The Iowa Board of Regents’ Academic Affairs Committee met Wednesday, where they recommended implementing a Bachelor of Science in Business Analytics program and Master of Athletic Training program into Iowa State’s curriculum. 

Currently, Iowa State University offers a Masters of Science in Business Analytics and students interested in business analytics are able to take two elective courses in Management Information Systems major. MIS 436, Introduction to Business Analytics, and MIS 446, Advanced Business Analytics.

These courses give students a small taste of what business analytics is and “[t]here is great demand for entry-level employees that have deeper and broader skills in this area,” as stated in the board’s proposal.

The proposed Business Analytics program already has all of the necessary classes that exist and are being taught at Iowa State by faculty. No new costs will come because of the addition over the next seven years and Iowa State already has all of the necessary faculty to run the program.

“It also complements our recently approved new Data Science major and we really look that a large number of our students will be majoring in one or the other and then getting a double major in either the Business Analytics or Data Science,” Dr. Ann Marie VanDerZanden, associate provost for academic programs said. “So, I think they complement each other very well.”

Pending board approval, students can begin majoring in Business Analytics through the Ivy College of Business starting in Jan. 2020.

Additionally, the committee has recommended for Iowa State to offer a master’s degree in Athletic Training starting in May 2020.

The Department of Kinesiology already offers a bachelor’s of science in Athletic Training, but the master’s program would allow students to continue their studies and become a candidate to sit for the Board of Certification examination and become a certified athletic trainer and licensed in the profession.

“The master’s program is needed to satisfy a recent mandate from the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education that accredited professional training programs must result in the granting of a master’s degree in Athletic Training,” VanDerZanden said. ”This is a national accreditation requirement and we’re just getting our program into align with that.”

The board’s next meeting will be at 9:15 a.m. Sept. 19 in the Lied Multipurpose Complex at the Iowa School of the Deaf in Council Bluffs, IA. Additional information on the board’s meetings and agendas can be found online at www.iowaregents.edu.