The master is aimed at training 'data scientists', professionals with a mix of multidisciplinary skills to extract knowledge from Big Data and to manage Artificial Intelligence systems to support decision-making. Data scientists also manage the ethical and legal implications of data science. The training of data scientists therefore requires the integration of technological, analytical, narrative and ethical skills, as well as knowledge from different disciplines: data mining, machine learning, artificial intelligence, data visualization, networks science, ethics, data journalism. It is also essential to stimulate students to the creative use of data sources, leaving plenty of room for training in concrete projects. The master, at its 10th edition, has been the first in Italy of its kind, the only one open to students with every background, and has a broad board of partner companies and institutions. Students evaluate the quality of each course by questionnaires.
Big Data and Artificial Intelligence can help in solving the problems of society and the economy. However, turning the oceans of messy data into knowledge is a difficult task and the number of skilled professionals able to meet the challenge is absolutely insufficient. All observers agree that the abundance of data coexists with profound shortage of data scientists, a professional that combines 'the skills of computer, statistical and narrator to extract the nuggets of gold hidden under mountains of data'; the job that The Economist defines 'the sexiest job of the 21st century'. The data scientists is one of the most required professionals; in the last years different official reports highlight shortage of skilled analysts of Big Data, experts in Artificial Intelligence and managers able to use the results of the analysis to take effective. 80% of students of the previous editions of the master work in the context of big data, data science and artificial intelligence.