Buzz builds for UWO Business Analytics as response to region’s, state’s data demands, destiny

Above: UWO Professor and Economics Department Chair Benjamin Artz at the head of the class in the spring 2025 Economics 472: Time Series Analysis and Forecasting course. UWO launches a new Business Analytics major in fall.

The future is data (making both sense and solutions out of it). And Matt Larsen, '21 and '24, is not only prepared to command that future, but he also likes what he sees developing for future Matt Larsens who choose UW-Oshkosh.

In fewer than five years from earning his BBA in Finance and Economics from UWO, Larsen, who "holds UWO's College of Business close to my heart," is in the data driver's seat, serving as a Finance Analyst in Global Product Innovation at Wisconsin-based juggernaut Kohler Co. He has also earned a Data Analytics Certificate and his MBA from UWO.

So, the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents' December 2024 approval of a new, highly responsive UWO Business Analytics degree certainly got Larsen's attention.

"Business analytics are used in nearly every entry level job, and development of analytical skills will set graduating students ahead of their peers," he said, enthusiastically endorsing the new College of Business program launching this fall. "At a large company such as Kohler, we have many systems that utilize business analytics, and the more you know about them, the less you need to rely on others to assist with reporting."

Larsen joins a growing chorus of students, faculty, staff and regional business partners applauding the upstart Business Analytics program at UWO.

Most new academic programs earning a green light these days are responsive to industry and workforce appetites for specific and futuristic talent. Business Analytics takes the buzz to an entirely new level.

UWO's case to the Board of Regents is compelling:

• Sky-high demand: "The new major will serve the growing demand in the Oshkosh and Fox Cities regions for trained professionals in Business Analytics as well as the long-standing demand for analytics programs by UW-Oshkosh students."
• Remarkable job growth expected: "According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these typical occupations are expected to grow by 36% between 2023 and 2033 nationwide and by nearly 27% in Wisconsin by 2030." UWO's December 2024 program proposal adds that "regionally, the labor market within 100 miles of UW-Oshkosh currently contains more than 200 jobs requiring 'data analysis skills,' all of which have starting pay above $65,000 (Indeed.com; accessed March 15, 2024). In fact, these skills are in demand throughout the state with more than 300 high-paying jobs available."
• Mixing majors: Business Analytics will easily dovetail with several existing UWO majors and academic departments "including Economics, Information Systems, Marketing, and Supply Chain Management. Additional courses from other disciplines can be added based on faculty input, relevance to the program learning objectives, and to ensure flexibility in the job market."

And equally powerful is the fact that UWO already has the faculty expertise in the College of Business ready to drive the teaching and learning within the new program.

The degree prospectus approved by the Regents notes "students will be trained in basic statistical analysis, spreadsheet analysis, data visualization skills, basic programming knowledge in Python, database management skills in SQL, supervised learning in regression and forecasting, unsupervised learning in text analysis, and applications to business including how to communicate analytical interpretations to peers and managers in business."

Translation: the resulting knowledge and skillsets are expected to produce waves of sought-after, career-ready business, financial, market research and operational research analysts.

But what about the inputs-prospective students?

UWO College of Business Associate Dean and Professor of Information Systems Jakob Iversen said there's a population of learners who have some "gateway interests" that are very much a perfect fit for business analytics.

"Students who have an interest in fantasy sports or gaming, for example," Iversen said. "It's the opportunity to solve interesting problems."

The College of Business is also approving changes to its Business Analytics minor to help students easily access the new major's curriculum, Iversen said.

Law Lykins is all in. The program's fall launch couldn't be better timed for the current UWO Information Systems student and accomplished UWO swim team member.

Lykins said he's excited by the opportunity to dive in, earning the Business Analytics degree alongside his current major and making himself even more marketable as he strides toward graduation in a year or so.

"I like numbers. I like statistics," Lykins said. "It appeals to me a lot more, and I'm sure a lot of people feel the same way. With business analytics, students can apply it to finance and many other things."

Alexis Prychalla, '23, is a pricing analyst for Milwaukee-based construction, mining, forestry, and industrial heavy equipment manufacturer Komatsu. She earned an Economics degree from UWO and, like fellow alumnus Larsen, sees the immediate boost Business Analytics will give students.

"I really think that having the analytics aspect in the background does provide significant benefit in the corporate landscape," Prychalla said. "Just to have that analytical mindset-I think you can also use it in a consulting role… I really think it benefits students and is a great career path. You can advance relatively quickly if you're good at what you do."

Prychalla pointed to the "big data" buzz throughout industry these days. Employers need analysts who can plunge into mammoth data sets and emerge as storytellers, educating their colleagues about trends, informing strategies and speeding their organizations toward solutions.

"You can work in any industry, and this will be applicable," she said. "You're not narrowing your options at all. You can work wherever you want and any real or scope of work you want to do… Being able to take something in Excel that's like 15,000 lines and form that into something that anyone can read-transforming raw, big data that is potentially useless and presenting it to a director or anyone… that's what they're looking for right now in the market."

Larsen said Business Analytics is powerful education and experience for students either wanting a more behind-the-scenes role and career or want to be more front-and-center-the "business thinkers who strive to understand systems."

"I love this major," he said.

"It sounds like it will be very forward thinking and set many UWO students ahead," Larsen said… "The demand for young professionals with these skills will not go away."

Learn more:

UWO Business Analytics