Faculty Attend Summit on Teaching Data Mining

Two members of the Analytics faculty — David Dickey and Simon Hsiang — attended an invitation-only week long program for educators who teach data mining, sponsored by SAS Institute. Topics included pattern discovery (segmentation, association, and sequence analyses) and predictive modeling (decision tree, regression, and neural network models), and case studies from the fields of database marketing, financial services, Continue reading “Faculty Attend Summit on Teaching Data Mining”

Noted Expert Speaks on Performance Management

Howard Rohm, Executive Director of the Balanced Scorecard Institute and President of the Strategy Management Group, spoke with MSA students today. A noted authority on balanced scorecard and performance management systems, Rohm has developed systems for numerous organization in both the public and private sectors in the U.S. and abroad. His lecture was part of a day long program on Strategic Performance as part of the MSA summer course.

Midsummer Outing to Durham Bulls Game

Jennifer, Laura and TheresaMarking the midpoint of the summer course, MSA students enjoyed an evening out to watch a Durham Bulls baseball game. Pre-game recommended reading is, of course: Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis. The Bulls were made famous by Bull Durham, the 1988 Oscar-nominated movie starring Kevin Costner as “Crash Davis,” which was filmed locally around Raleigh and Durham.

Guest Speakers Welcome MSA Class of ’08

The Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) Class of 2008 kicked-off the new academic year this week with a group of distinguished guest speakers who discussed the growing importance of advanced analytics in today’s world. The two-day series was organized by Dr. Herbert Kirk and Dr. Jerry Oglesby. Guests included:

  • Michael J. A. Berry, cofounder of Data Miners, and noted author on several books on Data Mining with Gordon Linoff.
  • Randall Collica, Senior Business Analyst at Hewlett-Packard, and author of CRM Segmentation and Clustering Using SAS Enterprise Miner.
  • James Mendelsohn, Vice President for Corporate Strategy, Capital One.
  • William B. Smith, Ph.D., Executive Director of the American Statistical Association.

Summer Classes Begin for Incoming Students

Two dozen students representing ten countries of origin enrolled in the Master of Science in Analytics degree program’s inaugural class today. The enrollment number represents a strong result in light of the compressed admissions cycle for this year’s class. The class is evenly split between men and women, NC residents and non-residents, and US citizens and non-citizens. The median age is 30 and the median number of years of work experience is 6. Half of the students enrolled have a prior graduate degree.

Class of 2008

[ Students in the MSA Class of 2008 ]

MSA Class of 2008

Offer Made for Admission to MSA

The MSA program completed its admissions process on May 31 by extending an offer to 39 applicants to join the Class of 2008. Although the time frame this year for recruiting was compressed into less than 90 days, the program attracted a pool of 114 applicants. Those who were offered admission are strong in both their academic credentials and professional experience. Continue reading “Offer Made for Admission to MSA”

MSA Cited in National Report

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) recently published report on the future of graduate education (Graduate Education: The Backbone of American Competitiveness and Innovation) cites NC State’s new Master of Science in Analytics as a promising example of how the partnership between universities and industry can yield success in addressing the challenge of professional graduate education. The report argues that “a highly skilled workforce operating at the frontiers of of knowledge creation and professional practice is the key to American competitiveness and national security,” and calls for closer partnerships between universities, government and private industry to ensure the vitality of graduate education. In its press release, the CGS states the report was produced by a blue-ribbon advisory committee comprised of university presidents, corporate leaders, and graduate school deans.

Trustees Approve Institute

Culminating an intensive yearlong effort, the NC State University Board of Trustees has voted to approve our request to establish the Institute for Advanced Analytics. The institute is now fully authorized to begin operations as an independent unit of the university on Centennial Campus. The institute is charged with overseeing the Master of Science in Analytics, approved in February, and will immediately begin to admit students for the inaugural class set to commence in July.

MSA Curriculum Takes Shape

The Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) consists of an interdisciplinary curriculum that involves the expertise of over thirty faculty from seven colleges across the university. The entirely new curriculum is being developed exclusively for students in the program using one-credit hour modules as the building block for the 30 credit hour degree. The proposed modules for the first year are currently the focus of an ongoing discussion among faculty.

Applications Now Being Accepted

Applications for admission to the Master of Science in Analytics at NC State University are now being accepted. Interested individuals can apply online. We also asked that you take a moment and complete our survey of prospective students, or sign-up on our email list if you wish to receive further information about the program. The application fee has been waived for early applicants.

New Analytics Degree Program to Welcome Applicants

NC State’s newly approved Master of Science in Analytics is set to begin accepting applicants for its inaugural class, which begins studies in July. The application process, which is completed online, will open shortly. A notice will be sent to prospective students who sign-up on our email list. Prospective applicants with questions are welcome to contact us.

Analytics Degree Granted Official Status

At their meeting today in Greensboro, the University of North Carolina Board of Governors voted to authorize the Master of Science in Analytics at NC State. The status of the degree program is now official. Our deep appreciation goes out to all who have played a role in the program’s creation. To the many prospective students who have expressed an interest in the degree, thank you for your patience. The online application process will begin in the next few days.