Data Analytics

Dataanalysis is the process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming and modelingdata with the goal of discovering useful information and supportingdecision-making. Almost all industries examine large amounts of data to uncoverhidden patterns, correlations and other insights. This degree will start you ona path to finding the answers needed in any environment by teaching how to workwith and understand the data. For the degree, students must fulfill thefollowing major requirements with grades of “C” or better, complete a minimumof 60 degree-applicable semester units (12 of which must be completed at SierraCollege) with a grade point average of at least 2.0 and complete one of thefollowing three general education patterns:

SierraCollege Associate Degree Requirements;

CaliforniaState University General Education Breadth pattern;

IntersegmentalGeneral Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC).

PSLOs - Studentscompleting this program of study will:

•       Understand how data is gathered, stored and used to guide thedecision making process.

•       Demonstrate the ability to process data and create meaningfulreports, dashboards and visualizations to assist with the decision makingprocess.

•       Synthesize data from various sources to find correlations.

As a new degree we anticipate that it will takea couple years for the first degree awards to appear. A starting point of 10degree awards with a 15-20% increase annually is a modest projection. It isanticipated that this number could be higher as Business students realize the usefulnessof augmenting their skills with Data Analytics as well.

Companiesof all sizes and industries are relying on data to drive business decisions.The amount of data being gathered each minute, hour and day is growingexponentially. Basic tools such as spreadsheets are no longer enough to handlethe massive workload of data analytics needed to support these businesses.

The fieldof data science is growing as quickly at the data storehouses, and many Masterslevel programs exist to prepare top analysists, but in many cases the skillsets needed do not require a 6-year study program, the goal of this program isto get students ready to enter the workforce of data analysis in entry levelpositions with the skills needed to support the decision makers.

Some ofthese students may decide to transfer and continue with their training, butmost will be applying the skills they learn as they learn them in current workenvironments. Some students may have already completed higher level degrees andsimply return to update their skills to stay competitive in their currentfield.

The goal of this program is to supply knowledge workers for the 21st Centuryjobs. Skills such as how to store, access and cleanse both structured andunstructured data are critical. Understanding the use and limitations ofinformation systems such as ERPs (Enterprise Resource Planning), CRMs (CustomerRelationship Management) and SCM (Supply Chain Management) are crucial to thesuccess of todays workers. Being able to provide visual displays of theanalysis results in Dashboards and Drill Down reports is imperative to thedecision-making process. These are the skills that students will master whencompleting this 2-year program of study.

An additional 35units of appropriate GE and Elective credits will be required to complete this degree.