The development of WilmU’s Bachelor of Science in Business Analytics degree came to fruition in May of 2015; its first course was offered in the fall of 2016; and three of its students graduated in January.
Alec Garbayo, who transferred to WilmU from Delaware Technical Community College, believes the Business Analytics program prepared him for a promising career.
They completed the program by working on a semester-long project that required them to analyze the customer database of a large telecommunications company. This resulted in recommendations to target service offerings to its customers.
The program’s co-op work experience and internship requirements allow students to use the data skills they learn in the classroom in a real-world business setting, reflecting WilmU’s emphasis on practical experiences that build students’ résumés before graduation. The hands-on, practical capstone project illustrates the focus on job readiness for graduates of the Business Analytics program.
“Traditional college courses give great measures of competency and persistence,” says Richard Cole, CIO of College Avenue Student Loans in Wilmington, Delaware. However, he adds, “Undertakings outside of traditional classes, like internships, co-ops, and perhaps a portfolio of personal projects further help identify how a job prospect’s professional interests and analytical skills align with the needs of an organization.”
Alec Garbayo, a 23-year-old working adult and Delaware Technical Community College transfer student, hoped to upgrade his career prospects and thought a Business Analytics degree was a logical step. “I learned a lot and now feel more than equipped to enter the workforce,” he says of WilmU’s program. “What really stood out to me in the program was the small class sizes. This made for optimum learning. Each professor’s attention to detail was great, and each once worked or currently works in the field of analytics.”
Blending business, statistics and technology, students acquire the skills necessary to extract, analyze, organize and present data to guide successful business decision-making. In today’s data-driven job market, business analytics grads are in high demand.
—John Sparco and Lynda Fuller
Business Analytics is offered online and face-to-face. For more information, visit wilmu.edu/business.