The continuing surge in demand for analytics professionals has earned the Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) Class of 2011 the distinction of being the Institute’s most sought-after cohort of graduates since its inception in 2007. Thirty-nine MSA students seeking employment logged a record-breaking 532 initial job interviews with 86 employers during the 90-day placement period preceding graduation—or 14 interviews per student—an increase of 40-percent over last year. Ninety-seven percent of the Class of 2011 had one or more offers of employment, and 92-percent had accepted their new positions by graduation. Placement by graduation has exceeded 90-percent in each of the past four years, despite the recession—a track record that sets the 10-month MSA learning experience apart from comparable degrees.
Over 70-percent of the students had 2 or more job offers; 36-percent had 3 or more. Six graduates had 4 or more job offers, and the maximum was 5. The Institute hosted or otherwise played a role in arranging 92-percent of the total number of interviews conducted.
Thirty-two employers made offers of employment; ten employers tendered offers to more than one student. Half of the employers that made offers had also made offers of employment to graduates last year, as well. A total of 18 employers representing a wide cross-section of industry succeeded in landing one or more MSA candidates. Industry sectors include: apparel, banking, consulting, energy, financial services, Internet, pharmaceuticals, research, software, and telecommunications. Employer types range from new ventures to large multinational companies, and the types of jobs range from entry level analysts to managerial and executive level positions.
Salary offers for graduates remain strong. Base salaries for MSA candidates with 2 or more years of professional experience (about half the class) average $88,500. Offers range from $70,000 to $140,000 for candidates with experience. Base salary offers for candidates without prior work experience average $73,400, up $4,900 from last year, or an increase of 7.2-percent. Offers range from $60,000 to $90,000 for candidates with no prior professional work experience.
Two-thirds of the candidates will take-up employment in North Carolina. Other metropolitan destinations include Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, San Diego, San Francisco, and Washington, DC.
TABLE: Comparison of Job Placement Results for the MSA Class of 2011 with the Class of 2010.
| MSA Class of: | 2011 | 2010 |
| Number of graduates: | 39 | 39 |
| Number of graduates seeking new employment: | 39 | 36 |
| Percent with one or more offers of employment by graduation: | 97 | 91 |
| Number of employers interviewing: | 86 | 61 |
| Number of employer visits hosted by Institute: | 34 | 38 |
| Average number of initial job interviews per student: | 14 | 10 |
| Percent of interviews arranged by Institute: | 92 | 92 |
| Percent of graduates with 2 or more job offers: | 72 | 56 |
| Percent of graduates with 3 or more offers: | 36 | 31 |
| Average base salary offer: | $81,500 | $82,700 |
| Average base salary offers (candidates with professional experience): | $88,500 | $89,300 |
| Range of salary offers (candidates with professional experience): | $70,000- 140,000 | $65,000- 150,000 |
| Percent of graduates with professional experience: | 53 | 73 |
| Average base salary offers (candidates without professional experience): | $73,400 | $68,500 |
| Range of salary offers (candidates without professional experience): | $60,000- 90,000 | $55,000- 87,000 |
| Percent of graduates sharing salary data: | 97 | 81 |
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Types of positions offered in 2011:
- Analytic Engineer
- Analytical Consultant
- Applied Data Engineer
- Assistant Software Developer
- Business Analysis IT Auditor
- Business Technology Analyst
- Clinical Analytical Specialist
- Consultant
- Data Modeling Analyst
- Finance Consultant
- Financial Reporting Analyst, Bankcard Services
- Human Capital Consultant
- Manager, Data Analytics
- Manager, Decision Support Analysis
- Manager, Sales Analytics
- Marketing Analyst
- Modeling Risk Analyst
- Revenue Analyst
- Risk Analyst
- Senior Analyst, Advanced Modeling and Simulation
- Senior Analytic Analyst
- Senior Business Analyst
- Senior Credit Analyst
- Senior Manager
- Senior Risk Analyst
- Senior Scientist
- Software Developer
- Statistical Analyst
- Statistical Programmer
- Statistician
- Systems Analyst
- Text Analytics Consultant
- Vice President, Analytic Infrastructure