The State of Data

Education in 2016
How U.S. higher education responds
to the data skills gap
Summary
Tableau conducted a year-long study to catalogue the state of analytics education in the
United States. The study looks at which higher education institutions offer analytics
programs, and how the landscape is changing in response to the heightened demand for
analytics skills in the marketplace.

More than five years ago, the global business consultancy McKinsey predicted a shortage
of as many as 1.5 million managers and analysts with analytics know-how by 2018,
writing that “data have swept into every industry and business function and are now an
important factor of production, alongside labor and capital.”

There are currently more than 60,000 jobs in “data analytics” listed on Indeed.com. And
a report from LinkedIn recently listed data visualization, data presentation, statistical
analysis, and data mining as top in-demand skills by employers in 2016.

Indeed, analytics is cropping up in more places than ever. Executives ask for data-driven
business reviews, workers at factories turn to data to find efficiencies in production,
streaming services leverage analytics to recommend television shows to viewers, and law
enforcement agencies analyze data on trends in crimes to deploy assets effectively.

Already, data skills are a basic proficiency required at work. In the near future, all jobs will
touch data in some way.

Our study aims to identify how U.S. higher education institutions are changing and evolving
to train the next generation of data-skilled workers.

Our findings show that these changes have already begun. For example, our study shows
that business analytics programs, geared toward placing students in roles in business
analytics and data science, are increasing and tend to cluster in regions where analytics jobs
are in-demand.

This study explores questions such as:

• How accessible is analytics education to American college students?

• Where do gaps in analytics education remain?

• How are analytics programs adapting to meet changing demands?

2
Methodology
• Our research team gathered data on all Title IV institutions (as of 2014) from the
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). IPEDS presents data from a
series of interrelated surveys conducted annually by the U.S. Department of Education’s
National Center for Education Statistics. Their data includes information from every
university, college, and technical or vocational institution that participates in federal
student financial aid programs. As such, their data represents a comprehensive look at
the U.S. higher education industry.

• To determine which schools offered analytics programs, and how many, we undertook
an intensive survey of these institutions’ websites to identify:

• If the institution has one or more analytics programs;

• What these programs are called;

• Whether the program is offered at an undergraduate or graduate level;

• The type of degree offered (major, minor, concentration, certificate)

• We defined “program” as an undergraduate or graduate offering that may be classified

as a major, minor, certificate, or formal concentration or specialization.

• We conducted further verification via a follow-up survey over the phone. We reached
out to institutions that offered at least one analytics program. Out of 2,449 programs,
approximately 30 percent participated in this follow-up survey. Our phone survey
gathered additional information such as:

• The number of students currently enrolled in each program;

• Each program’s start year

3
Findings

1. The majority of national universities offer analytics programs.

Analytics programs in 2016 U.S. News top 150-ranked national universities.

This visualization shows the number of programs for national universities ranked in the top 150 by U.S. News in 2016. The
highest ranked institutions are at the top. The color indicates the number of analytics programs offered at each institution.
View the live visualization here.

All but seven of the top 150-ranked national universities by U.S. News in 2016 offer formal
analytics programs. Of those seven universities, only one is ranked in the top 75. Overall,
these institutions have an average of eight analytics programs, as compared to an average of
three analytics programs offered at other schools.

This suggests that high-performing institutions offering undergraduate, master’s and

doctoral degrees, many of which strongly emphasize research, have led the way in
recognizing the value of analytics education.

4
2. Analytics programs overall are growing rapidly, and
business analytics programs are growing the fastest.
Start dates for new analytics programs.

This visualization shows the number of new analytics programs by program start date for the institutions that responded to
our survey. The labels indicate the total number of programs and the percent of total number of programs in each start date
group. The color indicates the program start date. View the live visualization here.

According to instructors that responded to our survey, over half (52 percent) of all analytics
programs were created after 2010. This indicates tremendous growth in the field of business
analytics.

