Innovative Collaboration Between Industry and Academics: Meeting Industry’s Future Talent Requirements

The Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville received the 2018 UPS George D. Smith Prize for our master of science in business analytics (MSBA) program, acknowledging our collaboration with industry in preparing our students to be effective practitioners of operations research/management science and analytics. In this paper, we share our experience in creating and maintaining the program. We created a new curriculum that combines content from statistics and management science. Key aspects of the program are its focus on real-world problems and its continuing interaction with industry clients. Students develop technical skills and business subject matter expertise together with the communication, teamwork, and leadership skills needed to impact decision making in an organizational environment. With ongoing influence from industry partners, the curriculum evolves to stay at the forefront of the rapidly changing field of analytics.