New Major Blending CS, Data Science and Economics

Annie Snyder wasn’t sure what she wanted to major in when she arrived on campus. She drifted toward MIT’s most popular major, electrical engineering and computer science (EECS), also known as Course 6, but it didn’t feel like quite the right fit. She was interested in computer science but more passionate about understanding how technology affects people’s everyday lives. Snyder, now a junior, found a compelling mix of technical skills and human-centered applications in the major 6-14: Computer Science, Economics, and Data Science, which was jointly launched by the computer science and economics departments in 2017.

The major 6-14 is a unique blend of computer science, data science, and economics. Students learn computing fundamentals, like programming and algorithms, and receive a multifaceted view of data science, from machine learning to econometrics. The major also covers economics concepts like game theory, incentives, and multiagent systems.

“The economics side of things fascinated me. It seemed like this interesting way to take these technical concepts that are really abstract, which I was familiar with through my math background, and apply them to people, society, and modeling human behavior,” Snyder says. “At the same time, computing is a tool that is going to permeate every field, so having that computing experience is a way to up your game, in a sense.”

Since its inception, Course 6-14 has attracted students with a diverse set of interests. About 40 students chose the major in 2017 and it has since grown to include 135 students, more than half of whom are women. The first cohort of computer science and economics “bilinguals” graduated last year. Students have followed a wide range of paths, including joining tech giants like Google and Microsoft, starting careers at finance and management consulting companies, working in logistics or data analytics, pursuing academic research, and more.

Computer science and economics have always had some overlap, but as more market exchanges take place in online systems, the fields have become inseparable. The decision to create the blended major 6-14 grew out of developing collaborations between faculty in both departments, as well as strong student interest in the increasingly intertwined disciplines, says Asu Ozdaglar, head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and deputy dean of academics of the Schwarzman College of Computing, who helped oversee the launch of the new major.

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