KU launches new online data analytics program to meet growing demand and career opportunities

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Feb. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- KU is launching a new Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) with a concentration in Applied Data Analytics in the School of Professional Studies (SPS). It will be offered online through the KU Edwards Campus beginning in fall 2023, giving students with an associate degree or equivalent hours, who have a strong interest in information technology, an opportunity to enter this growing field.

Stuart Day, dean of the KU Edwards Campus and School of Professional Studies, believes a BPS with a Concentration in Applied Data Analytics program addresses a growing demand for employees with these skill sets across the Kansas City area.

"The Applied Data Analytics concentration offers practical and applied training in data analytics, operational analytics, research analysis, big data, and data management," said Day. "It provides students with highly valued and relevant skills to help them achieve their career goals."

According to Heather McCain, interim director, Information Technology, who helped develop the new program, this concentration will give students a strong foundation in professional management as well the opportunity to develop their data science skills while solving real-world problems.

"Courses will provide students with fundamental concepts of designing and maintaining database projects as well as storytelling concepts to best communicate the information that data is trying to tell," Cain said.

The job market for data analysts is growing rapidly, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with jobs in a variety of sectors and at very competitive salaries.

The new BPS with a Concentration in Applied Data Analytics is supported by the Johnson County Education Research Triangle (JCERT) and aims to graduate professionals ready to fill in-demand jobs in the Kansas City area and beyond.

About The University of Kansas

The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. The KU Edwards Campus in Overland Park, KS, brings the high-quality academic, professional, and continuing education programs as well as research and public-service benefits of KU to the Greater Kansas City community to serve the workforce, economic and community development needs of the region.

For more information contact:
Susan Motley at [email protected] or 913-897-8573

SOURCE University of Kansas Edwards Campus