Baltimore or Bay Area for a data science degree? The answer may not be as straightforward as you think. This guide provides information on research initiatives, career opportunities and tech communities in Maryland and found a vibrant data science scene.

Already got a taste for crab cakes? You might want to head straight for our list of all the data science programs in Maryland.

Maryland is a great state for technological jobs. Maryland ranks seventh in the country for total tech workers in the workforce at 7.8%, according to CompTIA’s Cyberstates report in 2022.

The University of Maryland system and Johns Hopkins University are invested in data science research in the state, with smaller institutions providing strong teaching-centered programs:

Maryland’s public and private universities team up to provide a mix of online degrees and certificates in the data science realm. Two of them — Johns Hopkins and University of Maryland-Baltimore County — even sit in the top 50 in the U.S. News & World Report rankings for Best Online Graduate Computer IT Programs ranked in 2022.

An online graduate certificate may be a method for scaling up your skills relatively quickly compared to a master’s degree. Two Maryland certificate programs to consider are:

By opting for a full degree online, your total study hours increase but so do your potential destinations. To start with, the certificate programs above are built to lead seamlessly into the following two credentials:

Other distance degrees in data science include:

In Maryland and interested in beginning a career in data science or data analytics? Participating in a bootcamp may be the next step. Data science or data analytics bootcamps are relatively short educational programs that may help jump-start your career. Bootcamps in Maryland may focus on data science, the study of how information is derived from raw data; data analytics, the process of drawing practical conclusions from data; or both data science and data analytics. See our guide to data science bootcamps or data analytics bootcamps in Maryland.

At the graduate level, financial aid typically comes from academic departments, often in the form of assistantships or fellowships. To be awarded one, you may have to commit to teaching or serving as a research assistant for a set number of hours each week. Universities may also make scholarships available. We’ve found a few to apply for:

Because Maryland wraps around Washington, DC, some professionals may visit that city’s diverse catalog of tech communities. That’s not to say there aren’t groups within the state’s borders. The Baltimore area, in particular, hosts active data scientist enclaves, including the following:

What’s true for communities is also true for conferences: Many big events land in Washington, DC, making them accessible for most Marylanders. Within the state, large conferences come to town every few years, such as Achieving the Dream’s 2016 Data & Analytics Summit at UMUC and INFORMS 2018 Conference on Business Analytics and Operations Research.

Additionally, Maryland associations use their conferences to talk about data. For instance, the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore held a conference entitled Detecting the Unexpected: Discovery in the Era of Astronomically Big Data in 2017. Below are a few Maryland conferences for which the theme is always big data:

When you think of the market for data scientists in Maryland, government may come to mind. One destination is the National Security Agency (NSA), which is charged with collecting, monitoring and analyzing data from billions of people around the world. But the National Institutes of Health uses big data for biomedical research, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg wades into the topic, and the U.S. Census Bureau in Suitland collects data that legislators rely on to make policy decisions. These represent just a few potential federal government employers of data science grads.

Want a private sector job outside the military-industrial complex? No problem: You might be interested in HelioCampus, a Bethesda company that provides data analytics to postsecondary institutions. Or RedOwl, whose Baltimore office develops data screening systems that companies use to prevent internal security breaches. Or try Asymmetrik, an Annapolis Junction consulting group for business analytics.

Looking for a company that doesn’t exist yet? Data Tribe, located just outside the beltway, titles itself a “cyber startup foundry” and will help you take your business concept from idea to market.

According to data from the O*NET OnLine in 2020, data scientists made an average $106,190 per year in Maryland.

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:

We found 6 universities in Maryland offering Masters of Data Science programs (and/or closely related programs, like MS in Analytics / Masters in Business Analytics). The university’s website will have the most up to date information on specific programs.

If you represent a university and would like to contact us about editing any of our listings, or adding new programs, please send an email to info@mastersindatascience.org.

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.