Creating a typology of analytics Master's degrees in UK universities: Implications for employers and educators

In recent years there has been a growth in specialised analytics Masters degrees, in the UK and beyond. However, there has been little research into the contents of such degrees. In particular, the role disciplines such as operational research play within them remains an under-explored area. Using a mixed-methods approach, this paper analyses UK Masters degrees in analytics to determine a typology of provisions. Firstly, a support vector classifier is used to identify the traditional disciplines analytics degrees most closely align with. Secondly, a hybrid approach to analyse the modules included in analytics curricula is employed, as part of which a new metric (module topic weighting) is presented. The analysis identifies two main categories of degrees, the first aligning with machine learning and computing topics; the second operational research and business themes. The paper concludes by evaluating the implications this has for students, employers, educators and the operational research discipline.