• Decision makers require data and evidence before resources are committed. In the current environment, commitments are not made unless evidence supports that the opportunities are both cost effective and yield positive net benefits. Healthcare practitioners seek evidence-based medicine; social scientists engage in impact assessments; business analysts practice decision science and engineers and computer scientists desire facility with big data sets using a variety of statistical techniques.
  • The University of Michigan-Dearborn, with its strong Engineering, Mathematics, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Business Management programs is in a strategic position to enhance both undergraduate and graduate education with data science course offerings and a data science major.
  • UM-Dearborns recent addition of the Department of Health and Human Services is also uniquely positioned in time, developmental stage, and location, to benefit from data science offerings. In other words, a case could be made for data science programming that enhances student education and marketability in all four of UM-Dearborns Colleges--the College of Engineering; the College of Arts, Sciences and Letters; the College of Business and the newly formed College of Education, Health and Human Services.