B.Sc. in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence

An Undergraduate Course at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai (Empowered Autonomous)

About the course

Recognizing the growing demand for expertise in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, an undergraduate program specializing in these fields was the need of the hour in 2025. The primary objective of this initiative is to inspire young minds to develop innovative algorithms and strategies, particularly in the domain of Large Language Models (LLMs) and equip students with the essential skills in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.

In the first two years, the course focuses on building a strong foundation in data science, followed by the development of multiple skill sets required for advanced concepts in Data Analytics, Big Data Analytics, and Artificial Intelligence. A relatively new but quickly expanding area, data science offers students both a more focused educational mobility in a specialized area and fascinating job options. Students enrolled in the B.Sc. degree in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence will gain a foundational understanding of three distinct but connected fields of: Statistics, Data Science and Mathematics, along with a diverse set of technical and analytical skills that prepare them for careers in AI, machine learning, and data-driven decision-making.

The proposed minor course will also help students develop expertise in Business Analytics. This minor is common to both B.Sc. (IT) and B.Sc. (DS & AI) programs.

List of Minor Subjects available to students with a major in Data Science & AI are as follows: -

Minor in Business Analytics
Minor in Management Studies
Minor in Accounts & Finance
Minor in Mass Communication & Journalism

Number of seats

40 seats for each year of FY, SY and TY.

Fourth Year in BSc Data Science & AI with honors will be available to those who would be interested to continue after TY.

Lecture Timing

The tentative timing of the course will be from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. The final timetable will be provided at the time of the admission.

Course Fees:

Approximate fees for this course per annum will be Rs. 1.25 Lakhs.

Eligibility

The eligibility criteria for this course requires clearing the qualifying 12th Standard examination in the

first attempt and with at least 45 percent aggregate with Mathematics as

one of the subjects.

Admission

For the academic year 2025-26, the admission will be based on the score of 12th Standard Mathematics.

This programme will not have any Entrance Exam for the academic year 2025-2026.

All applications for admissions to any UG or PG degree course should be submitted by the date notified by the College on the official website (www.xaviers.edu).

Facilities

Course instructors who are able and experienced in teaching MSc. in Big Data Analytics, Statistics, IT, Mathematics and other cross domains for various non-IT based subjects, to ensure that you have an enriched learning experience.
Computer Labs: Xavier's Knowledge Center / Fr. Bonet Computer Lab / Big Data Lab are utilized, for practical sessions for a batch size of 40 students and 1 instructor per batch.
Some of the lectures may be held in the St. Xavier's College Annex building.
Submission of projects/presentations on google classroom for certain subjects.
Availability of in-house dedicated faculty for classroom and personal interaction related to academics and career guidance.
Weekly sessions with industry person.
Rich Library with updated books in all the related fields and domains of Data Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Data Mining, Statistics, Mathematics etc.
Presence of Placement cum Internship cell to facilitate on job training component.

Key Skill Sets and Objectives

1. Programming & Software Development

Proficiency in Python, R, and SQL for data manipulation and analysis
Understanding of Java, C++, or Scala for software development
Development of AI applications using TensorFlow, PyTorch, and Scikit-learn

2. Data Handling & Processing

Data collection, cleaning, and preprocessing using Pandas and NumPy
Database management using SQL, Unstructured databases and Hadoop
Working with structured and unstructured data sources
Knowledge of ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) pipelines

3. Mathematics & Statistical Analysis

Strong foundation in linear algebra, calculus, and probability
Statistical analysis using hypothesis testing and regression models
Optimization techniques for machine learning algorithms
Time series forecasting and econometrics

4. Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence

Implementation of supervised and unsupervised learning algorithms
Hands-on experience with deep learning (CNNs, RNNs, GANs, Transformers)
Development of AI-driven applications like chatbots, recommendation systems, and fraud detection

5. Big Data & Cloud Computing

Working with big data tools like Spark, Hadoop, and Kafka
Cloud computing skills in AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure

6. Data Visualization & Business Intelligence

Creating dashboards using Tableau, Power BI, and Matplotlib
Storytelling with data to drive business insights and decisions
Interactive visualizations using Plotly and Seaborn

7. Soft Skills & Industry Readiness

Problem-solving and critical thinking in real-world scenarios
Communication skills for presenting data-driven insights
Capstone project experience in solving industry-specific AI challenges

Course Structure

Under NEP, the courses are divided into different subjects of values.

