Writing from my desk at the Oklahoma State University (OSU), Stillwater, I bring to you my personal perspective on OSU as a master’s student in Management Information Systems with a concentration in Data Sciences.
The campus at Stillwater offers a tremendous opportunity for research work, particularly in Data Sciences. As such it ranks among the Top 15 US Universities for its Data Science & Data Analytics programme. The Department is focused on hands-on learning and encourages discovery of new concepts.
A student to faculty ratio of 16:1 enables easy, direct and personalized interaction with professors during office hours and during doubt solving sessions.
Interestingly, the coursework at OSU is designed to offer students flexibility and encourage mastering of other minor programmes that give students an edge in the job market. Minoring in fields like Finance, Statistics, Accounting, Legal Studies, amongst others, opens doors to work as Financial Data Scientists; Qualitative Data Scientists and such. My personal observation from the campus has been that a lot of companies, specially in the Bay area, are scouting for multi-talented individuals.
There is a perception that OSU has a locational disadvantage. Housed in Central US, the university’s distance from the buzzing East and West is considered by some as reducing students’ opportunity with reputed companies. However, I believe, connectivity, in today’s e-enabled environment, is not a challenge. A structured and progressive coursework focused on a blend of open-source and closed-source tools for Data Science, has helped OSU alumni bag some coveted placements in companies of repute, across the Bay Area.
Finally, a word to those of you applying to any of these prestigious universities on the US soil. Be prepared for coursework that focuses on hands-on learning experiences. The difference in learning-teaching patterns pose a challenge in the initial months but eventually you learn to accept and appreciate its advantages. It is a more self-exploratory process that prepares you better to compete in a Global professional environment. I believe, it’s a journey that every student irrespective of any discipline, must undertake.
Author
Kunj Patel
Graduate Research Assistant,
Department of Management Sciences & Information Systems,
Spears School of Business,
Oklahoma State University
