Mr. Arun Pinto, Senior Vice President and Quality & Productivity Executive at Bank of America spoke with MSA students today, marking the successful end of the summer boot camp. Bank of America is actively engaged in the recruitment of our graduates, hiring three from the MSA Class of 2010, including one candidate as part of the company’s Quantitative Management Associate Program. The MSA program has a total of five alumni employed at Bank of America.
Author: Michael Rappa
Guest Lecture – Scott Farris
The Institute is delighted to host Scott Farris as our special guest speaker today. Scott is Research Manager at the State Farm Research and Development Center, located on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He leads a team of two-dozen actuarial professionals and student interns who work on pricing and reserving models and research on new analytical methods. A veteran employee of nearly 30 years, Scott joined Continue reading “Guest Lecture – Scott Farris”
Visiting Delegation from Singapore
Today the Institute hosted a visit by Mr. Christopher Chen and Mr. Ng Kai Koon, with of Singapore’s Infocomm Development Authority, and Professor Yeow Meng Chee, Head of the Division of Mathematical Sciences at the National Technical University (NTU), Singapore to discuss the creation of an Analytics degree program in at NTU.
Studies Begin for Class of 2011
The MSA Class of 2011 began its 10-month journey this week. The cohort of 40 students was selected from a pool of 160 applicants. It is the most academically qualified MSA class to be admitted. The average undergraduate GPA is 3.50 (up from 3.28), and the number who graduated with academic honors increased by two-thirds over the 2010 class. Seventy-eight percent of the incoming class members are residents of Continue reading “Studies Begin for Class of 2011”
Job Placement Sets New Records
Despite the difficult economy demand for talent in Analytics remains strong. For the third consecutive year over 90 percent of the Institute’s graduates in the Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) had offers of employment in the profession within 30 days of graduation. Interest among employers in hiring MSA students reached new heights during the recruiting season this spring. Compared to last year, the Institute arranged twice the number of job interviews (347) and logged a record number of employer visits (38) for the class of 39 students. Students had an average of 10 interviews and two offers. One-quarter of the job seekers had 4 or more job offers. Continue reading “Job Placement Sets New Records”
Class of 2010 Commencement Held
Diplomas were awarded to thirty-nine candidates for the MSA degree at the spring commencement exercise today. Students celebrated their achievement with two hundred family and friends at the Institute’s ceremony held at the Raleigh Convention Center. The Class of 2010 is the third cohort of students to graduate from the MSA program since its establishment in 2007. The MSA alumni society now stands at 97 members strong and growing.
2010 Director’s Prize
Jennifer Holmes is this year’s winner of the Director’s Prize for the top graduate in the Master of Science in Analytics (MSA). Jennifer receives the prize in recognition of her superior performance throughout the 10-month degree program. Commenting on Jennifer’s selection the Institute’s director stated “Jenny thoroughly proved herself to be superb student, earning high marks from the faculty and winning the Continue reading “2010 Director’s Prize”
LaBarr Awarded Ph.D.
Congratulations to Aric LaBarr on the successful completion of his doctorate in Statistics. Dr. LaBarr joined the Institute as a graduate teaching assistant in 2009. He lectures and tutors students in the Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) program on various subjects including statistics, applied mathematics, and computer programming. His teaching at NC State earned him a nomination for the University’s “Most Outstanding Teaching Assistant” award in 2009. Dr. LaBarr’s dissertation is titled “Multivariate Robust Estimation of DCC-GARCH Volatility Model.” Dr. LaBarr also received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Statistics from NC State.
Chinese Delegation Visits
A delegation of academic officials from seven universities across Mainland China visited the Institute to learn about its pioneering Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) degree program. In April the Ministry of Education in China approved the establishment of an applied statistics degree similar to the MSA for Chinese universities. Major centers of learning in Statistics and Economics in China are now competing to be granted the opportunity by the Ministry to offer the degree to their students. The delegation heard a presentation by the Institute’s director and founder, Dr. Michael Rappa, and a panel discussion with NC State faculty and deans, as well as a panel discussion with students Continue reading “Chinese Delegation Visits”
Curriculum Gains Administrative Approval
The six courses that makeup the Institute’s Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) degree have been granted approval by the Administrative Board of the Graduate School at NC State University. The MSA courses are now part of the university’s official graduate course catalog. The approval of the courses represents the end of the experimental phase of the MSA curriculum and a major milestone in the four-year history of the program. The MSA degree is the first of its kind in the nation and has set a high standard for graduate education in Analytics.