The Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) Class of 2015 is on the final leg of its journey, as seventeen practicum teams bring to culmination eight months of work pouring over large volumes of complicated data and building models. Many of the teams are on the road this week traveling to destinations around North Carolina and as far away as Boston, New York, and Jacksonville, Florida, to deliver the results of their practicum projects to their sponsors. Students conducted a wide array of studies, from the analysis of warranty claims to optimizing civilian mass-evacuation procedures in response to a disaster, and more.
“The practicum is the cornerstone of the MSA experience,” said the Institute’s director Dr. Michael Rappa, “it allows students to hone their skills on the kind of analytics problems organizations grapple with everyday. We’re grateful to the many organizations and individuals involved in sponsoring projects.” The Institute openly solicits practicum proposals from interested organizations each year. The projects are performed under confidentiality and with no sponsor fee. Proposals are now being solicited for the incoming MSA Class of 2016, which will pursue 23 projects.
(left to right) Andrew Bishop, Katherine Grimshaw, team leader Colleen McCarthy, Mike Shagena and Marlyn Thompson visiting Volvo’s 1.5 million-square-foot powertrain manufacturing facility in Hagerstown, Maryland, to deliver their practicum project report to company executives.
See the Institute’s twitter feed for more team photos.