5
Trends in categories of analytics program names.

This visualization shows the number of new analytics programs by program start date for the institutions that responded to
our survey. The colors indicate the program name category. The labels indicate the total number of programs and the percent
of total number of programs in each start date group. View the live visualization here.

Specifically, business analytics and business intelligence programs tend to be new. These
programs teach the intersection of business and data science with topics like statistics,
decision models, and data visualization. Students who study business analytics and business
intelligence may pursue roles as business analysts and consultants in a variety of industries,
including financial services and technology.

In a follow-up interview, Lindsay Montanari, Associate Director of the MS in Analytics

program at Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering, said that
“companies were looking for graduates with not only the technical skills, but also the
business skills.” For this reason, their Director, Dr. Diego Klabjan, worked closely with
industry when creating their program.

Michael Rappa, founding director of the Institute for Advanced Analytics at North Carolina
State University, also said that they created their MS in Analytics program based on
employer need and that “the technical skillset is important, but that for most employers,
this was only minimally sufficient.” In addition to technical skills, Rappa noted that team
skills, communication skills, tool skills, and problem-solving skills were necessary skills for
students to acquire, all of which are part of their program.

6
Business analytics and business intelligence programs represent the third most common
category of analytics programs (behind statistics and informatics). 65 percent of analytics
programs fall into the category of either statistics or informatics and about 18 percent fall in
the business analytics and business intelligence category.

Common categories for analytics program names.

This visualization shows the percent of total number of programs for each program name category. The numbers alongside
each program name category indicate the total number of programs that fall within each category. The colors and labels
indicate the percent of total number of programs. View the live visualization here.

Statistics programs focus on the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, as well
as the effective communication and presentation of results relying on data. The majority
of informatics programs focus on bioinformatics, the science of collecting and analyzing
complex biological data, or health informatics, the study of resources and methods for the
management of health information.

Students who study statistics may go on to have careers as data scientists, statistical
scientists, or analysts in a variety of fields such as sports, business, medicine, or
government. Students who study informatics may go on to work professionally as systems
analysts, information architects, user experience designers, web design, or cybersecurity.

7
Total and average enrollment by analytics program name categories.

This visualization shows the current enrollment for each program name category for the institutions that responded to our
survey. The orange bars indicate the total current enrollment across all analytics programs and the blue circles indicate the
average enrollment per analytics program. View the live visualization here.

In addition, according to instructors that responded to our survey, the average enrollment
is higher in business analytics and business intelligence programs than statistics and
informatics programs. Business analytics and business intelligence programs average 71
students as compared to 48 and 49 for statistics and informatics programs respectively. This
may indicate a spike in student interest in degrees that can lead them into roles in business
analytics and data science.

In follow-up interviews, several program administrators credited demand for analytics

talent as a reason for investing in business analytics programs. They also indicated these
programs are often created as a response to shifts in the job market. “Our graduate
program in Business Analytics grew out of a direct request from a company who
approached us with this need,” said Jeff Cieply, Associate Director of Marketing at Indiana
University Kelley School of Business. Norman White, Clinical Professor of Information,
Operations, and Management Sciences at New York University Leonard N. Stern School of
Business, cited a similar impetus for starting their Business Analytics MBA specialization
program. “We realized a combination of skills like analytics, computer science,
visualization, and statistics is what many companies were asking for,” said White. White
also indicated that their Business Analytics program is growing significantly.

Frank Armour, MS in Analytics Program Director at American University Kogod School of

Business said that the Information Technology Executive Council – an executive advisory

8
committee of Chief Information Officers in both the public and private sectors – identified
the market need for analytics talent, contributing to the start of their MS in Analytics
program.

And Dr. Michael Hasler, Senior Lecturer and MS in Business Analytics Program Director
at the University of Texas at Austin Red McCombs School of Business, told us that the
University’s Business Analytics program was created in response to a “crushing need for
talent” from large firms.

