To satisfy the rapidly growing demands of the data explosion, the University of Delaware is getting its students ready. Representatives across 17 master’s, certificate and Ph.D. programs gathered at this fall’s Graduate Data Science and Analytics Open House. Prospective graduate students mingled with faculty members across an array of UD disciplines and took in presentations regarding their respective degrees.

In our own college, the M.S. in Statistics and Online M.S. in Applied Statistics both provide flexible opportunities for students to obtain their master’s degrees in the ever-growing field of statistics. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, statisticians’ rosy career prospects include a 30 percent projected job growth, a rate much faster than the three percent growth across all occupations this decade.

“The open house is to provide information about those programs, give students the opportunity to learn about the wide variety of programs that we offer through the Data Science Institute, and hopefully start themselves down the process of applying and becoming a graduate student,” explained Martin Heintzelman, chair of the Department of Applied Economics and Statistics.

The M.S. in Statistics program is a two-year, in-person program designed to provide graduates with the skills necessary for careers as statisticians and data analysts. Current undergraduate students majoring in statistics can also pursue UD’s Statistics (B.S. + M.S.) 4+1 program and receive their master’s degree in less time. 

Those wishing to become data professionals on their own schedules can do so with the Online M.S. in Applied Statistics degree. Those enrolled in this 100 percent, online program benefit from a high level of staff support and the same, well-connected faculty who teach on campus.

“The coursework is primarily designed for students who want to get their degree part-time,” explained Heintzelman. “That program usually takes two years for students to complete. Most of those students take fewer classes at a time, but they take them year-round.”

Those enrolled in either program receive a faculty advisor to point them in the direction of career opportunities. In-person students are provided with competitive internship opportunities after their first year. Global firms with operations in or around Delaware including Barclays Bank, J.P. Morgan, Chase, SallieMae, CSL Behring, and FMC are just a handful of examples of where Blue Hens have received internship offers. For the 2021-22 academic year, three-fourths of eligible students received internship offers.

“These firms will hire our students as interns for 12 months and many of those interns go on to get full-time offers after they graduate at those companies,” commented Heintzelman. “So, that’s a really great path for those students to start their careers.”

Whether or not students end up working full-time at their internship companies, the overall marketplace is hungry for their expertise. As digitally stored data grows and more companies do business online, the need for statisticians is only expected to grow exponentially.

“We’ve found that basically we cannot produce enough of the students in these master’s degree programs for the marketplace," Heintzelman attested. 

Across the entire University, faculty members’ research and industry connections are key in graduate student success. 

“UD is an Carnegie R1 research university with access to incredible data, both of its own

making, and available from our collaborators,” said Richard Braun, founding director of the M.S. in Data Science program. “Our faculty are accomplished award winners

breaking new ground in the methods and are advancing the domain knowledge where they work. Students have gone on to work with top tech and financial companies, as well as Ph.D. study in a variety of fields. UD helps graduates achieve their goals.”