeder programs | 311 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | $56,201 | 46% | — | 75% |
| 8 | University of Colorado Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO Public · 4 feeder programs | 173 | Computer Science | $77,761 | 47% | — | 97% |
| 9 | Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO Public · 4 feeder programs | 126 | Computer Science | $73,874 | 32% | — | 99% |
| 10 | United States Air Force Academy USAF Academy, CO Public · 4 feeder programs | 92 | Computer Science | — | 88% | — | 14% |
| 11 | Regis University Denver, CO Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 79 | Data Science, General | — | 61% | $22,407 | 86% |
| 12 | Front Range Community College Westminster, CO Public · 3 feeder programs | 76 | Computer Science | — | 35% | — | — |
| 13 | Colorado Mountain College Glenwood Springs, CO Public · 1 feeder programs | 55 | Information Technology | — | 27% | — | — |
| 14 | Community College of Aurora Aurora, CO Public · 2 feeder programs | 42 | Computer Science | — | 33% | — | — |
| 15 | University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO Public · 2 feeder programs | 36 | Mathematics, General | $44,668 | 51% | — | 86% |
| 16 | Colorado Mesa University Grand Junction, CO Public · 3 feeder programs | 28 | Mathematics, General | — | 41% | — | 82% |
| 17 | Community College of Denver Denver, CO Public · 4 feeder programs | 25 | Computer Science | — | 20% | — | — |
| 18 | Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 20 | Mathematics, General | — | 88% | $23,510 | 18% |
| 19 | Pikes Peak State College Colorado Springs, CO Public · 3 feeder programs | 18 | Computer Science | — | 21% | — | — |
| 20 | Arapahoe Community College Littleton, CO Public · 2 feeder programs | 12 | Computer Science | — | 29% | — | — |
| 21 | Colorado Christian University Lakewood, CO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 7 | Information Technology | $75,288 | 64% | $23,447 | — |
| 22 | Red Rocks Community College Lakewood, CO Public · 2 feeder programs | 6 | Mathematics, General | — | 32% | — | — |
| 23 | Western Colorado University Gunnison, CO Public · 2 feeder programs | 6 | Mathematics, General | — | 50% | — | 100% |
| 24 | Aims Community College Greeley, CO Public · 2 feeder programs | 5 | Computer Science | — | 40% | — | — |
| 25 | Fort Lewis College Durango, CO Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Mathematics, General | — | 36% | — | 77% |
All 27 schools in Colorado
Every school in Colorado 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 Colorado Boulder | Boulder | Public | 1,386 | 9 |
| Colorado State University Global | Denver | Public | 1,018 | 2 |
| Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs | Colorado Springs | Private for-profit | 894 | 2 |
| Colorado School of Mines | Golden | Public | 518 | 4 |
| Colorado State University - Fort Collins | Fort Collins | Public | 379 | 7 |
| University of Denver | Denver | Private not-for-profit | 369 | 5 |
| University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | Denver | Public | 311 | 6 |
| University of Colorado Colorado Springs | Colorado Springs | Public | 173 | 4 |
| Metropolitan State University of Denver | Denver | Public | 126 | 4 |
| United States Air Force Academy | USAF Academy | Public | 92 | 4 |
| Regis University | Denver | Private not-for-profit | 79 | 5 |
| Front Range Community College | Westminster | Public | 76 | 3 |
| Colorado Mountain College | Glenwood Springs | Public | 55 | 1 |
| Community College of Aurora | Aurora | Public | 42 | 2 |
| University of Northern Colorado | Greeley | Public | 36 | 2 |
What data scientists earn in Colorado
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $120,230. Colorado pays below the national figure.
Concentrated here: Colorado employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in Colorado
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 Colorado
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 Colorado.
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 2,180 degrees in Colorado in 2024-25, 38.3% 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 18 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer Science, Computer and Information Sciences, Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Computational Science, plus 9 more. Together they graduate about 5,691 people a year in Colorado.
How much do data scientists earn in Colorado?+
The median is $117,400 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 2.4% below 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 Colorado?+
27 institutions in Colorado reported graduates from at least one of the 18 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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