When it comes to big data in Kansas, it pays to know where to look! In this guide to earning a data science degree in Kansas, you’ll find information on research and scholarships as well as meetups and jobs.

Read on to learn more about data science programs in Kansas.

Kansas City is also home to the Johnson County Education Research Triangle. Dedicated to advances in areas like engineering, technology, animal health, biodiversity, and agriculture, it’s anchored by two University of Kansas (KU) campuses and a Kansas State University (K-State) institution.

Research activity is typically a strong point in a program’s favor—after all, you may be hoping to collaborate with lecturers who know their stuff. For example, KU is supporting its campus degrees with laser-focused efforts:

K-State has some goings on in the area of technology as well:

Finally, we should mention the large amount of healthcare activity at the Kansas University Medical Center (KUMC) and KU Cancer Center. We’re talking:

Bonus Round: If you’ve fallen in love with bio-work, be sure to check out the Kansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence. It’s designed to help researchers compete for National Institutes of Health funds in the field of cell and developmental biology.

Online Data Science Programs in Kansas

There aren’t many online degrees in Kansas, but if you’re concerned about making the leap into virtual education, have a quick peek at our advice on what to look for in an online data science program.

K-State offers some distance learning certificates in the field of data:

Health professionals will also want to check out KU Medical Center’s online Healthcare Informatics Certificate, which is aimed at folks who already hold a master’s degree in another field. In addition to including a home-based practicum, this program prepares students to sit for applicable nursing, M.D., or graduate-level certification exams as an expert informatician.

When it comes to online master’s degrees in Kansas, Emporia State University’s (ESU) online Master of Science in Informatics blends coursework from the School of Library and Information Management (SLIM). There are core courses on topics like database design, system analysis and design, and IT project management, and a wide range of electives. Students can choose a special nursing concentration, which tackles healthcare informatics.

Speaking of health, we should also mention that KU has an online Master of Science in Applied Statistics and Analytics aimed at aspiring experts in statistics, biostatistics, and data analytics. Although the required coursework focuses on stats and a broad range of big data applications, the degree includes electives in areas like genomics research and clinical trials. All of the faculty teach at the Department of Biostatistics.

If you’re in Kansas and interested in learning more about data science or data analytics, consider registering for a bootcamp. Bootcamps are short-term, intensive educational programs meant to introduce students to new subjects quickly. Bootcamps in Kansas may be dedicated to data science, the study of how information can be derived from raw data; data analytics, how specific conclusions can be drawn from data; or both data science and data analytics. See our guides to learn more about data science bootcamps or data analytics bootcamps in Kansas.

The reason you won’t find many listings in this section is because we chose to focus on university scholarships and assistantships that specifically apply to the school’s data program. However, advisors in the Graduate Studies Office will have more info on general scholarships and alternative financing options. Be sure to talk to them!

Kansas City is the epicenter for data science ecents. For even more ideas on KC meetups, please see the same section in our profile of data science in Missouri.

You’ll need to factor in travel costs if you want to attend big conferences like Strata Data Conference, Predictive Analytics World, IEEE Conferences and SIGKDD, and MLconf—Kansas hasn’t quite reached “must-visit” status for data scientists. On the other hand, you’re not too far from events in Texas and Colorado, and even Oklahoma City has intriguing stuff going on.

We cover Kansas City data and tech conferences in our profile of Missouri; please see that section for a complete rundown of what’s happening in town.

Overland Park (and—by extension—the greater Kansas City metropolitan area) has a diverse mix of industries. Sprint is a name you may hear, but leading employers also include Black & Veatch (Engineering), Waddell & Reed Financial Inc., OptumRX (Pharmaceuticals), the Overland Park Regional Medical Center, and YRC Worldwide (Transportation and Logistics).

On the flip side are all startups and data-focused companies. Along with data science firms like Nuvento and Yotabites, which specialize in big data consulting, and QTS Realty, which manages multi-tenant data centers, you’ll see tech activity in areas such as:

Wichita is the home of Koch Industries, one of the largest privately held companies in the country, and Cargill’s protein headquarters.

According to data from the O*NET OnLine in 2020, data scientists made an average $84,780 per year in Kansas.

Last updated: April 2022

If you’re looking for information on career paths that involve STEM, see our guides below:

Data Science and Analytics Careers:

Computer Science, Computer Engineering and Information Careers:

Marketing and User Research Careers:

Compare Careers and STEM Fields:

This page includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.