News & Media

Ohio Wesleyan Adds Two New Majors

Classes in Data Analytics and Nutrition to Begin in Fall 2017

DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University is adding new majors in data analytics and nutrition as well as new minors in both data analytics and data in society. Classes for the new offerings will begin in fall 2017.

The new majors represent fields with growing career opportunities, and both are founded in Ohio Wesleyan’s core liberal arts curriculum, helping students to think critically, communicate clearly, and make connections between their work and broad social and economic forces.

Ohio Wesleyan’s new data analytics major and minors will prepare students to pursue careers and graduate studies in the fields of finance, health care, insurance, biomedical research, computer science, marketing, and more.

OWU’s data analytics program will be unique in that it has been designed to provide students with the skills necessary to work with large datasets as well as the ability to assess the impact of their work, said Sean T. McCulloch, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, which will oversee the new offerings.

Data analytics majors and minors will learn to frame questions about an open problem and to develop their questions into methodologies and algorithms, McCulloch said. Next, they will learn to mine and process data to answer those questions while they also learn to reason ethically about how the questions are framed and the data are used.

Job titles for data analytics experts include data analysts, data scientists, business analytics specialists, business intelligence engineers, research analysts, and analytics managers, he said.

Students who minor in data analytics will focus on technical skills, while those who minor in data and society will concentrate more on the field’s social and ethical impacts.

Learn more about Ohio Wesleyan’s data analytics major and minors at www.owu.edu/data-analytics.

Ohio Wesleyan’s new nutrition major will prepare students to pursue careers in nutrition, dietetics (in combination with graduate work), community health, health education, food justice and advocacy, food industry work, and related graduate programs.

The nutrition major also will benefit students planning advanced studies to become physical therapists, occupational therapists, or physician assistants, said Christopher L. Fink, Ph.D., chair of Ohio Wesleyan’s Department of Health and Human Kinetics, which will oversee this new major.

Nutrition majors will gain a deep understanding of human nutrition and body systems, of translating scientific research into evidence-based practices, of serving different populations in a variety of cultural contexts, of understanding food’s role in health, of utilizing behavior change to promote healthy lifestyles, and of understanding the role of food policies and systems in population health issues, Fink said.

Learn more about Ohio Wesleyan’s nutrition major at www.owu.edu/nutrition and more about any of Ohio Wesleyan’s nearly 90 majors at www.owu.edu/majors.

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Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers nearly 90 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through Ohio Wesleyan’s signature OWU Connection program, students integrate knowledge across disciplines, build a diverse and global perspective, and apply their knowledge in real-world settings. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” listed on the latest President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.