I. Program Overview

The “Data Science and Big Data Technology” program at Northeast Forestry University was approved in March 2020 and began enrollment in the same year. This program has been further developed based on the Heilongjiang Provincial Key Specialty “Computer Science and Technology (Experimental Class in Big Data Direction).”

The Data Science and Big Data Technology program, grounded in statistics, mathematics, and computer science, follows the "New Engineering Education" philosophy. Rooted in Northeast China's Old Industrial Base, it addresses national big data strategic requirements and international academic frontiers in data science. Through deep integration with life sciences, economic finance, smart agriculture, and live-streaming e-commerce domains, this program cultivates high-caliber professionals who master data science theories and methodologies and excel in big data processing/analysis, algorithm development, and visualization technologies. Graduates will demonstrate solid foundational knowledge, broad vision, creativity, strong practical skills, and adaptability across multidisciplinary fields.

II. Educational Objectives

This program is designed to meet the socioeconomic development needs of the nation, particularly national ecological development requirements. It cultivates well-rounded socialist builders and successors with Chinese characteristics who demonstrate comprehensive moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education development. Graduates will possess firm political convictions; interdisciplinary expertise in mathematics, statistics, and computer science; and the capability to integrate big data technologies and tools to solve data-intensive, complex engineering challenges across forestry, biological sciences, and other industrial domains. They will be qualified to design and develop big data engineering applications while demonstrating competencies in problem analysis and solving, self-directed learning, innovation capabilities, and an international perspective as data engineers. Graduates will be prepared to engage in big data processing and analysis, architecture design, parallel computing, and practical industry solutions through big data methodologies within IT enterprises, management consulting firms, forestry information analysis and management departments, or technology-related divisions of other institutions.

Expected Outcomes for Graduates in This Major 5 Years Post-Graduation in Social and Professional Domains:

1. Possess steadfast convictions in advancing socialism with Chinese characteristics, a profound sense of national identity and core socialist values, demonstrate mission-driven responsibility for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and maintain sound humanistic literacy, scientific cultivation, and ecological awareness.

2. Demonstrate the capability to comprehensively apply professional knowledge and modern tools to propose innovative, effective solutions for complex big data engineering challenges and critical bottlenecks while exhibiting effective management competencies. Able to independently identify, analyze, and resolve problems.

3. Maintain adherence to engineering standards, data ethics, legal regulations, and industry norms when addressing complex engineering challenges and implementing solutions.

4. Excel in leveraging professional strengths for big data-related projects, demonstrating multidisciplinary communication skills, cross-cultural collaboration capabilities, synchronization with international advancements in big data domains, and coordinated planning competencies for diverse project management.

5. Exhibit self-directed and lifelong learning abilities through interdisciplinary integration, coupled with forward-looking vision for technological evolution in the big data industry.

III. Core Courses

Core Courses: Data Structures, Principles of Database Systems, Principles of Operating Systems, Algorithm Design and Analysis, Applied Statistics

Core Specialized Courses: Introduction to Data Science, Data Mining, Distributed and Cloud Computing, Machine Learning, Big Data Development Technology, Data Analysis and Visualization

Main Practical Teaching Components: Advanced Language Programming Course Design, Data Structures Course Design, Database Training, Big Data Fundamentals Training, Comprehensive Programming Capability Training Practice, Big Data Application Development Practice, Engineering Application Capability Training Comprehensive Practice, Forestry Engineering Application Practice, Production Internship, Graduation Project (Thesis)

4.Characteristic advantages

Feature 1: Strictly adhering to the Outcome-Based Education (OBE) concept to achieve the training and development objectives of New Engineering disciplines. The specialty continuously optimizes the talent cultivation model, establishes a paradigm for cultivating professionals in Data Science and Big Data Technology, implements engineering scenario-based teaching progressively according to talents' cognitive and developmental patterns, constructs a new system featuring multi-party collaboration and interdisciplinary integration, thereby fulfilling the new requirements for specialty development and talent cultivation.

Feature 2: Professional faculty members demonstrate strong commitment, solid academic foundations, and dedicated talent cultivation. The program currently employs 13 full-time faculty members, including 1 professor and 8 associate professors. Among them, 10 hold doctoral degrees, over one-third possess international academic exchange experience, with 2 doctoral supervisors and 8 master's supervisors. The faculty exhibits high research capabilities in natural language processing, bioinformatics, business intelligence, big data and cloud computing. Over the past five years, faculty members have secured national and provincial-level research projects averaging over one project per faculty member, including the National Natural Science Foundation General Program, National Natural Science Foundation Youth Program, and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Special Funding Program. They have published over 20 high-impact SCI-indexed papers as first authors. The program offers graduate enrollment in four scientific master's disciplines (including Computer Application Technology), two professional master's programs (including Computer Technology), and doctoral programs in Forestry Information Engineering.

Feature 3: Integration of business and Party affairs continues to deepen, with grassroots Party organizations receiving repeated honors. The discipline's Party branch has been awarded the “Advanced Grassroots Party Organization” and “Top 100 Party Branch” titles among Heilongjiang Provincial Colleges and Universities. In 2021, it was granted the first “National Party Building Model Branch” title at Northeast Forestry University by the Ministry of Education. The branch has produced multiple recipients of honors including Outstanding Communist Party Members at various levels, Ethics Advanced Individuals, and Teaching and Education Advanced Individuals. Several members have been awarded the “Outstanding Party Affairs Workers” title in Heilongjiang Provincial Colleges and Universities by the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Education.

Feature 4: Strengthening Moral Education and Cultivating Talents with Distinctive Features. The program deepens industry-education integration to refine its project-driven cultivation system, having established and promoted the innovative platform of the Big Data Intelligence Innovation and Entrepreneurship Studio. It continuously enhances the comprehensive data capabilities of the Big Data Innovation Laboratory through multiple dedicated teaching platforms, including the Big Data Teaching and Laboratory Management System and the Big Data Technology Training Virtual Simulation Platform. The program advocates stage-specific and tiered training in engineering development capabilities and comprehensive big data analysis competencies, systematically improving students' comprehensive application abilities for industry-specific data solutions.

Feature 5: Competitions Promote Practical Innovation and Forge Brand Recognition in University Students’ Innovation Initiatives. Faculty members have continuously undertaken the organization and management of the Heilongjiang Provincial Selection for the National University Student E-commerce “Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship” Challenge, a ranked event in the National University Student Competition Ranking, over multiple years. This effort has cultivated a vibrant competition atmosphere and collaboratively established the NEFU Competition Brand Program in Big Data. Over the past five years, the faculty team has guided students to attain over 30 national awards in prestigious competitions including the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest, the National University Student E-commerce “Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship” Challenge, and the China Collegiate Computing Competition, with more than 10 national first-place honors.

V. Graduate Destinations

Graduates primarily pursue employment in renowned domestic and international enterprises, or engage in data science and big data technology-related roles across sectors such as finance, telecommunications, and insurance. During their undergraduate studies, students can apply for exchange programs in countries such as the United States and France. Academically outstanding students may be recommended for exemption from entrance examinations to pursue master’s or doctoral degrees, or may opt to pursue postgraduate studies at “985” or “211” universities.