What is common in the Data Science curriculum in top universities abroad?

It could be many things. For example, the base topics are almost the same for every data science curriculum. Of course, there would be a few tweaks and differences, but topics like linear regression, Python, SQL, statistics and data libraries are always there. It’s because these are some of the most basic ones that are used in data science.

Later on, the electives differ from university to university. However, it doesn’t mean they will completely differ. For example, you could choose data structure, linguists, optimization or maybe advanced algorithms. Now it is possible that you may not find all these electives in a different data science course in a different university.

But as I mentioned, these are the most common topics you will find in a data science course abroad:

linear regression
Python
SQL
statistics
data libraries

These are the very basic topics every data science course has. Like you have to learn python to some extent even if you are not planning for a career in it. Topics like these are also used in interviews of university students or for a job. It is very likely to see some foundation questions that can trick you if you choose to skip any of these topics.

Just like trigonometry in school, basic areas of data science may seem useless, but they are not.  People are literally making a career out of Python language. And it's not even rare to do so. Basically, you can master any area of data science and later convert it into electives to get specialization. All standard data science courses allow you to start your specialization in the second year.

Except for these topics, the number of electives you can pick can differ. But mostly, it’s very flexible for students. Some universities offer added courses along with your specialization. However, I would not consider it common as not every university does so.

Except for UK based universities, the curriculum of every data science course is somewhat similar. The real difference is in the teaching method. In the UK, they have one-year master courses. They are fast and directly start with your specialization. If you are clear on your goals and career plans, this might be the best one for you. Anyway, I hope I have given enough information so you can make your decision. Let me know if you need anything else.