Data Analytics

Darden offers analytics courses, experiential learning opportunities and two joint degree programs in analytics, the MS in Business Analytics with the McIntire School of Commerce, and the MSDS/MBA with the School of Data Science. In partnership with both schools, Darden's Executive Education & Lifelong Learning Program offers a Certificate in Data Science for Business.

Darden's Artificial Intelligence Initiative, hosted by the Batten Institute and the Institute for Business in Society, aims to generate interdisciplinary research, foster dialogue, and support education that provides the intelligence and insights that decision-makers will need to capitalize on the advantages of artificial intelligence while mitigating risks.

The Collaboratory for Applied Data Science in Business (DCADS), an academic center co-hosted by Darden and the School of Data Science, has recently launched to foster team efforts on real-world challenges. CADSB's mission is "to advance the knowledge creation, teaching, and practice of management through the application of data science to the most significant opportunities and challenges in business, in Virginia and globally." This mission is pursued through collaborations across industries and disciplines with a grounding in business ethics and a focus on analytical leadership.

In 2022, Darden initiated the Bodily Bicentennial Professorship in Analytics to advance faculty research in the field. The position was created in honor of the contributions of Sam Bodily, the John Tyler Professor Emeritus of Business Administration to the field of decision analysis. Each year, this visiting professor will offer new insights and possibilities for collaboration with Darden faculty and students. 

The inaugural Bodily Bicentennial Professor was Eric Siegel (B.A., Brandeis; M.S., Ph.D., Columbia University), a leading consultant, former Columbia University professor and founder of the Predictive Analytics World and Deep Learning World conference series. 

The 2023-24 Bodily Bicentennial Professor was Dean Abbott (B.S., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; M.A.M., University of Virginia), an internationally recognized thought leader and innovator in data science and predictive analytics with more than three decades of experience solving problems in customer analytics, fraud detection, risk modeling, text mining, survey analysis and is frequently included in lists of the top pioneering and influential data scientists in the world.

Thomas H. Davenport is serving as the 2024-25 Bodily Bicentennial Professor (B.A., Trinity University; M.A., Ph.D., Harvard University). He pioneered the concept of “competing on analytics” with his best-selling 2006 Harvard Business Review article (and his 2007 book by the same name). He has published 23 books and over 300 articles for leading publications. He currently writes columns for Forbes, MIT Sloan Management Review, and the Wall Street Journal. His most recent book (with Nitin Mittal) is All In on AI: How Smart Companies Win Big with Artificial Intelligence.