Data Analytics Major
Today, the biggest decisions depend on data, no matter the company or industry. Learn how to uncover trends and more transformative insights in Drake University’s Data Analytics program.
Zimpleman College of Business | On-Campus
Program Options
Drake’s Data Analytics major is part business and part math and technology. Two different degree paths let you choose which to emphasize.
B.S. in Data Analytics
You’ll build a foundation in the advanced mathematical techniques needed to take a deep dive into data in our Bachelor of Science program, offered through the College of Arts and Sciences. Study topics including computer science, bioinformatics, statistics, and game theory, and explore related and outside disciplines through flexible electives.
B.S.B.A. in Data Analytics
Incorporate data into management practice through the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration program, offered through the Zimpleman College of Business. You’ll study topics such as marketing, finance, corporate law, and organizational behavior, applying statistics and computer science to drive informed decision-making.
Data Analytics Minor
This 20-credit minor provides an overview of fundamental topics in the field, including computer science, machine learning, database management, and statistics. You’ll graduate with a better idea of the ways to put data to work—giving you a leg up in the job market.
Marketing Analytics Track
Today’s digital marketing environment allows organizations to target audiences more closely than ever before. But which audiences are most receptive? In this optional track open to any Data Analytics major, you’ll learn how to pinpoint campaigns to reach exactly who you want.
Sports Communication Track
In today’s data-driven sports landscape, teams rely on data analytics to grow audiences, engage with fans, and select effective strategies on the field. This optional track equips B.S.B.A. in Data Analytics students with the tools to translate data-driven insights into impactful communication strategies that resonate across the sports world.
Meet the Faculty
Drake’s Data Analytics faculty conduct research in topics such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer vision, economic forecasting, accessible computing, and other vital areas—and they’ve also worked extensively in corporate situations, putting theory to work.
Lendie Follett, PhD
Associate Professor, Business Analytics; Department Chair, Actuarial Science, Analytics, and Information Systems
Alanah Mitchell, PhD
Dean, Zimpleman College of Business; Aliber Distinguished Professor of Information Systems
Outside the Classroom
Data is a transformative tool—one that adds action to ideas, context to broad strategies, and results to research hypotheses. You’ll explore these relationships on campus and then through internships and industry partnerships.
Community Engagement and Capstone
At Drake, you’ll move past problem sets to solve real-world problems. Classes and a culminating capstone project pair you with local organizations like Principal, Wells Fargo, DMARC Food Pantry, and Habitat for Humanity.
Mentorship Programs
Looking for a head start on your career? Our Wellmark BlueX and Vermeer Digital Bulldogs programs connect you with mentors from leading companies and open the door to job prospects long before you graduate.
Research
Join faculty and fellow students in pushing the bounds of data analytics as you complete research in areas like sports analytics, data science for economics, computer vision, and accessible computing.
Internships
Des Moines is a hub for insurance and financial services, politics, bioscience, publishing, advanced manufacturing, and other industries that embrace data’s potential—giving you easy access to on-the-job experience through internships.
Student Clubs
Meet working professionals and other students in campus organizations such as the Drake Association of Technology Advancement (DATA), Women in STEM, and student chapters of professional fraternities. Explore all Zimpleman and Arts and Sciences organizations.
Scholarships
Students who demonstrate financial need and identify as part of an underrepresented group in tech may receive our Community of Digital Excellence (CODE) scholarship, which carries a $5,000 award.
Careers & Skills
Data is everywhere. So are our graduates: they find work in a broad range of fields, including science, marketing, health care, finance, sports, politics, and insurance. Typically, they work as data scientists, data analysts, data engineers, or business analysts.
Whatever direction you go, you’ll be in demand. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 70,000 jobs for data scientists will be created in the next decade—a jump of 36%.
Employers
- Cargill
- Caterpillar
- Hy-Vee
- Intel
- Meredith
- Nationwide Insurance
Skills
- Identify trends and relationships, forecast, and make predictions with data.
- Design and execute data-centric experiments.
- Formulate data analytics problems.
- Clearly communicate what you learn.
- Use machine learning and artificial intelligence to mine structured and unstructured data.
- Statistical modeling and probability.
Salary & Growth Outlook
Median salary for data scientists in 2024. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Take the Next Step
Data doesn’t lie. Drake’s Data Analytics major gives you the tools to understand exactly what it’s trying to tell you.
