Given the evolving importance of data science approaches in nursing research, we developed a 3-credit, 15-week course that is integrated into the second year PhD curriculum at Columbia University School of Nursing. As a complement to didactic content, the students address a research question of their choice using a big data source, Jupyter Notebook, and R programming language. The course evolved over time with generative AI tools being added in 2023. Student self-evaluations of their data science competencies improved from baseline. This case study adds to the evolving body of literature on data science and AI competences in nursing.