Developing UW master's degree would focus on data

STEVENS POINT – The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point may be one of six campuses to offer a new Master of Science in data science degree starting in the fall if the program earns one last approval.

The degree would be earned entirely online and consists of 12 courses for a total of 36 credits. If the degree program earns approval from the Higher Learning Commission, a regional accrediting organization in the United States, students can start working through the courses as early as September.

The program has earned approval of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents.

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point plans to offer the degree, along with campuses located in Green Bay, Oshkosh, Eau Claire, La Crosse and Superior.

"We are on track to fulfill all the original commitments of getting this program running," said Robert Dollinger, a UWSP professor who helped develop the degree.

The courses will be offered in the fall and spring to start out, he said, but some courses may be offered during the summer depending on demand. Courses will cover topics such as data mining, data analytics, big data and communication about data, he said.

Students interested in the program must have a bachelor's degree and a 3.0 grade point average, according to a release from the University of Wisconsin Extension.

Dollinger said students who earn the degree will be prepared to work in any field that collects and analyzes data, such as insurance, government, transportation, social media and health care.

"Everybody does analytics or wants to do analytics, because they know that that improves competitiveness," he said.

The skills would be applicable in educational software, for example, said Ray Ackerlund, vice president of marketing & product management at Skyward.

"Certainly in education what we are seeing is a dramatic increase in using analytics to help improve student performance," he said.

Ackerlund said Skyward does not specifically recruit employees who have a degree in data science but that the background would make someone a desirable employee. He said the company uses data in multiple aspects of its operation.

"People getting that training really know how to interpret data," he said. "It's not an easy task. It takes a lot of experience and work and knowledge to be able to look at and understand what it is really saying from an output perspective."

Sari Lesk can be reached at 715-345-2257. Follow her on Twitter as @Sari_Lesk .