New business analytics master's degree to address shortage

Board of Regents approves new online program 
 

Feb. 13, 2023 - A new master’s degree program at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls will fill a growing need in the business sector, helping fulfill demand for more data analysts and data-informed professionals, university officials said. 

The UW System Board of Regents voted Friday to approve an online master of science in business analytics degree program at UW-River Falls. UW-River Falls officials said they proposed the new master’s degree program in response to growing demand for business analytics workers and related business professionals.

The program is scheduled to begin in the fall and will consist of 30 graduate credits. Full-time students will be able to complete the program in one year and part-time students in two years.  

Dawn Hukai, interim dean of both the College of Business and Economics and the College of Education and Professional Studies, said the new program is needed as demand for data analysts and related business professionals continues to grow.  

“Effective communication between organizational management and data analysts is essential,” she said. “Analysts must understand how leaders use information to create it effectively and efficiently. In turn, managers need to be able to interpret the information provided by analysts.”

Statistics show the need for the kinds of skills the program will teach. For example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that demand for data analyst positions will grow about 20% by 2028. A search of jobs related to “business analytics” revealed 1,975 full-time job listings within a 100-mile radius of the Twin Cities, with almost half of those positions requiring a graduate degree. UW-River Falls is a half hour drive from Minneapolis-St. Paul. 

Those figures show “a growing need for graduates with technical, data and management skills,” the kinds of abilities the new program will teach, said Wes Chapin, associate vice chancellor of academic affairs and graduate studies at UW-River Falls. 

“Students will complete courses from economics, management, and marketing, making the program truly multi-disciplinary and preparing them well. Graduates will be well-positioned to advance in their chosen profession,” Chapin said.

University officials expect that 20 students will enroll in the program the first year. After five years, they expect 150 to have enrolled and 130 graduates.

Teaching the course online recognizes the busy schedules of business professionals and the need for adult learners to have flexible schedules, Hukai said.

For more information, email Program Director Leanne Van Allen at leanne.vanallen@uwrf.edu.