The Wharton Data Science Academy will bring state-of-the-art machine learning and data science tools to high school students. We aim to stimulate curiosity in the fast-moving field of machine learning through this rigorous yet approachable program. Building up statistical foundations together with empirical and critical thinking skills will be the main theme throughout.

Non-credit

Residential

Accepts International Students

Financial Aid

Final project

Application fee waiver

We believe data science is not just a collection of techniques; it is foremost motivated by real-world problems. The data scientist of the 21st century must be able to identify relevant problems, provide sensible analyses, and ultimately communicate their findings in meaningful ways. By the end of the Wharton Data Science Academy, students will not only be equipped with essential data science techniques such as data visualization and data wrangling but will also be exposed to modern machine learning methodologies, which are all building blocks for today’s AI field. Along the way, students will develop a working proficiency with the R language, which is among the most widely used by professional data scientists in both academia and industry.

What students can expect:
- Wharton instructors who are data science experts will lead the lectures and will also be available to students outside of class.
- Students will advance their skills with data from real-world cases and will be challenged to articulate their findings with a final project.
- Wharton undergraduate and graduate TAs will engage with students and share their experiences in studying data science.
- Guest speakers who will share their wisdom of data science as a career.
- Students will work in teams to complete a final project and present to their peers at the end of the program.
All participants who successfully complete the program will earn a Wharton Global Youth Certificate of Completion.

While each day varies slightly in format, a typical day includes:
9:00-9:45am – Discussion on current events
9:45-10:00am – Mid-morning break
10:00- 11:30pm – Morning topics lecture
11:30-1:30pm – Lunch
1:30-3:00pm – Topics lecture or guest speaker
3:00-3:15pm – Afternoon break
3:15-4:30pm – Recitations/group work

Session topics may include:
- Acquiring, preparing, exploring, understanding, and visualizing data
- Foundations of probabilities and statistics
- Model-based modeling
- Machine learning

In the evening, students will have a number of extracurricular activities to choose from.

Students can also opt to work on their final project with their group, meet with the program TAs, and/or relax at the dorm. Please note, some days may not follow this schedule as there could be a site visit off campus or a simulation in lieu of lecture/recitation schedule.

Data Science Academy

Jul 16 - Aug 05

3 weeks

Residential

9099 USD

ON-CAMPUS PROGRAM FEES INCLUDE:
Full academic and term fees, use of Penn academic facilities, on-campus housing, two meals a day Monday-Friday, two meals on Sunday (no meals Saturday due to excursions/activities), extracurricular activities and trips, student supervision.
ON-CAMPUS PROGRAM FEES DO NOT INCLUDE:
Non-refundable $100 application fee, travel to/from campus, airport transfers, gym access (may be available for additional fee); linens; class materials; meals eaten off campus; medical expenses; laundry; souvenirs; and personal spending money.

Financial Aid

The Wharton Global Youth Program is committed to supporting academically ambitious students with demonstrated financial need. Through a variety of need-based scholarships and financial awards, we are able to provide full or partial funding for a select number of eligible program participants.