Data Analytics Concentration to Prepare Students for High-Demand Career

New Program Teaches Diverse Students Skills Needed in Nearly Every Field

MEDIA CONTACT: Damita Chambers, dchambers@bowiestate.edu, 301-832-2628 mobile

(BOWIE, Md.) – Meeting the need for skilled professionals to drive data-informed decision-making in every field, Bowie State University has launched a data analytics concentration to prepare diverse business administration students to enter one of the nation’s top careers.

At Maryland’s first historically Black college and university, data analytics students will build skills in using advanced statistical and machine learning technology to develop solutions for real-world problem sets. The program’s focus on experiential learning will prime students to excel in the data science field, considered one of the best jobs in America, according to a 2021 Glassdoor.com list.

“This new data analytics concentration puts Bowie State University on track to prepare students with the skills needed to be successful learners and workers in the 21^st century,” said Dr. LaTanya Brown-Robertson, a professor of economics who leads BSU’s Data Science & Analytics Initiative. “Nearly every discipline is doing some form of data science and analytics. It is just becoming a way of life as far as the skillset needed in careers.” 

In 2018, Bowie State started the Data Science & Analytics Initiative to grow the university’s capacity to teach and conduct research in this area. Since then, the BSU College of Business has added data science and analytics lessons to 14 different courses, reaching more than 700 students. The initiative also paired student researchers with faculty mentors to use data science and analytics to investigate timely societal problems, like the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses. Because of their hands-on experience, some students have landed internships and jobs with the Brookings Institute, PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC), American Airlines, ESPN and Big Data Bowl program. Faculty have also published research papers in data analytics.

Champions of the data analytics concentration say that the field’s workforce needs more diversity, which is another goal of the program.

“There is a huge gap in the demographic profile in the data analytics and science profession,” said Dr. Azene Zenebe, chairperson of the Department of Management Information Systems. “This program is going to help fill that gap in diverse professionals in one of the top career fields.”

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About Bowie State University
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business, and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit bowiestate.edu.