VCU news

By Leila Ugincius

The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business will offer a weekend master’s program in decision analytics beginning in the fall 2014 semester.

The class — geared toward mid-career professionals — will meet every other Friday and Saturday for 15 months. Graduates will earn a Master of Science in Business with a concentration in Decision Analytics.

"Nationally and locally, there's a growing need for employees with advanced analytics skills," said School of Business Dean Ed Grier. "At VCU, we have the expertise and experience to provide an executive-style format to area professionals with the flexibility that does not disrupt their current careers."

The first class is slated to begin in August 2014, with degrees conferred in December 2015.

According to global management consultant McKinsey & Co., the demand for people with "deep analytic" skills will exceed the available workers by as much as 60 percent by 2018. The skill gap is creating rewarding job opportunities for people with the aptitude, education and skills to perform advanced data analytics.

The VCU program, which is not application specific, will prepare students for positions in advanced analytics functions that are relevant to all applications. Furthermore, a series of guest speakers will expose students to a variety of applications.

“A professional track master’s program in analytics at VCU will make waves in our business community, giving organizations the human capital they need to further their gains in intelligence," said Michael G. Bland, president of Richmond-based B&B Printing and a member of the program's advisory board. "Not having a workforce that can operate as a team to gather, manage and interpret data would be detrimental to innovation and ultimately stifle growth in Richmond and surrounding areas.”

An information session on the new program will be held Friday, Nov. 15, at Snead Hall, 301 W. Main St., Room B3106. To reserve a space, contact Stephen W. Custer, Ph.D., assistant professor of supply chain management and analytics, at swcuster@vcu.edu.

For more information on the program, visit business.vcu.edu/analytics.