Armenian student Maria Hovhannisyan is currently in the US to study at the San Jose State University (SJSU) in the framework of the Data Science for Business Master’s Program, taught at the Department of Economics and Management of Yerevan State University (YSU).

The two universities established a partnership in 2019 with the mediation of the Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF) and Innovative Solutions and Technologies Center (ISTC). Under the terms of this collaboration, the best students of the MA program can transfer to SJSU for the second course and receive a double diploma upon the completion of the program with the financial support of PMI Science R&D Center Armenia.

“The process of transferring the 1st course credits to the San Jose State University was complex. Thankfully, we got it done,” said Maria Hovhannisyan.

“I have been in San Jose, California for a week, but I can tell that the knowledge I acquired in Armenia allows me to be competitive here. I think this is just the beginning of larger-scale cooperation and new achievements. For me, this is a great chance to study in the US and access job opportunities at world-class companies in Silicon Valley.”

“This is the first time that Armenia’s education system implements a double degree program with an American university,” said Ruben Gevorgyan, YSU professor and Head of Data Science for Business Master’s Program.

“Maria’s studies at SJSU mark the key stage of this complex process, which is more important because our program is in a field of strategic importance for Armenia. It is also crucial that we are collaborating with a US university that is in Silicon Valley, the global center for the development of data science, AI, and IT in general.”

About the Program

YSU has been operating the Data Science for Business Master’s Program since 2017 in cooperation with the Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF), and since 2018, also with the support of PMI Science R&D Center Armenia. The program aims at training highly qualified specialists in the complex and promising field of data science and accepts students from different fields and teaches skills that are in line with the requirements of the modern labor market.  To achieve these purposes, the EIF cooperates closely with San Jose State University and NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute.

The curriculum was developed with the deep involvement of top-class specialists from the Data Analytics Master’s Program of the San Jose State University and highly qualified experts from the partner organizations of EIF. Most classes are held in Innovative Solutions and Technologies Center (ISTC) computer labs. The lecturers are young, but they have vast professional experience and work in top-level IT organizations, so they bring not only academic knowledge but also experience and practical skills. Almost half of the lecturers had completed the MA program themselves. For current students, it is a great source of motivation to know they will be qualified to teach and interact with working professionals.

Since 2017, the Data Science for Business Master’s Program has had around 86 students, who are now employed in Picsart Armenia, DataArt Armenia, Sololearn Armenia, Krisp, and other leading IT companies. Every year, the best students can apply for funding provided by the EIF with the support of PMI Science R&D Center Armenia. So far, funding has been provided 109 times.

Partnership with San Jose State University

The collaboration between YSU’s Data Science for Business Master’s Program and SJSU’s Data Analytics Master’s Program was established in 2018 with the support of EIF and ISTC. The same year, a group of students and lecturers traveled to SJSU and participated in the work of several international companies in Silicon Valley. Next, the YSU updated the curriculum of the Data Science for Business program to fully align it with the Data Analytics program. The YSU was then authorized to grant a double diploma to the students, who qualify to study at SJSU in the second course of the program.

The Data Science for Business Master’s Program is an important part of EIF’s mission toward making Armenia a technologically advanced country with full use of its scientific and business potential. As Maria Hovhannisyan travels to San Jose, the collaboration with the US science community enters a new, deeper practical stage. We wish Maria success in all her endeavors and look forward to her new achievements.