Computer Science faculty at Northeastern’s Roux Institute have created a sustainability focus for students seeking a Master’s of Science degree in Data Science (MS DS).
The focus addresses real-world problems in environmental policy, green technology, ESG analytics, and renewable energy systems by threading sustainability challenges throughout the curriculum—from introductory courses through capstone projects.
For example, when coastal flooding devastated Maine communities in 2024, the need for better prediction and planning tools became urgent. In their first data science course, students engage with coastal flooding data through XN projects that connect them to real stakeholders and motivate learning of foundational statistical and machine learning techniques. They progress to working with the datasets and methods behind decision support tools—like the one developed with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. By capstone, they have the skills to tackle these problems directly: building tools, conducting research, and documenting findings in formats from peer-reviewed publications to policy briefs.
This approach is possible because of Roux’s scale, mission, and location. Maine faces acute sustainability challenges—coastal erosion, fisheries disruption, extreme weather. Being located where these problems are unfolding, with local partners who face them daily, gives our students direct access to meaningful work on problems that matter. As a Northeastern University network campus designed for innovation, we can coordinate faculty across courses without creating new administrative structures. Our flexible MSDS course charters allow participating faculty to build sustained engagement with sustainability problems throughout the student experience.
The result: graduates with the data science and interdisciplinary problem-solving skills that make them competitive for careers in one of the fastest-growing employment sectors.