On Monday, February 22, Strathmore University launched the new Masters of Science in Data Science and Analytics (MSc.DSA) programme at the Trancentury Auditorium, Strathmore University Business School. The programme is a collaboration between @iLabAfrica and the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (SIMS).

The launch comes at a moment when industry executives in both the private and public sectors bemoan the lack of data scientists. Speaking at the launch, Dr. Joseph Sevilla, Director @iLabAfrica said, “Organisations are sitting on mountains of data. Every day industry executives need people who know how to look at the data and derive the all-important insights from it. Our programme will grant skills to professionals who can interpret that data.”

95% of the world’s data has been created in just the past two years. Data is the next natural resource and Big Data is becoming the new differentiating factor of production. Faced with overwhelming amounts of data, organisations are struggling to extract the powerful insights they need to make smarter business decisions. To help uncover the true value of your data, the MSc in Data Science and Analytics graduates will harness data in new, innovative ways and make data-driven decisions.

The keynote speaker Dr. Julius Kipngetich, – Group CEO, Jubilee Insurance, emphasised on the need to inculcate the love of crunching numbers from an early age. “We must rethink our model of teaching Science and Mathematics as a country, to create a society where our kids can think and analyze situations logically. I am confident this will influence perpetuity in analyzing data for the next generation of African game changers.”

The programme consisted of panel discussion composed of: Dr. Macdonald Obudho – Director General, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS); Mr. Bhartesh Shah – Group Chief Operations Officer, I&M Bank; Ms. Anastasia Kariuki – Associate Director, KPMG EA; Prof. Thomas Achia – Senior Statistician, Strathmore Institute of Mathematical Science (SIMS); Mr. David Nyamai – Head of Big Data and Business Analytics, Safaricom PLC; and moderated by Dr. John Olukuru, Head of Data Science and Analytics at Strathmore.

The panel discussed the value of data analytics in organisations, ethical practice in use of customer data, data science in the health sector, and need to understand client needs in creating solutions.

Data Science is responsible for discovering insights from massive amounts of structured and unstructured data to help shape or meet specific business needs and goals. The role of data science is becoming increasingly important as businesses rely more heavily on big data and data analytics to drive decision making.

“It is unfortunate that we have to go outside Kenya to find data scientists. This a great course to build a career on. The demand will go high in the next five years,” Bhartesh Shah, COO at I&M Bank.

The course has been designed for students who have completed a degree in either Statistics, IT, Commerce, Economics or Finance, and technical enthusiasts wishing to further their knowledge of data science and analytics. The two year programme will provide students with a route to high quality careers in big data, machine learning, artificial intelligence, data analytics and data science.

To learn more about the programme, click here.