Exploration of Factors Contributing to Academic Success in a Data Analytics Program

This paper examines potential indicators of student risk for failure to complete a degree in data analytics. Records from 207 students from 2012 to 2019 were used in the study. Factors considered in the study include, ACT exam composite score, high school grade point average, transfer students, grade earned in a first mathematics course, grade earned in a first data analytics course, first generation students, and income level as classified by Pell Grant eligibility. Of these factors, only four factors were found to be significant, ACT composite score, grade earned in a first mathematics course, grade earned in a first data analytics course, and income level. Further, data indicate that performance in a first college mathematics course is the strongest indicator of a student’s likelihood to succeed in a data analytics degree. Students in this study earning a C or lower in a first course in mathematics had less than a 40% change of completing a data analytics degree