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Appalachian's 36-hour Master of Science in Applied Data Analytics degree will provide students with not only the technical skills to work with data, but also the ability to do so within the business context. This degree started in Spring 2017 and is growing tremendously each semester. This program is STEM designated, which means international students can stay in the United States for an additional 24 months after graduation to participate in on-the-job training.

Organizations increasingly rely upon both structured and unstructured large-scale data for operational and strategic decision-making. This program develops business professionals who understand and can apply data analytics concepts, techniques and tools to promote effective organizational decision-making and problem-solving. The U.S. Bureau of Labor predicts a 24 percent increase in demand for jobs with data analytics skills over the next eight years.

We offer rolling admission so you can start your program in the fall, spring or summer. The MS in Applied Data Analytics provides individualized attention through dedicated career services and academic advising as well soft-skills and professional development. Students in the program will benefit from alumni and business networking events, as well as collaboration activities that are extremely important in the process of building future leaders. Wherever you find yourself in life, you can always call on an Appalachian graduate for help, advice and support.

This graduate business degree program offers the following concentrations, plus an interdisciplinary track for those wanting a more general educational experience.

• Sustainability Analytics – Companies are finding that sustainability initiatives save costs and streamline processes. Students will learn how to collect, clean and analyze data on a wide range of sustainability-related factors, such as energy and resource use/re-use as well as greenhouse gas emissions. Students will use the latest tools and techniques to assist companies in making data-driven decisions about sustainability-related initiatives as well as improve their overall resource efficiency.
• Supply Chain Analytics – The supply chain plays a prominent role in a company’s efficiency and profitability. In this concentration, students will gain understanding of data relevant to logistics and supply chain management including customer, product, inventory, transportation and suppliers. Students will learn to formulate strategies for data collection and aggregation, approaches for analysis of supply chain data, integration of results of analyses to better understand logistics and supply chain performance, and learn to develop improvement strategies based on results of data analyses.
• Health Care Analytics – The healthcare industry as a whole is becoming more data-driven. Healthcare organizations leverage data analytics to enhance the customer experiences and improve efficiency on a large scale. In this concentration, students will gain understanding of topics relevant to health care including health care legislation, IT governance, techniques, tools and processes currently used to collect, manage and analyze data by health care organizations.
• Marketing Analytics – Marketing analytics comprises the processes and technologies that enable marketers to evaluate the success of their marketing initiatives. In this concentration, students will learn techniques and procedures involved in the collection, processing, analysis and organization of marketing information both in the U.S. and abroad through applied methods such as in-depth case analysis, simulations and/or marketing projects.

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Application Essentials

Admission Requirements: Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university; complete application to the Graduate School; official general GMAT or GRE exam scores; evidence of knowledge in requisite subject matter through undergraduate course work, documented work experience or completion of the accelerated prerequisite program before taking graduate course work in those subjects. To be considered for admission, applicants must meet the criteria for admission to the Graduate School. Meeting these conditions does not guarantee admission.

Students applying to the MS in Applied Data Analytics who need prerequisite courses have the option of an accelerated prerequisite program. The accelerated program offers a range of self-paced courses that are designed to be used as prerequisites to a core set of courses in graduate business education. This will allow the MS in Applied Data Analytics to be open to all undergraduate majors who wish to apply and finish the degree in one year.

Minimum criteria include the following:

• An earned undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university
• Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0
• Official transcripts from all programs attended
• GMAT or GRE test score (no older than 5 years) from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). Each is equally accepted. Test scores are applied toward a minimum formula score, including the GPA.
• Three letters of recommendation
• Resume
• For international students, a test of English Proficiency: either TOEFL or IELTS. The test date must be within two years of the date of application. An application will not be reviewed until we receive satisfactory scores. The TOEFL minimum score is 79 with no subsection under 11. The IELTS minimum score is 6.5.
• Other graduate school and/or program requirements as relevant.

Basic Conditions for Consideration of Admission: Meeting or exceeding the required conditions does NOT guarantee admission. All applications for a given entry term will be weighed based upon the number of seats available and the quality of the complete application packages. With special permission from the Graduate School, a program may admit a limited number of students with exceptional circumstances who do not meet the graduate school minimums.

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