Posted on April 13, 2022 by Wendy Frost
The Master of Science in Statistics and Data Science program in the UTSA Carlos Alvarez College of Business has been ranked 79 th in the United States by U.S. News and World Report in their 2023 Best Graduate Schools rankings.
U.S. News and World Report collected statistical survey data from more than 2,150 programs and reputational survey data from more than 23,000 academics and professionals as part of their comprehensive rankings.
“This ranking celebrates the academic excellence of our program, the caliber of our students and the top-tier faculty that lead it,” said Wenbo Wu, interim chair of the Department of Management Science and Statistics.
The Alvarez College’s STEM-designated M.S. in Statistics and Data Science program trains students to enter the workforce in the high-demand data science and analytics field.
“Our program focuses on building a solid, fundamental understanding of modern statistics and machine learning models, but also teaches students how to utilize and apply these models in practice,” said Wu, the Graham Weston Endowed Professor. “By being part of a business school, we have the opportunity to broaden the application aspect of statistics.”
“I liked the program at UTSA because I found that in other schools, the statistics program was in the math department, not in business,” said Thomas Smith, a current graduate student in the program. “What I really liked about this program is it is giving students real-world experience versus just learning the mathematical theories.”
Coursework includes instruction in designing experiments, statistical inference and modeling, making predictions and forecasts and analyzing complex data sets. Students also receive extensive training in the use of statistical tools R, SAS and Python.
“Our program offers students a lot of flexibility in terms of course offerings and scheduling so we attract both full-time students and working professionals,” said Wu. “Our program will also be affiliated with the new School of Data Science, which will provide students with more interdisciplinary connections.”
The Alvarez College of Business also offers a B.S. in Statistics and Data Science and a Ph.D. in Applied Statistics in addition to the graduate degree program. Related program offerings include a B.B.A. in Business Analytics, a B.B.A. in Actuarial Sciences and a M.S. in Data Analytics that support the college’s applied quantitative academic focus.
Each year, U.S. News ranks graduate school programs in business, education, engineering, law, medicine and nursing, including specialties in each area. The ranking system utilized inputs, or measures of the qualities that students and faculty bring to the educational experience; and outputs, or measures of graduates’ achievements linked to their degrees, to determine the rankings.
— Wendy Frost
