Okla. — Tulsa Community College is launching Oklahoma’s first data analytics associate degree program during its upcoming fall semester
“We’re very excited about this new program,” said David Paige, the Dean of Math and Engineering at Tulsa Community College. “At TCC, any time there is an area where students can achieve a livable wage and build success for their family, we want to be involved. Data analytics is becoming increasingly important in today’s economy. Every type of institution uses data. It could be a nonprofit. It could be a corporation. It could be us even at Tulsa Community College. We want our students to be part of those opportunities because it’s a degree and a career that gives you a lot of flexibility for the various directions you can go.”
Paige explained why the need for data analysts has been steadily growing the past couple of years.
“As the economy understands more and more each day how to incorporate technology into its practices, data analytics, companies and institutions have been collecting and producing more and more data as the years go by. The more data that you have, the more people that you need to analyze the data, turn that data into actionable decisions that you can apply to better increase your own success as an institution.”
While some people might be concerned this type of job is likely to be overtaken by AI, Kirstin Krug, TCC’s Director of Institutional Research, Reporting and Analytics, said it’s unlikely that’s something that will happen any time soon.
“I don’t think that there’s going to be a student that hits the market that won’t be exposed to AI in their capacity when doing data analytics,” said Krug. “I think it’s the importance of how do you ethically collaborate with AI to bring about those insights? I don’t think that AI is at the level of critical thinking that an analyst could apply. It’s a matter of good judgement and oversight and using AI to do more of the mundane things [that] are part of data.”
The program offers both a two year associate degree program or a one year certification program.
Paige said the program is designed to allow students to easily continue with their education or with finding employment after completing either option.
“We are threading the needle in the sense that this is an associate’s degree and so we’re trying to accomplish two things with it. Number one, complete a certificate or degree with us—a two year degree or a one year certificate—and you can get employed right away. You’ve got the skills immediately after you complete our program to get a job in data analytics, but we also want it to be applicable for transfer to a bachelor’s degree. You can take our program, graduate, get a job and then work your way towards a bachelor’s degree or beyond so that your income opportunities, employment opportunities, just increase from there.”
Paige said TCC’s introduction of the first data analytics associate degree program in the state shows how TCC strives to be forward thinking and to create exciting career opportunities for its students.
To learn more about TCC’s data analytics program, click here.
