ACADEMIC PROGRAM FOR MASTERS OF SCIENCE IN BIG DATA ANALYTICS
Introduction
With the current trends in information technology, the large amount of information is daily generated, recorded, produced and kept in digital formats and numerous organizations today are generating and collecting large amounts of data that need to be analyzed for further decisions.
This creates voluminous information that can be exploited to extract insight and knowledge that is useful to people. Rwanda is developing very fast and is ranked in top three easiest places to do business in Africa by The World Bank1. The investors, government and different industries have expressed the need of qualified people in big data analysis to meet the needs of processing and analyzing voluminous data that is being produced and generated from different sources. This will require undertaking challenging projects such as how to process, analyze and present the big amount of available data. Nowadays, banks, governments, health services, traffic lights, supermarkets, and installed security cameras are producing a large amount of information which can be processed and extracted meaningful information that benefits the country.
It is from this above observation and background that AUCA is proposing a new Master of Science in Big Data Analytics which will be hosted by the Faculty of Information Technology in the department of Information management. The program aims at fulfilling the aspirations and expectations of the industries and government, public sector in Rwanda to have qualified people who can conduct research and use big data analytics skills to extract new knowledge from those recorded data.
The main goal of the proposed program is to improve capabilities for innovation to analyze the available amount of information that is daily recorded and produced. And yet, to become globally competitive, we should invest in higher education and training in Science Technology and Innovation (STI) focusing on new trends in Big Data Analytics. Final project will be done at the end of the module work and the degree program will be offered after the successful presentation of the thesis.
Currently, there is a scarcity of qualified professionals and technicians in areas of Big Data Analytics and the labor market is constantly seeking for higher degrees among potential recruits. Thus, the proposed program will develop professionals required to meet the needs of the current industry in processing and analyzing voluminous data, undertake challenging projects and carry out research activities. With the support of other interdisciplinary, it will be able to promote an academic career for further research in theoretical as well as applied aspects of data analysis in providing an innovative, cost- effective processing of information for better decision-making. In addition, the degree is a stepping-stone in pursuing further studies in respective subject areas of specializations and or subsequently feeding other PhD programs.
The quality of Education that AUCA would like to offer to Rwandan people will be a continuation from the Undergraduate level, and now at the Master’s level in Information Technology focusing in Big Data Analytics, to supply qualified personnel to the big data industry in Rwanda. One could observe that the number of graduate students in IT, especially in the field of Data Analysis, is not enough to meet the demand that the country has. In addition to this, the introduction of the Master program in Big Data Analytics is also informed by two other important aspects: AUCA has for decades maintained the good quality in teaching as its hallmark. For this reason, students who graduate from IT Bachelor’s degree keep on requesting AUCA to start a Master’s degree in big data so that they can continue enjoying the same quality at the graduate level. The same request comes from AUCA alumni who wish to resume their studies and to enjoy the same quality they received at undergraduate level. According to their own testimonies, they are performing well in their respective assignments thanks to the quality of education they have received from AUCA. Thus, their first choice is to join AUCA at Master’s level, if we can organize this program in Information Technology just as we have other Masters’ programs in Business Administration and in Educational Administration. The management of AUCA has considered the alumni request and is now proposing to start offering this Master of Science in Big Data Analytics.