Welcome to the undergraduate major in Data Analytics! The major leads to the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in the College of Arts and Sciences and is a truly interdisciplinary program. This website provides all the information you need to get started in the major, including the major’s requirements and information on applying to the major. When we started the major in 2014 it was one of the first of its kind at a major research university. Now there are over 385 students at Ohio State University pursuing the Data Analytics major. We celebrated our first graduating class in 2017, and we are excited to continue to welcome new students into the program.
Data analytics is the application of fundamental scientific principles towards the analysis of large, complex data sets. Practitioners in this rapidly growing field have expertise that cuts across core disciplines of computer science and statistics, as well as critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills. With this in mind, we have structured the major to have three main components.
The core focuses on principles that are fundamental to all areas of data analytics and consists of courses taken by all majors. In these courses, students investigate the computational, mathematical and statistical foundations of data analytics, and develop critical thinking and communication skills.
To complement the core, each student chooses a specialization within the major. The specialization is where students learn how the core fundamentals are applied in a particular field. The five specializations currently available in the major are Biomedical and Public Health Analytics, Business Analytics, Computational Analytics, Data Visualization, and Social Science Analytics.
Finally, each student in the major participates in a capstone experience that integrates principles from the core and specialization to help formulate and solve problems.
Career prospects in data analytics are very promising. Although it is a relatively new field, data science and analytics has been described by the Harvard Business Review as the “sexiest job of the 21st century.” LinkedIn has rated Statistical Analysis and Data Mining as the top skills that led to employment in 2014, and, as reported in CBS Moneywatch in 2018, "Data Scientist" has been the "best job" for the past three years running. A degree in data analytics will prepare you to work in a wide range of fields. Companies both locally and nationally are actively recruiting employees who have core and specialized skills in data analytics.
This is an exciting time for data science and analytics at The Ohio State University. Soon after the creation of the DA major, the university named data analytics a focus area of its Discovery Themes initiative, and the University's Translational Data Analytics Institute (TDAI) was created as part of the university-wide effort to bring together Ohio State faculty, students and industry and community partners to advance scholarship and practice in data science and analytics. As part of this initiative, the university developed a state-of-the-art facility in Pomerene Hall and is currently hiring new faculty members in all areas of data analytics. These investments are leading to new and enhanced educational experiences and research opportunities for undergraduates in the Data Analytics major.
If you are interested in majoring in Data Analytics, we suggest that you review the requirements for the major and discuss your interests with our academic advisor. Please also feel free to email us with questions about the major at data-analytics@osu.edu.
Sincerely,
Christopher Hans, Associate Professor of Statistics
Srinivasan Parthasarathy, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering
Co-directors of the Data Analytics Major