(Refer to the NEP Prospectus provided by college on the college website for more information.)

Core/Major Subject: A single subject course of study pursued by a student as a mandatory requirement of the programme of study.

Elective Course: An elective course could be a project designed to acquire skills to supplement the major study.

Minor Subject: A second subject of study pursued by a student as an additional requirement of the programme of study.

VSC: Vocational Skill Course – Courses aimed at imparting practical skills, hands-on training, and soft skills to increase the employability of students. Specific or supporting the major subject.

SEC: Skill Enhancement Course – Courses aimed at imparting practical skills, hands-on training, and soft skills to increase students' employability.

On-Job Training (OJT)/Internship/Field Project (FP)/Community Engagement Programme (CEP) Research Project (RP): Application of knowledge/concepts in solving or analysing a real-life problem. All these are related to the major subject.

NOTE: Subjects listed below for each semester are subject to changes and can be revised according to the department and the department's needs and objectives for the course.

Semester I

Core - Introduction to Statistical Analysis (4 credits)

SEC - Foundation of Data Science (2 credits)

VSC - Python Programming (2 credits)

Minor - Foundations of Business Management (4 credits)

(* The above subjects are tentative and may undergo a change based on the industry requirements and as directed by the Board of Studies. The rest of the credits will be offered in a centralized way as decided by St. Xavier's College, Mumbai)

Semester II

Core - Database Management Systems (4 credits)

SEC - Inference Statistics and Probability (2 credits)

VSC - Essential Maths for data science -1 (2 credits)

Minor - Introduction to Business Analytics (4 credits)

(* The above subjects are tentative and may undergo a change based on the industry requirements and as directed by the Board of Studies. The rest of the credits will be offered in a centralized way as decided by St. Xavier's College, Mumbai)

Semester III

Core - Essentials Maths for data Science -2 (4 credits)

Core - OOPS (4 credits)

VSC - Data Warehousing and Mining (2 credits)

Minor - Data Engineering and Visualization (4 credits)

(* The above subjects are tentative and may undergo a change based on the industry requirements and as directed by the Board of Studies. The rest of the credits will be offered in a centralized way as decided by St. Xavier's College, Mumbai)

Semester IV

Core - Econometrics (4 credits)

Core - Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (4 credits)

VSC - Data Structures (2 credits)

Minor - Business Intelligence and Data-Driven Decision Making (4 credits)

(* The above subjects are tentative and may undergo a change based on the industry requirements and as directed by the Board of Studies. The rest of the credits will be offered in a centralized way as decided by St. Xavier's College, Mumbai)

Semester V

Core - Machine Learning (4 credits)

Core - Big data Programming using Hadoop and Spark (4 credits)

Core - AI & Cybersecurity (4 credits)

Elective - Retail Analytics (4 credits)

Elective - Bank Analytics (4 credits)

On Job training - Internship (4 credits)

Minor - Time Series Analysis (2 credits)

(* The above subjects are tentative and may undergo a change based on the industry requirements and as directed by the Board of Studies. The rest of the credits will be offered in a centralized way as decided by St. Xavier's College, Mumbai)

Semester VI

Core - Cloud Computing (4 credits)

Core - Deep Learning (4 credits)

Core - Optimization Techniques (4 credits)

Elective - NLP (4 credits)

Elective - Computer Vision (4 credits)

FP - Capstone Project (2 credits)

VSC - GenAI (2 credits)

Minor - Project (2 credits)

(* The above subjects are tentative and may undergo a change based on the industry requirements and as directed by the Board of Studies. The rest of the credits will be offered in a centralized way as decided by St. Xavier's College, Mumbai)