Wondering what Roughrider country has to offer a data expert? Check out this short guide to earning a data science degree in North Dakota. It has details on research labs & incubators as well as online degrees & job options.

In 2022, the map of CompTIA’s Cyberstates noted that 2.9% of the North Dakota workforce was employed in the tech industry, ranking 47th in the nation.

The presence of a Microsoft campus (and all of the accompanying vendors) has helped turn the Fargo/Moorhead area into a center of development. Emerging Prairie will be thrilled to tell you about the area’s low costs of entrepreneurship and the growth of high tech centers, incubators, and co-working spaces.

The other field to keep an eye on? Drones. Approximately 90% of North Dakota land is used for agriculture and the UAS industry is beginning to be a key player in the state’s economy. In addition to crops, UAVs are also being used to monitor wind turbines, power lines, and more. Check out Grand Sky, the country’s first UAS Business & Aviation Park, at Grand Forks Air Force Base if you don’t believe us!

Many of the local initiatives happening in data science revolve around the state’s two big public universities: the University of North Dakota (UND) and North Dakota State University (NDSU). These two schools form the anchor points of the Red River Valley Research Corridor.

At UND, for example, you’ll find strengths in:

At NDSU, you’ll find intriguing things happening in the realm of:

There are some online data science offerings available from North Dakota schools, including UND and Minot State University (MSU).

Love geospatial data? UND’s online Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Science (GISc) may be a good fit. The program is a blend of theoretical concepts and practical technical skills. Courses cover areas such as cartography, GIS, remote sensing, and digital image processing.

Alternatively, you can run through our directory of Online Graduate Certificates in Data Science. There are oodles of interesting programs from a number of well-respected schools.

One option in North Dakota is MSU’s online Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS). It’s not a true data science program – it’s focused on areas such as business management, cyber security, and system analysis – but it does address the issue of big data management.

For a wider selection, browse through our directories of online master’s in data science and online master’s in business analytics.

If you live in North Dakota and are interested in jump-starting a career in data science or data analytics, you may want to consider registering for a bootcamp. Data science or data analytics bootcamps are short-term, intensive courses meant to quickly orient you to the field, often through hands-on experiences. While some bootcamps in North Dakota focus solely on data science, the study of how knowledge is gleaned from raw information, or data analytics, the specific processes by which conclusions can be drawn from information, other bootcamps combine the study of both. Check out our guides if you’re interested in learning more about data science bootcamps or data analytics bootcamps in North Dakota.

For this section, we chose to focus on university assistantships & scholarships that applied to degrees in our directory. But there’s plenty more money out there! The Office of Graduate Studies will have details on many sources of funding. For example, NDSU has an entire section on fellowship & funding opportunities.

The Fargo/Moorhead (FM) area has a small number of tech & data meetups. Some groups may be more dedicated than others!

Fargo doesn’t usually attract big data conferences such as Predictive Analytics World (PAW) and KDD. But Microsoft often hosts events on its campus (e.g. Dynamics GP Tech Conference) and there’s a TEDEx Fargo every year. Minneapolis may also have some conferences worth investigating.

North Dakota is a small state, in terms of population, so finding your dream data science job will involve a little bit of creative thinking. Microsoft is the behemoth, but you’ll find other options in the Fargo/Moorhead (FM) and Grand Forks corridor. For comparison, check out:

Other data-driven employers in the area include Sanford Health and the universities themselves.

Remember, too, that many agricultural companies, especially manufacturers who create equipment and tools, have a keen interest in geospatial data and the Internet of Things. We’re talking about businesses like John Deere Electronic Solutions, RDO Equipment Co., Titan Machinery, Bobcat Company, and True North Equipment.

According to data from the O*NET OnLine in 2020, data scientists made an average $98,230 per year in North Dakota.

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.