Dr. Dawn Owens, a clinical associate professor in the Jindal School, knows business is increasingly driven by data — facts, statistics, numbers and other quantifiable information about operations, customers and more. Owens also knows companies disregard data at their peril; ignoring it can put their organizations at a competitive disadvantage and lead to bad outcomes.

“The amount of data that is available to us on a daily basis is growing exponentially,” said Owens, a faculty member in the Information Systems Area and director of the Jindal School’s undergraduate Information Technology and Systems program. “Companies are so overwhelmed with data that there’s a huge demand for qualified people who can help them make sense of it.”

A newly launched program also directed by Owens, the Bachelor of Science in Business Analytics, equips students to answer that demand. As its STEM designation denotes, the program focuses on science, technology, engineering and math while teaching business fundamentals and quantitative tools.

Owens said either program prepares students for careers in information technology, but the 120 semester-credit-hour business analytics program gives them a “deeper dive” into how to turn raw data into knowledge that helps business leaders make actionable decisions. Students can select from five tracks: marketing analytics, operations and supply management, finance and risk analytics, information technology, and data science.

“The way we differentiate ourselves is that other schools require between 18 to 21 credit hours of technical or analytical coursework,” she said. “Our programs require 39 credit hours devoted to information technology or analytics coursework. That, along with our senior capstone project, required internship and the community-service requirement gives students the knowledge and experience they need to succeed in this data-driven world.”