Ferris has announced the addition of a data science and analytics bachelor’s degree to the College of Business’s major offerings.
The College of Business has offered a master’s degree of the same title for several years, but the program is now expanding to offer undergraduate studies.
The program will be fully online format, beginning in the fall of 2025, while the master’s degree is online and face-to-face.
The College of Business will also offer students the opportunity to complete the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in a dual degree style, with full completion of both taking about five years total.
Professor of data analytics and statistics Elies Kouider explained that students in this program will have the opportunity to have hands-on experience with the software platforms used in the industry.
“Our program is hands-on, and everything needs to be done with software,” Kouider said. “The software that they use is one of the best in the world.”
Kouider also noted that students will learn information in a variety of sectors, including programming, data warehousing and intelligence, visual data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning and software engineering.
Students will also have the opportunity to select six courses near the end of the program to create a concentration of study.
The concentration can range anywhere from programming to AI technology studies.
While Ferris has offered similar programs at the College of Business, such as a business data analytics degree and a data analytics certificate, this program seeks to expand the opportunities for students.
The program will have a broader focus on the entire process of data science, taking students through every phase of the data collection and analysis process.
Students pursuing the degree will learn about collecting data and determining variable associations within that data, as well as how to transform data into a usable form, construct data models and deploy data for use in the real world.
The data science and analytics undergraduate program is the newest addition to Ferris’ growing online course offerings, following the Master’s of Social Work program moving to fully online delivery.
Kouider expressed concern that a fully online delivery may lose out on certain students taking advantage of the opportunity, particularly international students.
Pre-optometry freshman Tessa Wohlschlegel expressed excitement over the university expanding the programs it offers.
“That’s pretty cool, like offering more degrees, and people having more options,” Wohlschlegel said. “How they’re combining the science side with the business side is pretty cool.”
Wohlschlegel also explained that having a variety of program options gives Ferris an advantage, especially with the ability to offer smaller class sizes given the overall size of the university.
Public relations junior Izzy Toole stated that programs like this make Ferris stand out.
“In one of my marketing classes, my professor was talking about how Ferris offers a lot of different programs,” Toole said. “It’s what makes us stand out, so I think that it’s kind of cool that we offer stuff like that.”
Toole also stated that offering a degree that combines data science and analysis is important to give students a broader experience in several business fields and develop skills that will serve them well when it comes to real employment opportunities.
Kouider also stated that the timing of the degree is extremely convenient, given the high rate of growth within this industry.
“Fifteen years ago, we started the business data analytics program here at the bachelor level,” Kouider said. “Now if you count the programs, they are countless. It’s growing very fast.”
Students can register for this program when fall registration begins on March 24.