Data Science: Visualization and Visual Analytics for the Built Environment

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Bachelor of Science in Data Science: Visualization and Visual Analytics for the Built Environment Concentration

Top 5 Reasons to Study

Gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to work at the intersection of data science, visualization, and the built environment, preparing for careers in architecture, construction, real estate, facility management, and building technology.

Learn to capture and structure data from building design and operations (including BIM systems, IoT sensors, energy monitoring devices, occupancy tracking, and construction processes) to transform the physical built environment into digital twins.

Learn to extract actionable insights from building data to optimize design decisions, predict building performance, monitor energy, identify inefficiencies, assess sustainability, and reveal patterns that lead to smarter, more sustainable buildings.

Build intelligent visualization systems that enhance design and construction workflows like BIM tools, performance dashboards, predictive maintenance platforms, and AI-driven visualization solutions for architects, engineers, and facility managers.

Gain the ability to transform the built environment by creating more sustainable buildings, optimizing construction processes, reducing operational costs, improving occupant comfort and safety, and enabling data-driven design decisions.

Core
Skills

Translate large-scale data into actionable insights to improve decision-making across design, planning, and facility management.
Visualize dashboards and dynamic visualizations that communicate complex design, construction, and performance data.
Model using Building Information Model (BIM) and data analytics to simulate real-world environments and workflows.

Sample
Jobs

Predictive Maintenance
Parametric Architecture Developer
Smart City (IOT) Software Developer
Augmented and Virtual Reality Designer and Developer
Data Visualization Lead and Analyst

Successful Career Outcomes

$103,500 Median Annual Salary

35% 10 Year Growth Expected

Top
Employment
Industries

Architecture: Optimizing building design decisions and visualization
Construction: Improving construction processes and workflows
Real Estate Development: Bridging computational analytics with physical space management
Facility Management: Monitoring building performance and operational efficiency
Building Technology: Creating smart, sustainable buildings and IoT-integrated systems

Brag
Points

Study with the best: data science majors at MSU have a median ACT score of 29
Our students have access to Ptolemy, a 64 GPU NVDIA system dedicated to academic use
38% of our Data Science students participate in the Shackouls Honors College

Experiential Learning Opportunities

Capstone Project: You will participate in a two-semester capstone experience in which you will be matched with a geoscience faculty mentor as you pursue a meaningful project.

Solar Decathlon: MSU student teams have frequently competed in the Solar Decathlon Design Challenge, aiming to create innovative, low-carbon building solutions.

CAVS Mixed Reality Lab: Part of the CAVS ecosystem, this group works on Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) visualizations for engineering and manufacturing, a perfect playground for visual analytics application.

Data Science Academic Institute: Our undergraduate researchers work on faculty projects in diverse subject areas.

You will take five hands-on labs that use real data. This builds career-relevant experiential learning directly into your coursework.