Data Analytics

Ready to seize an opportunity in a growing field?

At the turn of the new millennium, Major League Baseball was transformed by creative, new ways of crunching statistics and building competitive advantage (think Brad Pitt as Billy Beane in Moneyball). Today the field known as data analytics is not only commonplace in the world of sports; it is increasingly sought after in multiple arenas by companies looking to harness big data to guide decisions and gain an edge.

Become a Data Explorer

Drake’s major in Data Analytics will equip you to work with companies and organizations to scrutinize data—often massive amounts of it—conducting statistical analysis and finding relationships between various characteristics and outcomes. The work is wide-ranging, from figuring out new links between credit card habits and driving records to forecast whether a new virus will lead to a pandemic.

A Profession in High Demand

Individuals with these highly specialized skill sets are immensely critical in effective forecasting and decision-making, which is driving data analytics to become one of the fastest-growing, in-demand fields of the 21st century. Recent studies estimate that by 2020, the number of jobs for all US data professionals will increase by 364,000 openings to 2,720,000, according to International Business Machines (IBM).

Diverse Job Prospects

As a data analytics professional, you can carve out a career in just about any area that interests you— insurance (predictive modeling, underwriting, evaluating risk), computing (machine learning, computational modeling), mathematics (creating complex operations to examine real-world problems), sports (evaluating player performance), politics (forecasting election results), business (targeting social media advertising), health care (anticipating epidemics), education (individualizing lesson plans),and many more.

Degree Options and Requirements

Drake is unique among its peer institutions in offering an undergraduate major in Data Analytics, integrating study in mathematics, statistics, and computer science and preparing students for a broad variety of careers in multiple fields.

The program is offered jointly through the College of Arts and Sciences (Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science) and the College of Business and Public Administration (Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Business Administration) and requires 44 hours of core coursework.

In the College of Business and Public Administration, this is combined with a comprehensive grounding in business knowledge that allows you to apply data analytics in areas such as marketing, finance, or e-commerce. In the College of Arts and Sciences, you can contextualize your analytics skills through a set of available electives selected from a variety of fields.

Drake also offers a minor in Data Analytics, requiring 21-22 credits in major coursework.

Examples of Coursework:

Quantitative modeling: Probability for Analytics, Statistical Modeling, Data Mining, and Generalized Linear Models

Programming: Introduction to Computer Science I and II, Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, Database Management, Microsoft Office Tools for Business Analysis

Ethics in Data Analysis and a capstone course applying analytics skills to a real problem from a local organization.

For a comprehensive list of courses required for Data Analytics offered by the College of Arts and Sciences, visit this page.

For a comprehensive list of courses required for Data Analytics offered by the College of Business and Public Administration, visit this page.

Internship Opportunities

Drake is perfectly positioned to give you maximum experience and exposure to data analytics in the workplace. Take advantage of myriad opportunities for on-the-ground learning provided by Iowa’s capital city, a hub for insurance and financial services, national politics, data centers, bioscience, publishing, advanced manufacturing, and more. We are partnering with employers throughout the Greater Des Moines area who are eager to extend internships to students in this field. These employers will also be a rich source of future jobs for program graduates.

Find Out More

We love talking about the great things happening at Drake, but nothing beats a trip to campus. Let us know you’re coming and we’ll arrange for you to meet professors, sit in on a class, or just hang out with current students.

Contact:

Eric Manley
College of Arts & Sciences
eric.manley@drake.edu 
515-271-2177

Alanah Mitchell
College of Business & Public Administration
alanah.mitchell@drake.edu
515-271-3724

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