McKinsey & Company predicts a shortage of deep analytical talent of as many as 190,000 people by 2018, which means there should be abundant opportunities for Big Data analysts and business intelligence experts in the coming years. No wonder universities are coming up with a variety of master's programs. These new programs are “using business intelligence and other analytical tools to turn social media, sensor, purchase transactions, mobile and other sources of big data into useful information for business and government," says Computerworld. Many applicants are signing up not straight out of school, but after several years in the IT workforce. Care to look at a few course catalogs?
- The McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas Master of Science in Business Analytics will kick off in the fall of 2013 with 50 students who will sign on for an 11-month, full-time program.
- North Carolina State University, which pioneered this type of degree, has 84 students in its class of 2013 (out of 272 applicants). The university says everyone in its 2012 graduating class received a job offer with an average base salary of $89,100.
- Northwestern University's Master of Science in Analytics, a 15-month program, began this year with 32 students. One third have one to five years of work experience, and another third have five to 10 years of experience. The median age is 27.
- New York University's Stern School of Business Master of Science in Business Analytics will begin in May 2013.
- University of Michigan-Dearborn College of Business Master of Science in Business Analytics is a part-time program that should take two years to complete.
- Michigan State University master's degree program will begin in January with an enrollment of 10 students.
- Loras College’s Masters of Business Administration degree focused on business analytics will begin next summer with as many as 25 students. It’s a two-year program located in Dubuque, Iowa.
- Louisiana State University’s Master of Science in Analytics was created in partnership with business analytics firm SAS.
Related Links
- Big Data brings big academic opportunities [Computerworld]
- Big data: The next frontier for competition [McKinsey]
