Case Study: Oklahoma State University achieves 100% graduate job placement and stronger employer demand with SAS analytics certification

How to arm graduate students with real-world skills

Oklahoma State University faced the challenge of equipping graduate students in business, engineering and statistics with practical analytics skills that employers recognize. To close the gap between coursework and real-world ability, the university sought a way to give students concrete, job-ready credentials valued by industry.

OSU partnered with SAS to offer a Data Mining Certificate and SAS certifications (including predictive modeling and Base SAS), expanded analytics coursework, conference experiences and applied projects. Enrollment tripled, about 375 students have earned certificates, and graduates have seen rapid placement—even during recession years—with employers such as Apple, Amazon, Verizon, FedEx, Capital One and Google and starting salaries often $5,000–$10,000 higher than peers.

Oklahoma State University

Goutam Chakraborty

SAS Professor of Marketing Analytics