FASTFACTS

  • Michelin offered Maleek Catchings ’18 a job after the data analytics major interned at the corporation’s headquarters in Greenville, S.C.
  • You can prepare to earn an MBA or master’s degree in data analytics to qualify for more opportunities in the field.
  • PC’s business faculty can help you find internship and research opportunities.
  • Computing and math careers, with core skills in data analytics, will grow 16% from 2018 to 2028, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

WHAT YOU’LL STUDY

If you choose a concentration in data analytics, you will position yourself for great opportunities in a burgeoning field. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that computing and math careers, with core skills in data analytics, will grow 16% from 2018 to 2028. The rate is much faster than other careers.

Data analytics is a concentration within the business administration major, including a total of 55 credit hours. During your first two years, you fulfill your general education courses in humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. This liberal arts background gives you a firm foundation for the concentration.

Also during your first two years, you’ll ease into the major by taking Principles of Financial Accounting, Principles of Macroeconomics, Principles of Microeconomics, and Data Analysis & Statistical Computing I-II.

In your junior and senior years, you’ll dig deeper into your interests, including Data Analytics taught in a sequence of courses that covers such topics as machine learning, and data-scraping from the internet and social media, or perhaps Comparative Economic Systems, which cover both the developed and developing world and examines topics such as income inequality, social protection programs, and taxation policy.

MORE INFORMATION

  • CO = Co-requisite
  • POI = Permissions of Instructor
  • PR = Pre-requisite
  • RE = Recommended
  • XL = Cross-listed

Careers in Data Analytics

Business analytics is a rapidly expanding field because of the growth of big data. Businesses have access to more data than ever before, and the data requires effective analysis for optimal decision-making. With a data analytics concentration, your employment outlook is strong.

An entry-level data analyst with less than one year of experience can expect to earn an average total compensation of $54,000. A mid-career data analyst with five to nine years of experience earns an average of $67,000. This is according to PayScale.

Job titles you may attain with a data analytics degree include IT systems analyst, operations analyst, data scientist and quantitative analyst. Skills you learn from data analytics can also be used in fields that you might not think of when you think of data analytics. You likely will have skills to work as an actuary, an economist or a forensic accountant.

You can build on your ability to communicate well and lead others with involvement in clubs and on-campus activities, which leads to better employment opportunities.  

While at PC, you can develop a solid background in information technology, software, and tools related to data mining, statistical analysis and business process optimization. You can also earn relevant industry certifications to increase marketability.

CAREER PROFESSIONS

  • Data collection/Data mining
  • Data analysis
  • Customer loyalty and selection programs
  • Marketing strategy development
  • Consulting
  • Behavioral analytics
  • Underwriting
  • Operations supervision
  • Program/Project management

FACULTY

Dr. Rachel Childers

Assoc. Professor of Economics and Business Administration

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Mrs. Karen Mattison

Associate Professor of Economics and Business Administration

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Dr. Jerry Slice

Professor of Economics and Business Administration

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Dr. Suzie Smith

Robert Vance Prof of Economics and Business Administration

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Dr. Kurt Gleichauf

Asst Professor of Economics and Business Administration

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