(‘The Right Choice’ is a series by The Indian Express that addresses common questions, misconceptions, and doubts surrounding undergraduate admissions. You can read the stories here)
— Prof. Pushkar Shah
With data powering decisions across industries, from finance and healthcare to e-commerce and public policy, students often struggle with choosing Statistics or Data Science. While both speak the language of numbers, they approach the problem with different purposes.
A BA in Statistics will offer a strong mathematical foundation with a focus on probability, inference, mathematical modelling, and hypothesis testing. It requires rigorous training and analytical skills. Graduates often pursue master’s and doctorates and go on to pick up roles in think tanks, government services, public policy, market research, and academia. These also lead to advanced careers in economics and quantitative fields.
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In contrast, a B.Sc. in Data Sciences blends statistics with programming. The emphasis is on coding, data wrangling, machine learning, and visualisation. Students essentially learn how to handle large, real-world data, and apply models to solve business problems – skills which are highly valued by startups, tech firms, consulting, and digital-first companies.
Though both these streams deal with numbers, the career prospects follow different trajectories. Headhunters looking for model builders in research or forecasting often look out for statistics graduates. Whereas, data science roles such as data engineers, data scientists, business analysts, etc., demand more coding fluency and an applied mindset.
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In India, the recent emphasis on developing newer technologies and applied services has raised the demand for both streams. Traditional sectors such as banking, insurance, and government look out for statistics graduates. The surge in digital transformation and the use of AI and GenAI in mainstream industry has driven the demand for data science talent across upcoming tech corridors.
If you enjoy mathematical logic, abstract thinking, and are just curious to identify patterns in data at a basal level, then statistics is your path. If you enjoy being a trouble shooter, using code, and building data solutions, then data science is a more natural fit.
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Ultimately, both will lead to the same destination, using data to make sense of how the world around you works. What matters is where you’d like to begin.
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(The author is an Associate Professor of Practice, Analytics at Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai)
