The Institute for Advanced Analytics recently hosted a group of 40 undergraduate students from the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain for a weeklong immersion program. The students, all of whom are studying economics and data science, received instruction from Institute faculty and alumni on topics ranging from data visualization to Bayesian statistics. They learned professional networking strategies from the Institute’s career services team, and had the opportunity to put those skills into practice with current MSA students, alumni, and even NC State’s mascots — Mr. and Ms. Wuf! During the evenings, the students enjoyed bowling, ice skating, and exploring the Raleigh area. 

The Class of ’25 teams fanned out across town and across country to meet with their Practicum sponsors. The Institute is grateful to all of the sponsors for working with our students, and in many cases, hosting the team visits.

The Institute is delighted to announce its practicum sponsors for the Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) Class of 2025. Student teams are tasked with projects from 18 sponsoring organizations. Once again this year the Institute welcomes an impressive line-up of new and returning sponsors to work with our students over the next 8 months, including our first projects with API, Artemis Health, Axios, Cymantix, Firstleaf, and Vertical IQ.

It is with great pleasure that the Institute welcomes the 18th annual cohort of students in the Master of Science in Analytics! The Class of 2025 includes 95 talented and motivated students who come to the Institute excited to begin their data science journey.

Congratulations to the Class of ’24! The Institute for Advanced Analytics is proud to announce that 95 candidates have received their Master of Science in Analytics degrees during our 17th annual commencement exercise. As we celebrate their achievements, we are excited to welcome them into a vibrant and thriving alumni community of over 1,400 data science professionals.

The latest results from the University’s annual survey of new graduates shows, once again, the Institute attains a level of excellence that sets it apart! For the sixth consecutive year since the survey’s inception in 2018, the Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) ranked at the top in terms of overall student satisfaction with their master’s program, their satisfaction with career guidance, and their satisfaction with employment outcomes.

Congratulations to Valerie Schwartz, the Institute’s head of admissions, on her nomination for the Provost’s Unit Award for Excellence! Since joining the Institute in June 2017, Valerie has demonstrated exceptional leadership in managing the annual admissions cycle for the Master of Science in Analytics, overseeing over 6,000 applicants during her tenure. Her extensive expertise from two decades in higher education administration has been instrumental in ensuring the enrollment of top-tier students.

The Institute hosted a delegation of students in the Business/Economics+Data Analytics program in the School of Economics and Business at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain. The week-long program involved faculty lectures and hands-on exercises, as well as talks about graduate education in the U.S. and preparing for employment in the data science profession.

Congratulations to Class of ’24 student Eason Warren on his successful completion of a marathon run challenge to raise funds for the Beau’s Buddies Cancer Fund of Greenville, North Carolina. Eason raised over $4,000 with the help of many fellow students and staff members of the Institute for Advanced Analytics by completing his first marathon (16 laps around campus), 26 miles under 6 hours, with running companions on each lap. A crowd of runners joined Eason for the final celebratory lap (in the dark)! Congratulations to everyone for the amazing team effort and the generous donations to a charitable cause.

The Institute’s students participating in the Carolina Data Challenge — a weekend-long hackathon that brings together hundreds of participants from across the region — have brought home two jury prizes!

Dr. Christopher Healey and the Institute’s director, Dr. Michael Rappa, were named once again to the Chief Data Officer (CDO) Magazine global list of Academic Data Leaders in 2023, among fewer than 100 individuals named worldwide.

April Wilson has been promoted to Associate Director, succeeding Kathy Green, who retires this month. Since joining in December 2012 as the Institute’s first full-time career services professional, April has been instrumental in launching the data science careers of over 1,200 graduates. With two decades of human resource experience in higher education and industry, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her new role.

Despite the economic uncertainties, students did very well heading into a tough job market. Ninety-percent of the Class of ’23 were employed at graduation. The average base salary reached a new high of $113,500. Thirty-two employers succeeded in hiring one or more graduates, among the 40 employers that made job offers. Complete details are available in the Employment Report. The alumni community now stands at over 1,300 graduates employed in 444 organizations spanning 38 states and 25 countries worldwide!