Welcome to the Department of Data Science and Business
Analytics at Florida Polytechnic University. Florida Poly provides leading-edge degree
programs that prepare graduates to take on today’s fastest growing fields. Our mission
is to serve students and industry through excellence in education, discovery, and application of engineering and applied sciences.
The mission of the department is to educate students with cutting edge concepts, techniques and practices in data science and business analytics to innovatively solve challenges and provide informed decision support. The degrees are STEM education-based programs that yield highly skilled graduates who have strong knowledge in the fundamentals of Data Science and Business Analytics, and who are able to apply that knowledge to design and implement solutions for arising challenges. The program prepares students for clear and concise communication when working in a team environment and careers in industry, government, and academia.
The department currently offers two undergraduate and two graduate degrees. During their undergraduate degree, students will join one of our many concentrations that we continuously review and evaluate for potential adaptation or establishment. The concentrations currently consist of Big Data Analytics, Health Systems Engineering, Intelligent Mobility, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, and Quantitative Economics and Econometrics. DSBA's educational objectives are for our graduates to achieve success in their positions in industry or academia and demonstrate successful careers, entrepreneurial mindset, industry leadership, community engagement, and global perspective.
I am excited to be the chair of the Department of Data Science and Business Analytics. Alongside my assistant chair, Dr. Rei Sanchez-Arias, we are working with our students, faculty, and staff to make meaningful contributions in the field of data science and business analytics, and graduate students who are job-ready on day one.
Sincerely,
Dr. Shahram Taj
Chair, Department of Data Science and Business Analytics
Data Science and Business Analytics News
Business analytics enable organizations to turn complex challenges into substantial opportunities by transforming data into information, and information into insights for making better decisions and improving results.
The business analytics curriculum provides training in the skills needed to solve complex problems that occur in the management of big data analytics, marketing, finance, and innovation and technology.
The undergraduate program in business analytics offers an education that can be found only at Florida Poly: data analytics expertise with a business focus by offering a cutting-edge program especially designed to prepare students for top jobs in today’s technology and data intensive business world.
Educating students with cutting-edge concepts, techniques, and practices in data science and business analytics to innovatively solve challenges and provide informed decision support.
Upon completion of a Business Analytics degree, students will be able to:
Effectively communicate insights, analysis, conclusions, and solutions to a diverse audience.
Data science is an interdisciplinary field that uses scientific methods, processes, algorithms, and systems to extract knowledge and insights from data in various forms, both structured and unstructured. New computational and analytic approaches to a vast array of forms, scales, and sources of data are now critical to research, decision-making, and action.
Data scientists develop mathematical models, computational methods, and tools for exploring, analyzing, and making predictions from data. They ask appropriate questions about data and interpret the predictions based on their expertise of the subject domain. The rigorous curriculum in data science program focuses on the fundamentals of applied mathematics, computer science, probability, statistics, optimization, and machine learning while incorporating real-world examples.
Upon completion of the Data Science degree, students will be able to:
Meet the Faculty - Data Science
Meet the Faculty - Business Analytics
James Farley
Adjunct Professor 
Data science and business analytics students work together in a year-round industry-sponsored Capstone Design Project, providing high-impact solutions in a variety of fields. Some examples include working with software and risk assessment companies, the transportation and logistics industry, and healthcare institutions.
Our Innovation Labs give students the opportunity to test their big ideas on the same advanced equipment used in leading industrial and corporate environments.
Data science and business analytics students have completed internships with software and technology companies (such as Red Hat), supply chain management multinationals (such as FedEx), financial services industries, medical technology companies (such as Immertec), the Department of Defense, and more. Additionally, our students have brought their skills to interdisciplinary research opportunities during the summer at several institutions, including Purdue University and the University of Tennessee.
There's more to the college experience than lectures and lab work. Florida Poly has more than 35 student clubs that are run by students for students. Students are encouraged to pursue their passions and explore new interests by joining a club. The activities below are a few of the clubs that our students most often get involved with.
The Florida Industrial and Phosphate Research Institute (FIPR Institute) supports phosphate-related studies to improve the environment, protect public health, and increase mining and processing efficiency. Staff biologists, engineers, and chemists also conduct in-house research, and the institute supports some non-phosphate topics such as energy and the mining and processing of other minerals.
The Simulation, Instruction, and Multimedia (SIM) Lab is one of the most dynamic and hands-on labs on campus supports students across all majors as they undertake complex, innovative projects. Wearable computers, media production, game development, and simulated environments regularly take shape in the lab, which features a multisensory communications center continually updated with new technologies. Tomorrow’s digital obsessions take shape here, with augmented reality and virtual reality – and Florida Poly students – playing a starring role.
