The Master of Science in Data Science program at the Rawls College was ranked number 13 among the "Top 50 Best Value Big Data Graduate Programs 2018." According to the editors of this website, Value Colleges "offers meticulously researched, straightforward, and practical answers to commonly asked questions about value and affordability when making college decisions." Rankings are based on a mix of reputation, cost, quality and return on investment.
This one-year STEM-designated program consists of 12 courses. Students learn how to use advanced technologies to manipulate big data, utilize rigorous statistical methods to interpret the data and obtain the business skills necessary to translate their findings into actionable organizational strategies. The course mix includes statistics, technology and business, and some courses that integrate all three areas.
Graduates get jobs in data science, business analytics, business intelligence and big data fields – some of the most rapidly growing areas in business as well as in medicine and the applied sciences. Combining the Rawls College's tuition rates and one-year completion time, this program offers an excellent return on investment for students.
The MS Data Science was create to meet the expanding demand for qualified data scientists. A McKinsey Global Institute report estimates that by 2018, "the United States alone could face a shortage of 140,000 to 190,000 people with deep analytical skills, as well as 1.5 million managers and analysts with the know-how to use the analysis of big data to make effective decisions." In fact, the Harvard Business Review called data science the "sexiest job of the 21st century." There is no industry that will be untouched by the demand for data scientists who can effectively interpret large amounts of data and communicate findings.
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