that demonstrates his or her analytical skills.”
Moreover, the UC Center for Business Analytics facilitates
additional opportunities for students to work with organizations
on real analytics programs. The Center currently has 27 member
organizations who provide financial support to fund operations.
It works with the member companies to find suitable projects
for Linder College’s MS-BANA students and provides extensive
professional training on specialized analytics topics. The
center’s events draw top speakers and hundreds of attendees
for networking opportunities. The Center employs between five
to seven MS-BANA students as graduate assistants throughout
the year. Between 40 and 45, MS-BANA students worked on
Center-supported projects in the 2018-19 academic year.
Being the Most Employable Institution
One of the major strengths of the Linder College program is its
breadth. Its students are trained in descriptive, predictive and
prescriptive analytics. As a result, college graduates are being
placed in some of the leading corporations in the country.
Its recent placements include Amazon, Apple, Capital One,
Google, Procter & Gamble and Wal-Mart. The Linder College
LinkedIn Alumni group contains more than 400 members who
serve as excellent resources for developing internship and
permanent opportunities for the graduates.
The impact of the college’s department and graduates was
recently recognized by the department being awarded the
INFORMS UPS Smith Prize.
Achieving Academic Excellence
In 2019, the Lender College’s the Operations, Business Analytics
& Information Systems (OBAIS) Department was awarded the
prestigious INFORMS UPS Smith Prize for its excellence in
strengthening the ties between industry and academia in the
area of analytics.
The college’s 2018 rankings and awards include:
- The MS-BANA program was named the top Master of
Science in Data Science program in 2018 by Predictive
Analytics Today. - MS-BANA program achieved an exceptional ranking in
the 2018 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Masters in Business
Analytics Global Rankings—No. 18 globally and No.
7 nationally among U.S. public universities, out of 300
schools in more than 40 countries. - MS-BANA program ranked in top 20 programs in North
America by InformationWeek.
Overcoming Challenges
Edward believes in keeping up with the changes in technology,
methods, and applications of data science and analytics has
proven to be the most significant challenge the department
faces. Luckily, the MS-BANA program is able to draw on both
the exceptional talent of their full-time faculty as well as an
extensive network of industry experts to continually innovate in
their curriculum. The MS-BANA program has added new classes
on topics such as Big Data Integration, Bayesian Analysis,
Analytics in Python, etc., to support this quickly changing field.Growth Drivers of the Big Data Analytic Industry
According to Edward, exceptional increases in access to
computing resources (storage, speed, etc.) allows very difficult
problems to be solved in new ways. The prevalence of data
being generated constantly by individuals and organizations
provide the input for advanced analytics techniques.
Organizations are also rapidly learning how analytical analysis
can significantly improve organizational performance. This
recognition fuels their desire to identify and hire additional
talent in this area. The Lindner College of Business has been
able to expand its program to meet this growing demand.51
THE 10 MOST PROMINENT ANALYTICS AND
DATA SCIENCE INSTITUTES IN 2019