Check out this quick guide to finding your dream school (and big data job) in the Evergreen State. It has details on scholarships and research projects to meetups and start-up opportunities.

Read on to learn more about data science in Washington.

Welcome to Dataville. This is the land of Microsoft and its research division, Amazon, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Life is looking up for start-up entrepreneurs as well:

Better yet, many of these initiatives are being supported by organizations like the Washington Research Foundation (WRF)—which helps innovators launch companies in life sciences, physical sciences, and IT—and the extremely deep pockets of Paul G. Allen and Bill Gates.

We’ll tell you straight—the University of Washington (UW) is driving the data science bus. Ranked #6 in Best Graduate Computer Science Programs by U.S. News & World Report – as of 2018, the school has made a commitment to big data.

For example, UW’s eScience Institute is one of only three Moore-Sloan Data Science Environments, and it runs programs like Data Science for Social Good (DSSG). It has partnerships with other universities (e.g. Cascadia Urban Analytics Cooperative) and researchers involved in the West Big Data Innovation Hub.

We could also mention:

That’s not to disparage the work of other universities—UW Tacoma has an active Center for Data Science with multiple projects in play and Seattle University is doing great things for start-ups at its Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center.

Washington has some distance learning options in data science, as wall as campus-based programs.

We cover general things to look for in an online data science program elsewhere, so here we profile your choices in the Evergreen State.

UW offers an online Certificate in Data Science. It’s particularly geared toward tech professionals who already have some background in statistics, SQL, and programming and want to learn tools such as Hadoop and MapReduce.

If you’re beyond this skill level, or you need something more specific, have a look at our directory of Online Graduate Certificates in Data Science. There are certificates in every field (e.g. data mining, analytics, healthcare informatics, etc.) from solid schools across the country.

When it comes to online master’s degrees, you’ll have a choice of focus:

Healthcare professionals may also wish to explore UW Tacoma’s online Master of Science in Clinical Informatics and Patient-Centered Technologies (CIPCT). Offered full-time or part-time, this program explores every spoke of informatics (nursing, biomedical, public health, etc.) in order to give students a comprehensive grasp of the field.

A bootcamp may jump-start your career in data science or data analytics by quickly providing you with knowledge and skills in data. Bootcamps in Washington may focus on data science, the study of how information is drawn from raw data; data analytics, the processes by which specific conclusions can be reached, or both data science and data analytics. See our guides to learn more about data science bootcamps or data analytics bootcamps in Washington.

For this section, we focused on university scholarships (i.e. institutional aid) that apply to the school’s data science program. But the Office of Graduate Studies will have more info on general aid (e.g. CityU’s scholarships) and alternative financing options (e.g. low-interest loans).

Seattle is bristling with meetups for data scientists. Here you’ll find groups devoted to tools (e.g. Seattle Spark Meetup, Python Data Science – Seattle – Bellevue, etc.), specialties (e.g. Seattle Marketing Analytics Group), and even causes (e.g. Seattle Skill Based Volunteering Opportunities). We’ve highlighted 5 popular communities, but be sure to ask around for suggestions.

Luckily for graduate students, Seattle is often a stop on the data science conference circuit—in recent years, MLconf, Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM), IEEE’s Big Data Developer Conference, The Data Science Conference, and SIGKDD have all paid a visit to the city. Here are a few more regional events to explore:

We’ve already mentioned Microsoft and Amazon, but we could also add names like Tableau, Redfin, F5 Networks, and Cray with its supercomputers. Brick & mortar businesses like PACCAR, Starbucks, Costco, and REI also call the state home.

But, wait, there’s a whole lot more! For instance, there’s Globys; KenSci, a healthcare data start-up born from research at UW Tacoma; and Maana. Other notable Washington start-ups include:

According to data from the O*NET OnLine in 2020, data scientists made an average $117,260 per year in Washington.

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.