Network Science

I’m currently in a MS Data Science program and one of the electives offered is Network Science. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of this topic being discussed often.

How is network science used in the real world? Are there specific industries or roles where it is commonly applied, or is it more of a niche academic topic? I’m curious because the course looks like it includes both theory and practical work, and the final project involves working with a network dataset.