Advancing Analytics

The world's first advanced degree program focusing exclusively on analytics seeks to bolster the work force with a new generation of business professionals

By Kelly LeVoyer

For most corporations and government agencies, beating the competition and running efficient operations is no longer simply about good customer service and prompt back-office procedures. It’s about anticipating customer needs, mitigating risk, predicting and avoiding fraud, and complying with regulations – to name just a few of the most important challenges. Even more fundamentally, success comes down to an organization s ability to analyze the masses of data it has collected and to make smarter decisions than its competitors.

But today, too few people in the global work force are educated with the sophisticated technical skills necessary to navigate and analyze the masses of data that organizations are collecting. A typical MBA program, for example, offers training on general management theories and practice – but falls short on the application of analytical methods and technology.

Anticipating a real shortfall in workforce skills and a gap in the educational demands of the 21st-century work force, the Institute for Advanced Analytics at North Carolina State University, in collaboration with SAS, has designed an intensive 10-month professional graduate degree program that focuses exclusively on the tools, methods and applications of analytics. When the Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) degree welcomes its first class of students in July, it will open the door to a new educational path for those who seek to master the art and science of data analytics.

When the Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) degree welcomed its first class of students in July 2007, it opened the door to a new educational path for those who seek to master the art and science of data analytics.

To give users hands-on experience, the program is underpinned by a virtual computing lab (VCL), a remote access service that allows users to reserve a computer configured with a desired set of applications and operating system and then access that computer over the Internet. The lab is powered by an IBM BladeCenter infrastructure, which includes more than 500 blade servers, distributed between two locations. The assignment of the blade servers can be changed to meet shifts in the balance of demand among the various groups of users. Laura Ladrie, MSA Classroom Coordinator and Technical Support Specialist, says, "The virtual computing lab chose IBM hardware because of its quality, reliability and performance. IBM hardware is also energy efficient and lends itself well to high performance/low overhead computing.

The Institute’s Director, Dr. Michael Rappa, aims to grow NCSU’s MSA degree into the largest of its kind and make the institute the destination of choice for students around the world. “We seek to become a magnet for men and women who want to fashion themselves as ‘data virtuosos’– individuals who thoroughly understand data, who have mastered state-of-the-art analytical tools and techniques, and who are deeply passionate about yielding accurate insight into the major challenges that face organizations today,” Rappa says.

With nearly a decade of experience as a professor at MIT before joining NCSU, Rappa is familiar with the design and delivery of a pre-eminent graduate program. “The best programs are the ones that are grounded in teaching a targeted set of high-demand skills,” Rappa says. The MSA degree is intended to be an immersive educational experience. Students will complete in 10 months what usually takes two years in conventional graduate degree programs. “We want to move each student as far along the learning curve as quickly as possible with a mixture of skill-building modules and – whenever possible – practical application of techniques to real problems.”

To understand the program’s structure and curriculum, review the FAQs below, or visit http://analytics.ncsu.edu/ to learn more.

What makes this degree program unique?
Its emphasis is on real-world, business-focused analytics. Typical MBA degrees include limited instruction in statistics, and even advanced degrees in data mining don’t address critical, contextual issues such as data quality and integration, privacy, security and enterprisewide decision making, to name a few.

“Competing on analytics in corporations, government agencies and educational institutions is becoming a must,” SAS CEO Dr. Jim Goodnight says. “And our customers are making it clear: They need more talent capable of leveraging world-class business intelligence systems. This program will help meet this need with high-quality, domain-specific analytics education.”

What makes NCSU the best institution for a program like this?
Located in one of the fastest-growing regions in the world for advanced research and development, NCSU is consistently ranked among the top universities in the nation for its inventiveness and applied orientation.

NCSU also has a 30-year history with SAS, which has become a leading vendor of analytics and business intelligence. The company was created by Goodnight and colleagues while he was a professor at the university in 1976. Goodnight has remained involved in the university community and was eager to partner with NCSU to launch the analytics degree program.

Rappa says: “For a curriculum like this, you really need to work closely with business to ensure you’re on the right track. SAS is a leader in analytics and a large employer of analytics-trained professionals, so it was a good fit for us. It’s already becoming obvious to me that we are definitely meeting a need. I’ve gotten several calls from employment recruiters who want an exclusive partnership with us to place our graduates with employers, and I’m receiving calls from people around the world who want to know more about the program.”

What topics does the curriculum address?
The MSA degree provides students with an understanding of the concepts, methods, tools and applications of advanced analytics.

The objectives of the program are to:

• Provide students with an understanding of basic concepts and methodologies in the analysis of massive data sets.
• Show how these methods are applied to a variety of complex problems facing organizations, using real-world problems.
• Give students a sense of the broader context, such as security, privacy and ethical issues in the use of personal and confidential data.
• Provide direct hands-on experience using industry-standard software tools during a four-week “boot camp” module.

Specific topics addressed in the curriculum include human-computer interaction and decision making, marketing analytics, IT architectures, data visualization and data ethics.

“The degree is designed to enable students with a unique and well-rounded understanding of not only the statistical methods, but of the practices, methodologies and organizational considerations that all play a role in the world of analytics,” says Rappa.

Who is eligible, and what is the format of the program?
The degree targets students with a strong foundation in quantitative and analytical skills. This may include:

• Students with technical undergraduate degrees, such as mathematics, statistics, engineering, science, computer science or operations research.
• Students with business or economics undergraduate degrees with a strong quantitative orientation.
• Students who are comfortable using computers and computer applications and, ideally, have some programming experience.

The MSA degree is being designed from the ground up with a fully defined 30-credit curriculum of new and dedicated courses. The degree is an intensive, full-time 10-month program that runs from July through April each year.

How can I apply?
NCSU is accepting applications from anywhere in the world for this degree program and you can apply online. Prospective students also are encouraged to complete an online survey, to communicate their interests and requests for the program as it develops.

Bio: Kelly LeVoyer is editorial director of sascom magazine.