The department of mathematics and computer science and the department of psychology will be offering a Data Visualization and Analysis certification program for graduates and undergraduates next fall, according to a feature on the University website.
This 18 credit program is a combination of 15 course credits and three internship credits, according the Seton Hall website.
Students will be taught through this program how to communicate information through visual aids and will learn percentages, statistics and analysis of data, according to the website.
Director of the program, Manfred Minimair, said this will help students who want to work with different social networks such as Facebook.
"There has to be someone to analyze the data and to convey the information," Minimair said.
Minimair said this program will also help students who would be interested in a career in government security.
"It will help train students to find the motivation behind terrorist striking," Minimair said.
The psychology department is involved in this program because students must understand human perception and human cognition, according to Minimair.
Another area of study the program will offer is called Data Mining.
According to Minimair, students will be trained to analyze people's opinions of customer databases, such as Amazon.
This certificate is offered to all students regardless of major.
Minimari said he program will open up electives in many different areas of study, including communications, graphic and design and business.
The program also opens up internship opportunities for students involved, according to Minimair.
Sophomore Kara Heinaman said she has a friend in the business program who would find this program very beneficial.
"My friend has had a hard time finding an internship related to business, so I think this would help her a lot," Heinaman said.
Senior Grant McIntire said he agrees this certification program will be beneficial to students.
"It is a great idea for the majors that are included in this program," McIntire said. "And it's very important since it is technology based."
McIntire said it will be great to open up new courses for students.
Some students agree the program is interesting, however they themselves do not have the time to take any of the courses offered.
Sophomore and music education major, Anthony Delaney, said the course sounds interesting, however he has no free time to take any of the electives offered.
"Being a music education major, I have had to take 18 credits since my freshman year," Delaney said. "Although it seems like a fun idea, I don't know how it would fit into my schedule."
Junior Anne Marie Lowrie said her schedule is also too hectic to add any additional electives to it.
"My credits are already too stacked up," Lowrie said.
Minimair said it is still a great opportunity for all students to try and engage in.
The Data Visualization and Analysis program is already an upper-ends certificate program and has the potential to become a major offered to students in the future, according to Minimair.
"It is not a major yet, however maybe it could become one," Minimair said.
More information about the Data Visualization and Analysis certification program can be found on the Seton Hall website.
Lindsay Rittenhouse can be reached at lindsay.rittenhouse@student.shu.edu.
