MIDS Recruitment Process in the Chronicle of Higher Education
Nick Eubank, assistant research professor in Duke University’s Department of Political Science and Social Science Research Institute (SSRI), and a faculty member and admissions chair for the Duke Master in Interdisciplinary Data Science (MIDS) program, will be featured in the upcoming Chronicle of Higher Education discussing the unique recruitment process developed by Duke’s MIDS program after the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision striking down race-conscious admissions practices in the Students for Fair Admissions cases. The new rubric developed by the MIDS program focuses on 5 ideal traits of a MIDS candidate:
1. a demonstrated ability to excel academically (for our program, we further decided that applicants must demonstrate an ability to do quantitatively or mathematically rigorous work, but they need not have majored in statistics, mathematics, data science, computer science, or a similar field);
2. a mature perspective regarding the promise and limitations of data science and a thought-out, clearly articulated reason for pursuing a degree in data science;
3. data-science relevant life experiences that would contribute to the educational experience of other students in the program;
4. non-academic work experience;
5. an understanding of the importance of interpersonal skills in data science and a demonstrated ability to work in teams.
“In practice we have found the magic of this rubric is that almost no one gets top marks in all five categories. Rather, the diversity of attributes evaluated in the rubric gives rise to a pool of high-ranking applicants with extremely diverse profiles—we certainly have many students who are coming straight out of undergraduate institutions with great grades in math or statistics, but we also have 30-something professionals who did not excel as undergraduates, but who have since matured and now want to acquire new skills to be more impactful in their careers”, says Professor Eubank.
