OSU Becomes Largest Producer of SAS Data Mining Certificate Graduates

Attracting the best students is the goal of every major college. Two years ago, Oklahoma State University took a step to improve the quality of analytical students they attracted and ultimately graduated, by partnering with SAS to develop and implement a Data Mining Certificate program. The results speak for themselves. OSU now has the largest SAS Data Mining Certificate program.

For years, SAS has been dedicated to educating the next generation of business analysts. The Data Mining Certificate program, headed by Jerry Oglesby, SAS' Director of Higher Education Consulting, is a key contributor to this effort. Oglesby works with university administrators to create a curriculum that develops a student's knowledge of data mining and SAS. This program is a great service for businesses that are looking for scarce talent in business analytics. It also gives students an edge when they enter the competitive job market.

The Data Mining Certificate Program at OSU was founded by Dr. Goutam Chakraborty in 2004. In only one year, the program has awarded 28 certificates, making it SAS' largest program. The success of this program can be attributed to the dedication of Dr. Chakraborty and the uniqueness of the program. Having a background in both engineering and marketing, Dr. Chakraborty wanted the program to appeal to students from various disciplines and backgrounds. The current students come from the fields of Industrial Engineering, Management Science Information Systems, and Business Administration. Also contributing to the program's success, is the reputation of Dr. Chakraborty. A longtime SAS user and an award-winning teacher, Chakraborty's commitment to the field of data mining combined with his reputation has helped this program become so successful in such a short period of time.

Josh Wiener, Carson Professor and head of the Marketing Department at OSU, says that this world class program sets OSU apart from other schools. "The Data Mining Certificate program gives us a niche where we can compete with any school in the world." The curriculum includes courses from both Marketing and Management Science Information Systems. Wiener has been very pleased with the results, "We've been able to develop a framework for our good intentions regarding business analytics."

Students in OSU's data mining program show off their certificates

The Data Mining Certificate has proven to give students a competitive edge in the job marketplace as well. "Data Mining is an exciting, new area of research that students need to master to succeed in a global market. Graduating students are likely to get salaries that are $10,000 to $15,000 higher than those without the certificate," says Oglesby. Two students at OSU have already seen the benefits of participating in the program.

Nainish Patil, a recent graduate and analyst at Globe Life and Accident Insurance Company, was encouraged by Dr. Chakraborty to participate in the program and he is glad he did. "The SAS Data Mining Certificate Program opened many venues for me," Nainish said. "The courses required for the certificate gave me a complete picture of data mining and I was able to use my classroom experiences during job interviews. Now, I rely on those experiences in my job." Anil Madappully, another recent graduate, was hired by Seton Identification Products after graduating. "The Data Mining Certificate and learning SAS has had a huge impact on my career" Anil said. "I was hired by my current employer to write and model complex statistical programs in SAS that few people at Seton knew how to do." He also added the importance of the program to students saying that "in this highly competitive world, the SAS Data Mining Certificate Program makes a student's resume stand out from others and opens opportunities otherwise not available." There is an industry need for people who can build and understand statistical models and so Anil highly recommends the program to others.

The Data Mining Certificate program at OSU is continuing to grow. There are currently 15 students scheduled to receive certificates after the completion of the 2006 Spring Semester. To learn more about the OSU Data Mining Certificate program, visit the SAS OSU data mining certificateWeb site.

Copyright © SAS Institute Inc. All Rights Reserved.