By Rachel Robey
Beyond professional development, the MSDE program serves those who serve.
When Tyler Wilson arrived on campus for the MS Data Engineering (MSDE) program, reintegrating into academia after four years of active-duty service in the US armed forces was—for lack of a better word—a bit like bootcamp.
“For the first semester, I was reacclimating,” says Wilson, grinning. “But it’s been great. The amount I’ve learned and the experience I’ve gained in just a year is beyond expectation.” Data engineering is a young discipline with enormous potential: Experts in the field “clean” data to make it useful and actionable, making them as valuable as the data itself. For the U.S. Armed Forces, MSDE graduates will be crucial players in national security endeavors. Yet there are few academic programs dedicated to data engineering across the country.
Recognizing an unmet need that will only continue to grow as data explodes in both quantity and influence, UW–Madison partnered with the Army to create an MSDE program that isn’t just training tomorrow’s leaders—it’s actively shaping the future of an emergent field.
Anticipating Army needs and enabling future innovation
Launched in 2022, UW–Madison’s MSDE program “focuses on the principles and practices of managing data at scale,” including valid and efficient collection, storage, management, and processing of datasets. As part of the Army AI Scholars Program (AISP), the program allows students to learn how to make sense of unwieldy data sets and obtain practical experience by supporting researchers across the UW campus. With a record-setting $1.5 billion in research expenditures reported last year, UW–Madison has no shortage of data. For the Army, it’s proven to be the perfect training ground.
“It’s a unique program initially built to meet the needs of the intelligence community and armed forces,” says Dave Schroeder, associate director for intelligence and security initiatives with the College of Letters & Science and an Army cyber warfare officer in the Wisconsin National Guard. “The MSDE program addresses what the Army sees as an unmet future need. Someone needs to architect the systems and capabilities that will make data science possible, and that’s what MSDE army scholars are working towards.”
Remzi Arpaci-Dusseau, incoming director of the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences (CDIS), was pivotal in developing and launching the program, which currently stands as one of the only academic programs of its kind in the country. To date, the MSDE program holds the record for fastest program to ever obtain university approval.
“We have an imperative to expand our Department of Defense relationships, so we’re finding ways to distinguish UW as a really valued partner,” Schroeder says. “It was our breadth of expertise and agility in building out this program that ultimately convinced the Army.”
Wisconsin’s MSDE offers peerless education—and quality of life
“I’ve been amazed by the scope of UW–Madison’s academic caliber,” says Wilson, referring to UW–Madison’s unique reputation for excellence across medicine, engineering, agricultural sciences, and beyond. “I’ve really enjoyed the base-level coursework, and now I’m working on really interesting research. I got more than I could have asked for here.”
In his second semester, Wilson connected with Professors Paul Barford (Computer Sciences) and Dante Fratta (Engineering) and Professor Emeritus Herb Wang (Geoscience), whose research he supports by refining seismic data. In addition to supporting campus researchers, the collaboration provides Wilson with comprehensive hands-on training. “There’s a focus on the creation and fine-tuning of a full pipeline, from database management systems all the way to the finished product,” he explains.
When he graduates in spring 2025, he’ll take his newly-honed skills to support Army research on a 24-month utilization tour. For now, the MSDE program offers a welcome change of pace from life on remote military bases. “One of the things you don’t get to do a lot in the Army is live in cities,” says Wilson. “It’s been cool to experience living in a city while still active-duty. Everything you could want is accessible by bike, foot, or bus—including the farmers market, which we go to every Saturday.”
While intended to build a cadre of military experts who may go on to do even more graduate or doctoral work, the attractiveness of the program clearly transcends the professional opportunities it offers.
To learn more, visit the MSDE program page.