On the heels of Belmont’s recent launch of a new hospitality program, the University announced today the initiation of two additional new majors designed to meet the growing tech and business sectors both in Nashville and throughout the U.S. New programs in Business Systems and Analytics and Data Science will feed trending data-driven fields by preparing students for careers that blend a strong business acumen with information systems and data analytics. Both programs are currently accepting students for Fall 2019.
According to a May 2019 article on CNBC.com, the field of data science leads the rankings of the “Best Jobs of 2019” with positive forecasts related to job growth, work environments and position stress levels. Recent studies reported on by the Nashville Technology Council indicated robust regional potential as well with median salaries around $70,000 for business and information analysts. Salary estimators from such sites as Glassdoor, LinkedIn, and PayScale suggest median salaries in the mid-80s for entry level Data Scientists in the Nashville area. Moreover, the launch of these programs at Belmont comes as Middle Tennessee welcomes an array of new global businesses, including the impending arrivals of Amazon, AllianceBernstein and Oracle, among others.
Both majors represent collaborative efforts that have incorporated input from numerous industry partners representing major companies headquartered locally including Nissan North America, HCA, Cat Financial, Tractor Supply, Asurion and Meharry Medical College along with leading Data Scientists from Eventbrite, Digital Reasoning, Axial Healthcare, Perception Health, and GitLab among others. That input—combined with information gathered from Belmont alumni and a cross-section of business, science, mathematics and computer science faculty—led to the development of programs that prepare students for the growing demand for IT professionals and data analysts.
Belmont Provost Dr. Thomas Burns said, “The world is changing at an incredibly rapid pace, and Belmont is committed to anticipating market needs to assure our graduates stay in high demand. It’s our responsibility to provide the education students need to succeed in the present and future workforce. By collaborating with leading Nashville companies, we’re ensuring our curriculum is equipping students with the right skills while also forging partnerships that give Belmont graduates better access to internships and careers.”
These programs provide students with numerous entry points for internships and employment that span all industries and functional areas. Both programs prepare graduates to manage and transform data to explain trends, predict future performance and explain solutions to drive business strategy, which are skills coveted by employers. The differences in the two programs come primarily with the students’ desired coursework path to achieve the optimal result for their individual career goals.
The Data Science major, housed in Belmont’s College of Science and Mathematics, will engage students with industry and academic communities through guest lecturers, internships, data projects, industry office hours and a Data Scientist in Residence from the student’s first class through to a successful career and/or graduate school. The Data Science program prepares students for career paths including data analyst, data engineer, data scientist, and many others that are open to candidates with strong analytical, problem-solving, technical and communication abilities.
The Business Systems and Analytics major, which is housed in the Massey College of Business, allows students to choose from one of three tracks depending on their desired career path. The Business Systems track is designed for students who desire to serve as the “bridge” between business leaders and IT specialists while the Business Analytics track is designed for students who want to analyze data to solve business problems. A multi-disciplinary track is designed for students who want to pursue a career that combines data analytics and information systems with other business courses.
Click here for additional information on the Business Systems and Analytics program.
Click here for additional information on the Data Science program.
