Curriculum Development to Acquire Analytical Competencies Using an Industry BOK

Contribution - The acquisition of analytical competencies is a desirable outcome of a technical graduate program. We present a process to align the program curriculum with an industry-standard to ensure those competencies. The result is not necessarily to create certified students (although that is certainly desirable) but to confirm that the program helps students acquire the analytical competencies as outlined in an industry standard. We describe a path for alignment of programs to develop these desirable competencies and our experience with the process. Background - We selected the INFORMS Certified Analytics Professional certification as a vendor-neutral book of knowledge and knowledge structure for analytics professionals and a well-developed credential in the profession. We used well-documented processes to align a university curriculum to industry needs, employed in aligning similar programs to such competencies as a project manager using the PMI PMP certification. Research questions - To align the curriculum to the INFORMS CAP, we asked: (1) whether students graduating from the program had acquired adequate analytical competencies; and (2) If they had not, how can the curriculum be modified to help gain those competencies. Methods - The curriculum was reviewed, and we assured initially that topical coverage of the pertinent course of study aligned adequately with the INFORMS CAP knowledge structure. Results - Using the existing curriculum, we found that a majority of the students could pass the INFORMS CAP certification practice exam at the end of their program of study. The exam results were sufficiently granular to modify the curriculum and course contents to improve future assessments' passing rate.