University News
IBHE Approves New Graduate Program in Applied Statistics and Decision Analytics
September 15, 2015
MACOMB, IL - - The Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) approved a new graduate program, Master of Science in Applied Statistics and Decision Analytics, at Western Illinois University, beginning Spring 2016.
The new degree program is a 36-semester hour curriculum designed to provide students with a firm foundation of statistical analysis and modeling commonly used in many fields, including education, science, technology, healthy care, government, business or social science research. Students in this program will be trained on industry-standard software packages and gain modern analytical skills.
According to Tej Kaul, chair of the WIU Department of Economics and Decision Sciences, the degree is intended for graduates from undergraduate programs in quantitative and biological sciences, mathematics, sociology, psychology, business, computer sciences, physics, engineering and education, as well as working professionals who desire to sharpen their data-analysis and analytical statistical methods.
"Western's program in applied statistics and decision analytics has a unique focus on applied statistics and decision analytics," Kaul said. "The program seeks to combine the course work of statistical decision making and analytic tools to meet the demand for skilled workers in the U.S. and Illinois job markets. With three Fortune 100 companies in the region—John Deere, Caterpillar and State Farm—the degree program should address strong regional needs and/or a shortage of graduates in the fields of applied statistics and decision analytics.
"It directly supports WIU's strong commitments to teaching and instruction," he added.
The WIU Department of Economics and Decision Sciences also offers a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Business Analytics and a Master of Arts in Economics.
For more information, or to apply, visit wiu.edu/grad.
Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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