Furthermore, institutions are creating dedicated master’s programs to fill this need. For
example, University of Notre Dame, Drexel University and the University of Southern
California have all developed new Master of Science in Business Analytics programs.

3. Nine percent of all U.S. higher-education

institutions offer analytics programs.
As of the summer of 2016, nine percent of U.S. higher education institutions offer at least
one analytics program. This equates to (at the time of this study) a total of 2,449 analytics
programs offered at 703 institutions.

Analytics programs by level and diploma type.

This visualization shows the total number of programs for each program type (major, minor, concentration, certificate)
broken down by program level (undergraduate, graduate). The color indicates the program level (undergraduate, graduate)
and the labels indicate the percent of total number of programs per program level. View the live visualization here.

9
The majority of these analytics programs at both the undergraduate and graduate level are
offered as majors, rather than as minors or certificate programs. This is a positive indication
that most students studying analytics are graduating with the intent to pursue careers in
the field.

It is also encouraging that other students are opting for at least a minor or a certificate in a
field related to analytics, indicating at least some interest in acquiring basic data skills. In
fact, instructors who responded to our survey indicated that certificate diplomas have seen
the largest growth in recent years.

4. Analytics programs are more commonly offered

at public, 4-year institutions. Several universities lead the
pack in offering the most analytics programs in the nation.
Analytics programs in 2-year vs. 4-year institutions.

This visualization shows the total number of institutions for each 2-year and 4-year institutions. The labels indicate the
total number of institutions that fall within each category and the percent of total institutions in each category. View the live
visualization here.

10
Twenty percent of all 4-year institutions in the U.S. offer at least one analytics program.

Analytics programs in public vs. private institutions.

This visualization shows the number of institutions offering at least one analytics program, broken down by the institution
control (public, private). Private includes both non-profit and for-profit institutions. The labels indicate the percent of total
institutions offering at least one analytics program. View the live visualization here.

In addition, 44.8 percent of private universities in the U.S. offer analytics programs. This
lags slightly behind their public counterparts.

Analytics programs by institution size.

This visualization shows the number of programs for each institution within each institution size group. View the live
visualization here.

11
Typically, larger institutions offer more analytics programs, with the exception of a few
outliers per size category. Outliers include Becker College, Rutgers University-Camden,
Carnegie Mellon University, University of Washington-Seattle, and George Mason University.

Institutions with the most analytics programs.

This visualization shows the institutions in descending order of number of analytics programs offered. The labels indicate the
number of programs offered at each institution. View the live visualization here.

The three institutions offering the most analytics programs are the University of
Washington-Seattle (46 programs), George Mason University (31 programs), and Carnegie
Mellon University (25 programs).

12
Institutions by number of analytics program offerings.

This visualization shows the distribution of institutions by the number of analytics programs offered. View the live
visualization here.

60 percent of institutions offer one or two analytics programs and more than 80 percent of
institutions offer five or fewer programs.

5. There is a gap in analytics education in community

colleges and other 2-year institutions.
2-year institutions such as community colleges and vocational schools generally do not offer
analytics programs. Roughly two percent of these institutions offer at least one program.

This means that there is a tremendous gap in analytics programs for students attending
2-year institutions. According to the American Association of Community Colleges,
community colleges alone serve about half of all college students in the U.S.

In follow-up interviews, several program administrators cited the lack of qualified

instructors as one of the potential challenges for schools to offer analytics programs.

Ellie Mafi-Kreft, Clinical Assistant Professor of Business Economics at Indiana University

Kelley School of Business, said that “the technical skills and business understanding
required to teach in these programs aren’t widely available.”

13
Similarly, Justin Rowland, Business Analytics Instructor at Wake Technical Community
College, said “the number one barrier to more schools, particularly 2-year institutions,
offering analytics programs is qualified teachers.”

Ramayya Krishnan, Dean of the H. John Heinz III College at Carnegie Mellon University
mentioned that research universities already have the faculty to teach in these new
programs and that there is a “real opportunity to train faculty to teach in an applied
analytics program across all other institutions.”

