Wake Technical Community College (Wake Tech) is the largest of the 58 community colleges in the North Carolina Community College System, enrolling more than 70,000 students a year. It is a two-year, public institution with an open door admissions policy, serving the 1,000,000+ residents of Wake County with five campuses, two training centers, and multiple community sites, and online. It is also one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the United States.

Wake Tech's mission is to improve and enrich lives by meeting the lifelong education, training, and workforce development needs of the community. The college's vision is to exceed the expectations of stakeholders for effective lifelong education, training, and workforce development by providing world-class programs and services. Doubling its student population in the last 10 years, Wake Tech and its faculty are firmly committed to providing innovative education that surpasses traditional community college offerings and prepares students for the demands of today's workplace.

Reflective of its future forward thinking, Wake Tech was awarded a $2.9 million Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant in October 2012 to launch the first and only Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Business Analytics in the nation. A McKinsey report, Big Data: The next frontier for innovation, competition, and productivity (2011), predicted a shortage of talent in data analysis as soon as 2018; shortages of 140,000-190,000 workers and as many as 1.5 million managers and analysts with analytical data skills. The AAS in Business Analytics is designed to bridge this skills gap and provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and growth in analytical professions.

Students may register for the AAS degree as well as for any of six 12-credit certificates in Business Intelligence, Business Analyst, Finance Analytics, Marketing Analytics, Database Analytics, and Logistics Analytics. An accelerated program is also available that allows students to complete a certificate in two semesters, completely online.

The Business Analytics program prepares students for world-recognized industry certifications. It has an active advisory board of industry representatives who provide input on the curriculum and its relevance for today's industry needs. The program focuses on real-world applications of concepts through the use of projects and case studies that rely on actual data; students are also encouraged to bring their own work projects into the classroom. Courses are offered in online, hybrid, and seated formats. Competitive tuition, open-door enrollment, flexible scheduling options, access to industry-recognized tools, and a variety of credential options make enrollment in the program both accessible and affordable.

Future plans include the creation of a free Business Analytics MOOC, and a Summer Institute. In addition, the program intends to provide support to nonprofit and charity organizations in need of analytics and data-related assistance.

For more information, contact Walter Martin, Dean of Business and Public Services Technologies, or Tanya Scott, Director of the Business Analytics Department.

References

McKinsey Global Institute. (2011). Big data: The next frontier for innovation, competition, and productivity. Retrieved from http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/business_technology/big_data_the_next_frontier_for_innovation