The terms “data science” or “analytics,” in a basic sense, describe the process of obtaining actionable insights from data stored by companies or institutions. For companies such as Amazon or Google, this could mean analyzing consumers’ online search patterns to match them with products or advertisements they’re more likely to be interested in. For others, analytics puts the company itself under the microscope, using data to streamline internal operations.

 

BAT is designed to be highly experiential and includes upper-level classes where students must complete at least one major project per class, in partnership with local businesses. All these projects form a portfolio before graduation, which gives students like Roland, a BAT major, an inside track to top-notch internship and job opportunities along with a growing network of Trinity’s BAT alumni.

“Everyone is trying to hire more data analysts,” Roland says. “The skills the BAT major gives you are empowering: working with data is something that gives you a voice.”

 

Looking beyond Trinity’s campus and into the workplace has been a constant goal for  Jorge Colazo, chair of the Department of Finance and Decision Sciences. Colazo, one of the creators of the BAT degree, says the program is “one of the first, and one of the best, undergraduate degrees in analytics and data science in the country.”

“When I started researching the U.S. higher education market in 2012, I could identify only two programs in the country remotely similar to what I was envisioning with our BAT degree,” Colazo notes. “One year later, when we started rolling out the first BAT classes, there were only six other institutions offering this type of degree. Last year, when we were already graduating the second cohort of BAT majors, there were 38 others. I am proud that Trinity is at the cutting edge of this trend.”

 

And as more Trinity students strive to discover their own career path — like so many puzzle pieces searching for a sweet spot — Roland urges them to consider BAT as the “missing piece” that lets them fit into any part of the board they choose.

“You can use data to improve anything,” Roland says. “That’s what makes this career field so exciting – this isn’t limited to computing, or commerce: you could end up anywhere.”

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