What Will I Study in a Data Analytics Program?
What we Teach
Our programs train students in the disciplines of data analysis and applied social scientific research.
Applied social science is the application of scientific theories and methods to solve practical problems involving people. It is concerned with using the tools of science to help businesses, government agencies, and non-profit enterprises achieve their goals.
Data analysis is the practice of harvesting, organizing, and interpreting digital information in order to understand, explain, predict, and influence human activity. The computing and information technology revolutions have made it a cutting-edge subfield of applied social science.
Where are these Skills Valued?
Applied social science has a long pedigree in business, government, and the non-profit sector. For decades, organizations have hired sociologists, psychologists, economists, and other social scientists to help with product development and testing, marketing, operations, finance, human resources management, and many other important functions.
In recent years, more industries and organizations have started to invest heavily in data acquisition and analysis. Advancements in computing and telecommunications have generated huge amounts of data, and organizations are learning how to use that data to improve their better understand their environment and improve decision-making. Data analysts help build the algorithms that are used to predict and set prices, gauge consumer reactions, assess student test scores, project baseball player performance, and much more.
Want to Read More?
The Quant Crunch: How the Demand for Data Science Skills is Disrupting the Job Market (IBM)
What’s Next for the Data Science and Analytics Job Market? (PWC)
Is There a Data Scientist Shortage in 2019? (QuantHub)
What Kinds of Jobs?
Our program has a long history of placement in a range of occupations. However, graduates often do new kinds of jobs that have developed more recently.
Some of the better-established lines of post-graduation work are listed below, with links to job outlook estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.