Analytics at Capitol: it’s not just for business students!

In today’s workplace, being able to move up the organizational ladder depends increasingly on the ability to understand data and use it effectively in making decisions. That’s true not only for management specialists but also for professionals in technological fields such as IT or engineering.

Adding data analytics expertise to technology knowhow makes for a powerful combination – and that’s one reason why Capitol is preparing to introduce new undergraduate analytics courses that will be available for all students to take, regardless of their degree program.

“We’re getting ready to roll out these courses during this school year,” said Dr. Helen Barker, dean of academics at Capitol. “While they’re focused on the business student, they’re open to students enrolled in any of our programs.”

The employment outlook in the analytics field is huge, Barker noted, with some projections estimating that around 40,000 positions will be available over the next few years. For those who wish to make analytics their main career specialization, the university will be offering a degree focus in that area.

Meanwhile, Barker said, “we’ll also be creating a certificate in the analytics area. That’s an exciting opportunity to add to any one of our technical degrees.”

Analytics is currently a central focus of two graduate degree programs at Capitol:  the master’s program in Information Systems Management, and a recently-launched PhD program in management and decision science. Both programs are based on the recognition that data is a core asset in almost any organization today, and that companies face an increasing need for personnel with the background and expertise needed to harness this asset effectively.

The new undergraduate course offerings will allow students to start building that expertise at an earlier stage in their career path, positioning them well for future advancement, Barker said.

“Helping people figure out how to make sense of that and turn the data into knowledge, thus allowing them to make better or higher level decisions, is one way in which people can move higher in an organization,” she said.  “The expectation is that higher level leadership needs to know how to make high level decisions – and knowing how best to use that data helps you do that.”

“It can  be a career booster for any of our degrees. All of them,” Barker said.