Program Overview

Drake's Data Analytics program will prepare students to be stewards of how we, as a global community, use data in newer and richer ways.

Students will gain skills as they navigate the program and beyond, building strengths in communication, ethics, algorithmic analysis of data, identification of data quality, manipulation, and application of statistical models for analyzing data in order to identify trends and relationships, make predictions, and support data-driven decision making.

In line with Drake’s mission, the major is structured with an interdisciplinary core curriculum that emphasizes both the liberal arts and professional skills development. Students in the major will gain exposure to ethical concerns in the discipline, critical thinking, and communication skills necessary to interact with clients and end users of big data analyses. This curriculum embraces the commitment to developing global citizens prepared with the competencies needed for the rapidly changing century ahead.

Experiential learning remains an essential part of a Drake education, and student internships represent the powerful symbiotic relationship between the University and the Greater Des Moines community. Data Analytics internships will be two-way opportunities: Drake students will gain real-world experience while Des Moines area employers will have early access to cutting-edge expertise and future employees who will be essential their business success.

A recent McKinsey Global Institute study estimated that by 2018 between 290,000 and 340,000 jobs created in data retrieval, storage, and analysis will number between 290,000 and 340,000—and more than half of these are predicted to go unfilled. This forecast, along with the fact that the number of undergraduate programs in these fields is quite small (zero among Drake's peer institutions) means that students have a unique opportunity for competitive advantage by choosing to pursue a field of study in Data Analytics at Drake University.