Data Analytics major
Data Analytics: courses, careers, and where to study
Data analytics is the applied craft of querying, cleaning, and interpreting data so organizations can answer concrete questions and act on what the numbers actually show.
Data analytics is the applied, decision-support side of working with data, and a major in it teaches you to take a vague request from a colleague and turn it into a measurable question you can answer with evidence. Following the official program definition, students learn to pull information out of computer databases, clean and reshape it, and run descriptive and diagnostic analysis that explains what happened and why. The coursework covers probability, inference, statistics, optimization, and an introduction to machine learning, but it keeps the spotlight on reading patterns and predicting trends rather than inventing new algorithms. Programming and database querying are core skills, used here to retrieve and prepare data quickly. This applied focus is what sets the field apart from data science, which centers on building novel models and research, and from a business analytics degree, which frames every question through commercial strategy and management.
Most roles begin with a bachelor's degree, which is the common entry point into analyst work and into the closely related data scientist track that federal labor data groups nearby. Programs lean heavily on hands-on practice, so students spend their time in computer labs writing queries, building visual analytics, and assembling dashboards and reports that make a finding legible to people who do not work with data all day. Much of the training centers on communicating insight clearly, since translating a chart into a recommendation a stakeholder can use is treated as part of the job, not an afterthought. Many programs add a capstone or applied project that carries a single question from raw data through to a presented answer. Graduates work across sectors that collect and depend on data, including healthcare, finance, retail, technology, logistics, education, and government, often sitting between technical teams and the decision-makers they support.
In federal data for the closely related occupation of data scientists, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 2024 median wage of $112,590 and projects employment to grow about 33.5% from 2024 to 2034; a bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education for that occupation. National figures are occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages or graduate outcomes.
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Data Analytics maps to CIP 30.7101, Data Analytics, General, within the MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES family. The official definition:
A program that prepares individuals to apply data science to generate insights from data and identify and predict trends. Includes instruction in computer databases, computer programming, inference, machine learning, optimization, probability and stochastic models, statistics, strategy, uncertainty quantification, and visual analytics.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Data Analytics is awarded as
Of the 1,650 Data Analytics credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:
- Certificate7%114
- Associate<1%8
- Bachelor's10%172
- Graduate82%1,356
CampusPin does not have enough states reporting this field to say whether the mix changes from state to state. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Querying computer databases with SQL to retrieve and join data
- Cleaning, reshaping, and validating messy datasets
- Descriptive and diagnostic analysis to explain what happened and why
- Probability, statistical inference, and stochastic models
- Visual analytics, dashboard design, and reporting
- Programming for data work in a language such as Python or R
- Optimization and uncertainty quantification for decision support
- An introduction to machine learning for spotting patterns and predicting trends
- Communicating findings and turning analysis into stakeholder recommendations
Typical careers
- Data Analyst
- Business Intelligence Analyst
- Reporting Analyst
- Operations Analyst
- Marketing Analyst
- Data Scientist
Typical salary range: Early-career wages vary by employer, region, and experience (BLS, 2024 data scientists median $112,590).Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Data Analytics, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management Analysts | $101,190 | 98,100 | +8.8% | Bachelor's degree |
| Data Scientists | $112,590 | 23,400 | +33.5% | Bachelor's degree |
| Postsecondary Teachers, All Other | $78,490 | 13,500 | +1.8% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Computer Programmers | $98,670 | 5,500 | -6% | Bachelor's degree |
| Statisticians | $103,300 | 2,000 | +8.5% | Master's degree |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 5 of these 5 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Data Analytics does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Before you commit to a Data Analytics major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Data Analytics program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Data Analytics department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Data Analytics program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Data Analytics credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- University of ChicagoIL · 246
- Maryville University of Saint LouisMO · 96
- Westcliff UniversityCA · 82
- University of Houston-DowntownTX · 70
- Concordia University-Saint PaulMN · 69
- Drake UniversityIA · 63
- Franklin UniversityOH · 52
- Naval Postgraduate SchoolCA · 51
- Purdue University GlobalIN · 50
- Air Force Institute of Technology-Graduate School of Engineering & ManagementOH · 47
- Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVA · 47
- University of MississippiMS · 46
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Data Analytics credentials were awarded
4 states have a distinct enough set of Data Analytics colleges to be worth its own page.
Search Data Analytics schools by state
Related majors
Data Science
Data Science combines statistics, programming, and domain expertise to turn raw data into decisions, drawing on machine learning, visualization, and data engineering.
Business Analytics
Business analytics teaches you to turn raw business data into decisions, blending statistics, programming, and management judgment to answer real organizational questions.
Statistics
Statistics covers the mathematics of collecting, modeling, and drawing conclusions from data, a quantitative major suited to students who like reasoning under uncertainty.
Information Systems
Information Systems bridges business and technology, teaching students to design, analyze, and manage the systems organizations run on, suiting those drawn to both computing and how companies operate.
Computer Science
Computer Science combines the mathematical foundations of computation with practical software engineering, preparing graduates for careers in software, AI/ML, security, data, and research.
Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Data Analytics degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Computing & Math careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
Explore Business & Finance careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Data Analytics degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Data Analytics path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.