Online MSDS Student Profile: Cory Yemen

Meet Cory Yemen, an online student at UVA’s School of Data Science. Cory grew up in Philadelphia and attended Virginia Tech for undergrad, where he studied both math as well as public and urban affairs. As a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, Cory earned a Master’s in City Planning before earning his doctorate at Rutgers where he got his PhD in Planning and Public Policy. Cory’s decision to enroll in the MSDS reflects how the program appeals to professionals who already hold advanced degrees. Today, Cory works for TE Connectivity, a global leader in sensor and connector technology.

What brought you to the UVA MSDS program?

My company’s chief digital officer suggested I consider enrolling in a data science program so I could have a better handle on some data-driven work that our company typically pays third parties to complete. My boss started thinking, ‘why would we hire an external company that charges $30,000 per job when we know that UVA has its MSDS program?’ I reached out to UVA’s Partnerships Office right about the time when the Data Science Institute got its $120-million-dollar grant, so there was this kind of alignment. My company had said ‘Hey, we would love to sponsor you if you’re at all interested.’ And once I saw that UVA was launching the online program that would allow me to keep my job, it was an easy decision.

What about UVA and their data science program specifically appealed to you?

At UVA, I saw overlap with professional development and real attention given to the professional applications of what was being taught. One thing I appreciated from the beginning is UVA’s approach to graduate education that looks beyond the individual degree programs in an effort to develop an entire ecosystem. UVA also has executive education and continuing education offerings that are avenues for engagement with existing students and corporations alike to build that network for the institution. There are a lot of elements of the University’s administration that I see being quite forward-looking at the School of Data Science. I think that they’re absolutely on the right track, and that drew me to it.

You already have multiple advanced degrees. How fresh and engaging did someone with your background and experience find the MSDS’s curriculum?

The reality is, when you’ve got other advanced degrees, there can be a fair amount of duplication between graduate curricula. However, at UVA, I’ve found they teach from a perspective that I hadn’t explored yet, and that really appeals to me. I just got the feeling that the MSDS was dominated by an engineering perspective. And when I say that, I mean more like a systems engineering focus, as opposed to a computer science department driver or a school of information based one. I like UVA’s approach; the material explored tends to be more applied and relevant, while at the same time, they don’t sacrifice the rigor.

It sounds like a big value of the UVA MSDS has been the applicability of what you’re learning.

Definitely. As a practitioner trying to enhance gaps in my skill set, I absolutely appreciate that kind of middle ground, where courses focus more on the application of what we’re learning, as opposed to the raw theory.

As a professional with a full-time job, how has the convenience of the online MSDS program impacted your MSDS experience so far?

I live in Philadelphia, a city that has three research universities that all offer data science degrees. Yet, I still feel that the flexibility afforded under Virginia is the most amenable. UVA’s online MSDS is truly tailored to people who work for a living, as opposed to taking an academic program and trying to modify it to the point where it offers three-hour lectures and labs after 6pm. The schedule and frequency of the courses in this program make it much easier to to work with than data science degrees offered at other institutions, yet the online MSDS still gives you that interactive component.

How have you found the online learning component of the program?

I think the online aspect works great. UVA has found a really nice way to make it work and more importantly, they keep working to improve the online program. The way in which group work has played out in an online setting has been a major bonus as well: in this case, it has allowed me to get to know my classmates. I think the other part of the online offering is, there is a selection bias to it: my classmates are all motivated. I’ve had nothing but positive experiences interacting and collaborating with my classmates and it’s served to actually develop a sense of community among us, motivated people that really want to work and are curious enough to push one another.

Any other take-aways about the sense of community within the online MSDS?

One other thing I’d add about the community is that many of us who are enrolled in the online program hold senior positions in our organizations. As a result, I have found my classmates tend to bring opportunities to our peers. Speaking from a recruitment standpoint: one of the things I looked at when considering where to earn my MSDS was, where would I want to go to grab people from for my team? I would absolutely recruit from UVA’s MSDS. The people that I’ve met here are the type that I want to have working on my team and in my company.

Just as it has done for Cory, an online MS in Data Science can help you become more of an asset in your current role and contribute more meaningfully. It can also enable you to pivot your careers and professional trajectory. If you’re thinking about earning an M.S. in Data Science, apply here today.