Future of Analytics

The Institute’s director Dr. Michael Rappa was in Nashville today to discuss the future of analytics degree programs at the annual Industrial and Systems Engineering Research Conference sponsored by IISE, the global association of productivity and efficiency professionals specializing in industrial engineering, healthcare, ergonomics and other related professions. Dr. Rappa was joined on the panel by a distinguished group of faculty that included Dr. Joel Sokol (Georgia Tech), Dr. Diego Klabjan (Northwestern) and Dr. David Shmoys (Cornell), who discussed each school’s program and offered insights into some of the challenges that lay ahead. The session was moderated by Dr. Kaibo Liu (University of Wisconsin at Madison).

The four panelists lead programs with strong similarities, but also some important differences: Georgia Tech, NC State, and Northwestern offer Master of Science (M.S.) degrees in Analytics, while Cornell offers a concentration in data analytics as part of the Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) degree in Operations Research and Information Engineering. A comparison of the programs is provided in the accompanying table (below). Today, degree programs in analytics and data science is one of the fastest growing segments in higher education with over eighty programs in the U.S. alone. The Institute is home to the country’s first Master of Science in Analytics, which it launched in 2007, several years ahead of other universities.

ISERC 2015 Panelists: Klabjan, Rappa, Shmoys, and Sokol

PROGRAM COMPARISONS
Cornell Georgia Tech NC State North- western
Degree granted:
M.Eng.
M.S.
M.S.
M.S.
Degree name:
(1)
Analytics
Analytics
Analytics
Year started:
2010
2014
2007
2012
Program format:
FT
FT & PT
FT
FT
FT duration in months:
12
12
10
15
Curriculum format:
Core & Electives
Core & Electives
Fully Defined
Fully Defined
Current enrollment:
6
42
115
32
% Female:
0%
NA
41%
31%
% International:
NA
32%
15%
41%
Number of graduates:
<30
0
419
61
Sponsored team project:
Yes
(2)
Yes
Yes
Required internship:
No
(2)
No
Yes
Median base salary (3):
$75,000
NA
$95,000
$93,000
Job placement by graduation:
85%
NA
100%
(4)
Total tuition cost:
$48,900
$39,000(5) $52,400
$25,000(5) $42,800
$64,800
Faculty Directors:
(1) Operations Research & Information Engineering, analytics concentration;
(2) Students must complete either a project or an internship;
(3) Latest reported median starting salary;
(4) 100% placed by 90-days after graduation;
(5) Resident tuition at public university.