Equipping Liberal Arts Students with Skills in Data Analytics: Drake University Partners with Regional Businesses to Offer New Programs in a Rapidly Growing Field. A BHEF Case Study

This case study examines how Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) member Drake University, a private university with a strong liberal arts tradition, is equipping its students to become data-enabled professionals. Through the collaboration of its business and higher education members, BHEF launched the National Higher Education and Workforce Initiative to create new undergraduate pathways in high-skill, high-demand fields such as data science and analytics. Data science and analytics must be integrated with T-shaped skills, such as critical thinking, collaboration, and effective communication, which are critical for all graduates entering the 21st century workforce. Knowledge of data science and analytics in recent years has become as fundamental as any other skill for graduates' career readiness, and Drake University is at the forefront of U.S. institutions of higher education in offering undergraduate major and minor programs in data analytics.