PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (April 20, 2021) – Data science, or the study of data, is one of the fastest-growing career paths in the world. It has a starting average salary in the United States of more than $113,000. However, it is also an industry that is facing a severe skilled workforce shortage.
To help combat this shortage, Microsoft is providing extra support to faculty, staff, and students at select Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU). The goal is to support excellence in computer science, data science, electrical engineering, computer engineering, and related fields and to provide a solid foundation for careers in these fields.
“Data science and data analytics are considered two of the hottest topics of the 21st century,” said Kiran Bellam, Ph.D., associate professor of computer science. “There is a huge demand for data scientists and analysts who can analyze data to enable small or large corporations to make strategic and informed data-driven business decisions.”
Bellam is working with a team from PVAMU’s Roy G. Perry College of Engineering to develop two programs to help students enter the data science field. The first is a new, year-long certification program called the Data Science and Analytics (DSA) certificate program. It will require students to take five courses for a total of 15 credit hours. There will also be two DSA workshops this summer, providing intensive, hands-on experiences for students and professionals.
“We will have a two-week DSA student workshop for undergraduate students and a separate two-day professional workshop for PVAMU faculty, students, and other HBCU and MSI (Minority Serving Institutions) faculty, researchers, and industry professionals,” said Bellam. “The professionals will receive a Software Carpentry Workshop (SCW) certification, and student participants will receive a $500 stipend.”
Bellam and her team expect to recruit 50 students from PVAMU for the summer workshop, which will condense major teaching points from the certification program into a shorter format.
“For CS (computer science) and ECE (electrical and chemical engineering) undergraduate students, enrolling in the certification program is a no-brainer because the program won’t add any additional time commitment. The courses they take can be used as electives for their curriculum completion, so they get their degree and the DSA certification,” Bellam said.
Kiran Bellam, Ph.D.
In addition to the certification program and the summer workshop, the Microsoft grant will enable the College of Engineering to hire ten student workers for DSA research. The team is looking into additional funding sources to expand the program in the future.
“Having a DSA certification in addition to a bachelor’s degree will tremendously help students join the DSA workforce,” Bellam said.
“We are excited about this new program for data science,” Dean Pamela Obiomon, Ph.D, added. “Our College is about more than just earning a degree. We are about preparing our students for employment and becoming entrepreneurs after graduation. This program gives our students cutting-edge tools to solve the complex challenges of the future. Developing strong skills in this area will definitely give our students advantages as they enter into the workplace.”
To learn more about PVAMU’s new Data Science and Analytics (DSA) certificate program, contact Dr. Kiran Bellam at kibellam@pvamu.edu.
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