High Demand for Data Scientists is Countrywide

Here’s Why Data Scientists Are in Demand: Companies Need More Analytics Experts

Our world is awash in data. At home, we might own an internet-connected refrigerator or ceiling fan that turns on with an Alexa command. At work, we know our company relies on business data and web connectivity for essential processes, such as using the cloud to store information or for reporting that shows how many customers bought from us last month.

While we may be adept at using smart, data-centric devices at home, we might ignore how our employer captures data unless we’re in the Information Technology department. Working outside of IT, we may only care about what company information we need to get our job done.

Thinking about the vast amount of data at work might prompt us to imagine a career solely focused on business information. We’d partner with people whose passion is to understand and mine data for rich insights. Our collective goal would be to ensure that our employer’s data provides timely, accurate information and help the company make better decisions, know more about our customers and be more competitive.

If this scenario sounds appealing to you, becoming a data scientist could be the way to make it a reality.

Explosion in Data Science Field

Some years back, people working in information management and IT began hearing about the specialty area of data science and how data scientists were in high demand and earning big salaries. Fast forward to today, and those headlines are still prevalent. This shows there’s a continued need for talented analytics and insights professionals who work in the “science of data.” (Sidenote: Searching LinkedIn’s job postings today, we found 15,043 data scientist openings in the U.S. alone!)

But what exactly does a data scientist do, you might wonder. CIO.com, a resource for chief information officers, describes the role like this:

“Data scientists are analytical data experts who use data science to discover insights from massive amounts of structured and unstructured data to help shape or meet specific business needs and goals. Data scientists are becoming increasingly important in business, as organizations rely more heavily on data analytics to drive decision-making and lean on automation and machine learning as core components of their IT strategies.”

If the next question that pops into your mind is how much money a data scientist can make, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shares these averages in its most recent Occupational Employment and Wages report:

• The median hourly wage for a data scientist is $48.52/hour, with the top 10% in the field making $80.31/hour.
• The median annual wage is $100,910, and the top 10% earn an average of $167,040 each year.

Path to Becoming a Data Scientist

By now, you may be interested in knowing the most expedient path to becoming a well-paid data scientist. With a bachelor’s degree and several advanced math courses under your belt or math-related on-the-job expertise, you could be half-way to the goal of getting a job in data science. How you cross the finish line: Enroll in a business analytics-focused master’s degree program.

The fully online Master of Science (MS) in Business Analytics degree from University of Cincinnati (UC) Lindner College of Business is capturing the attention of students across the country. The program’s roots are grounded in UC’s nationally recognized, on-campus business analytics master’s degree and our proven record in placing students at high-profile companies.

Don’t just take our word for it. Respected third parties give UC’s business analytics program high marks, including Predictive Analytics Today, which named UC as the #1 MS Data Science school in the country. Quacquarelli Symonds ranked UC as the 18th globally and seventh nationally among U.S. public universities. And the National Science Teachers group recognized UC’s degree as a STEM program, citing our “rigorous academic concepts coupled with real-world lessons as students apply science, technology, engineering and mathematics in contexts that make connections between school, community, work and the global enterprise, enabling the development of STEM literacy and with it the ability to compete in the new economy.”

Analytics Curriculum in Online Master’s Degree

One hundred percent of UC’s course curriculum is available online, meaning there’s no requirement for students to take any courses on campus, which is many analytics master’s students live outside Ohio.

The master’s MS in analytics program includes graduate-level material ideal for people who want to become a data scientist or work in another analytics-focused career, such as a market research analyst, application architect or chief technology officer.

Here’s a sneak preview of three courses you’ll find in UC Online’s business analytics program:

• Data Management – In this course, you’re introduced to the use and design of databases to store, manipulate and query data. You explore how to use structured query language (SQL) to manage data.
• Data Visualization – This course’s hands-on approach brings data visualization principles and practices to life when you create meaningful displays of quantitative and qualitative data that inform business decision-making.
• Data Wrangling –You learn the fundamental skills required to acquire, munge, transform, manipulate and visualize data in this course.

Your Next Step Toward a Data Science Career

Many of our Business Analytics degree master’s program graduates move confidently on to data scientist careers, working for companies across the nation doing meaningful work that earns them great pay and company benefits.

Now that you know a career in business analytics and data science is within your reach, ready to take the next step? Connect with a UC enrollment advisor today! Our advisors can answer any your answers — they’re experts in the online-study experience at UC. They know the support we offer, including financial aid, the upcoming start dates and the one-on-one support UC provides.

Our master’s degree in analytics professors and instructors and our UC Online staff can’t wait to meet you.