The university teamed again with LCM Consortium — a partner in the supply chain offering — and with Rize Education to add the new major. After review of the potential, the faculty approved adding the program by "an overwhelming vote," according to a media release.
"We in the Mathematics Department are excited to be starting a Data Science program," Steven Tedford said in the release. The director and department chair of Statistics and professor of Mathematics added that "We feel that Data Science will bring together two of our other programs, Computer Science and Statistics, in a way that will allow students to be well prepared to enter the workforce or to continue their education to obtain a graduate degree in Data Science."
Data Analytics has become ubiquitous in the business world, with over 78 percent of companies using it, the release notes, assuring high demand for those who graduate from the new "project-based" program.
"The hybrid nature of the program, as well as our partnership with Rize Education, allows us to offer these courses taught by experts in the field that we would not be able to offer otherwise," Tedford said.
Data Analytics is expected to grow by 20 percent over the next decade, the release said, more than 2.5 times the national average. The release notes the major at Misericordia "de-emphasizes the excessive math our industry partners say doesn't meet the needs of real employers, and instead focuses on portfolio-building projects that impress hiring managers. By offering a refocused major, the program will allow students to have a better chance of landing a job in any industry using big data versus other programs that are only math-based."
For more information, visit the university website at misericordia.edu/data-science or email Tedford at stedford@misericordia.edu.
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