Community colleges typically serve a much higher proportion of minority students and
adult learners (the average age of a community college student is 28) than their 4-year
counterparts, meaning that these groups of students have much less access to analytics
education than their non-minority peers. This may contribute to a lack of diversity in the
analytics and data industries.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, enrollment at 2-year institutions
is projected to increase by 21 percent by 2025, to approximately 8.2 million students. This
compares to a 10 percent projected increase at 4-year institutions over the same time.

6. Analytics programs tend to cluster geographically

near the locations of data analysis jobs.
Geographically speaking, most higher-education analytics programs follow the jobs.

The top five markets for analytics programs are:

• New York City, NY

• Seattle, WA

• Pittsburgh, PA

• Boston, MA/Chicago, IL

• Los Angeles, CA

14
Top five cities for analytics programs.

This visualization shows the top five cities with the most number of analytics programs. The size and color of each circle on
the map indicates the number of analytics programs in each city. The length of the bars indicate the number of analytics
programs in each city. View the live visualization here.

Indeed.com lists approximately 200,000 jobs referencing data analysis skills in the U.S. as of
October 2016. Based on this, the top five markets for analytics jobs are:

• New York City, NY

• Washington, DC

• San Francisco, CA

• Boston, MA

• Chicago, IL

15
Top five cities for analytics jobs.

This visualization shows the top five cities with the most number of analytics job postings based on a sample of 1,000 job
postings from Indeed.com in October 2016 that included data analysis. The size and color of each circle on the map indicates
the number of analytics job postings in each city. The length of the bars indicate the number of job postings in each city. View
the live visualization here.

Dr. Michael Hasler, Senior Lecturer and MS in Business Analytics Program Director at the
University of Texas at Austin Red McCombs School of Business, told us that “approximately
30-40 percent of program graduates will stay in the greater Austin-area.”

In our follow-up interviews with program administrators, placement rates for graduate-
level analytics programs are in the 90-100% range for institutions like the University of
Texas at Austin, North Carolina State University, and Carnegie Mellon University.

16
Conclusion
Universities are responding to an increased demand for analytics skills at work. Far more
analytics programs are available to students today than five years ago. We heard from
several administrators that more institutions are building analytics education into other
programs, especially business-focused programs.

Michael Rappa, founding director of the Institute for Advanced Analytics at North Carolina
State University, called analytics and data science programs “one of the most significant
additions to the portfolio of graduate degrees in U.S. higher education in the past 50
years – perhaps since the advent of computer science degrees.” Rappa thinks that
virtually every major university, including most business schools, will offer one of these
new programs in the next few years. Enrollment in analytics and data science is already
outpacing most of the other graduate programs at leading universities like NC State.

However, there are opportunities to serve more students, particularly in 2-year institutions,
but also amongst 4-year public and private universities. We expect demand for analytics
skills will continue to increase. And based on our interviews, institutions will likely continue
to invest in these kinds of programs.

We have made an interactive visualization of the data behind this study available for
exploration. For more information, please visit http://tabsoft.co/DataEducation

17
About Tableau
Tableau helps people see and understand data. People use Tableau’s intuitive business analytics
software to fuel exploration, ask questions, and share insights across their organizations.
Tableau also offers complimentary licenses of its business analytics software to students and
instructors. Visit www.tableau.com/academic to learn more.

Academic Programs
Tableau offers complimentary licenses of its business analytics
software to students and instructors worldwide.

Educators
· Request complimentary licenses for you and your students
through our Tableau for Teaching program

· Access free learning resources from the Instructor Resource Page

· Use our ready-made curriculum materials to help prepare

your courses

· Collaborate with your peers in the

Tableau for Teaching User Community

Students
· Request a complimentary individual license through our
Tableau for Students program

· Access free learning resources and sample data sets from

the Student Resource Page

Tableau and Tableau Software are trademarks of Tableau Software, Inc. All other company
and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.