If Carolina is calling, you’re in the right place. Our guide to earning an SC data science degree has information on research and scholarships to jobs, meetups, and salary numbers.

Tech facilities like SC Innovation Hub and the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) are helping to fuel data science in the state. The Charleston Digital Corridor is becoming a worldwide phenomenon, biotech and life sciences sectors are humming, and the CharlestonWorks™ directory is packed with tech-related companies who are hiring. Google has a center in Berkeley County.

But we shouldn’t overlook the other ingenues. Greenville is home of the GSA Technology Council (GSATC); Columbia’s industries benefit from data work at the University of South Carolina (USC); Greenville is known for its advanced manufacturing; and Fort Mill is right next to the booming tech scene in Charlotte, NC. The state has a way to go before it’s famous, but it’s trying very hard.

When it comes to data science research, South Carolina universities often have initiatives:

But Clemson goes above and beyond. Its Social Media Listening Center is all over social technologies; the School of Computing has a number of data science research labs; the Watt Family Innovation Center is partnered with the SAS® Institute; and Clemson’s C-Light website maintains a catalog of international big data science programs.

South Carolina’s online offerings are pretty slim, but a few of the major universities are represented. If you’re worried about committing to a distance learning degree, take a quick glance at our advice on what to look for in an online data science program.

When it comes to online data science graduate certificates, there’s not much in South Carolina. Fortunately, a number of well-respected schools in other states (e.g. Northwestern, Purdue, Stanford) have developed programs. You’ll find them all in our directory of Online Graduate Certificates in Data Science.

South Carolina has multiple choices for master’s students:

Data science and data analytics bootcamps are other options that may jump-start your career in the field. Bootcamps in South Carolina may focus exclusively on data science, the study of how information is drawn from data, or data analytics, the processes by which specific insights can be extracted—or both data science and data analytics. See our guides to learn more about data science bootcamps or data analytics bootcamps in South Carolina.

For this section, we focused on funding that specifically applied to the school’s data program. However, the university’s Graduate Studies Office will have more information on general aid (e.g. diversity scholarships) and alternative financing options. For example, in USC’s MAS program, students from Arkansas, Georgia, and Kentucky can apply for in-state tuition credits from the SREB’s Academic Common Market.

Carolina is still building its data science community, but there are some Meetup options available. If you’re in the Fort Mill area, you can also take advantage of the scores of groups in Charlotte, NC.

Like other smaller tech states, South Carolina hasn’t reached the point where it’s a regular stop for Predictive Analytics World (PAW), Strata+Hadoop World, and MLconf. But it’s not far from the Southern Data Science (SDC) in Atlanta, big data events in North Carolina, and conferences in Florida. If you can drive or fly, you’ve got options! More general events include:

Fancy the life in Silicon Harbor? You should be loving it. Boeing and Google have a sizeable presence in Charleston, but the city also plays host to innovative tech firms like:

That’s not to mention all the startups. Or companies like KSH Solutions and CACI International that provide cyber security and engineering solutions to the federal government. Or the biotech firms. Or the aerospace sector. As we mentioned in the intro, the CharlestonWorks™ directory is a great place to start your job search.

Another center to keep an eye on is Fort Mill. There are a number of big banking and financial players in the area (e.g. Citigroup and LPL Financial Services) and the state has been active in luring tech businesses to the Lancaster County area.

If you’re in or around Columbia, the USC/Columbia Technology Incubator and BlueCross BlueShield are names you’ll probably be hearing a lot. The Greenville Area Development Corporation (GADC) also has a list of the city’s major employers.

According to data from the O*NET OnLine in 2020, data scientists made an average $57,150 per year in South Carolina.

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.