Data Science Letters of Rec

[BK876]

Hey guys,

I am 2 years out of college now, and will hopefully be 3 by the time I start grad school. I graduated with an engineering degree, and at the time, I had no interest in going back to school to get a masters, but after a couple of years of full time employment (working mainly with healthcare data), I've found myself leaning more towards getting that masters.

I haven't kept in touch with any of my professors because I didn't think I would need to, but now looks like that would have come in handy. I'm interested in applying to MS in data science or applied stats programs. I've looked into several programs, and so far they do not specify who writes the letter of recs. How important is it to get at least one from someone in academia? Would asking my project managers and senior data architects be sufficient?

 

Thanks

[another_time]

Well, anecdotally I know someone who made it into an MA program in a health field with a letter from a family member and her boss.  I thought it would be a kiss of death, but it apparently wasn't.  I do think that most admissions committees would want at least one academic letter if not two.

I would definitely ask the admissions staff for suggestions of what would be sufficient.  

A letter from someone who could speak to your abilities and experience would seemingly be a valuable insight over a letter from a professor who doesn't remember you that well.  If you did need to get a letter from a professor, then perhaps you could volunteer a bit of your time and expertise doing research or data analysis for them.