[bonniemuffin]

Agree that an advanced degree really helps, but in my experience it could be in any quantitative field. If you're getting a MS just to become a data scientist, I agree that CS or stats are the most natural choices, but I've seen great candidates whose degrees were in physics, biosciences, psychology, math, economics, etc. (some of whom we've hired or given offers to).

The key is that the degree has to involve actual work with messy big real-world data with a lot of uncertainties. It's possible to build that kind of experience on your own without doing an advanced degree, but it seems to be rare based on candidates who apply to work with us.