External stakeholders, as well as a recent survey on the need for higher education, carried out by the University of Palermo, confirm the need for professionals expert in the production and management of quantitative and qualitative information and in the glamorization of the information assets of companies and institutions, to support management and to evaluate the effects of decisions.
The 1st cycle degree course, coherently with the class specific educational objectives, aims at education graduates with adequate groundings on the fields of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Data Management, capable of working in various areas with autonomy and responsibility and to fit in the labour market as qualified experts, capable of producing and managing information flows and of using computer systems and networks to gather ,and process information and to get form this information strategic indications, to be diffused at adequate detail level and through the most suitable technological modes.
The educational programme is characterized by:
- Core educational activities in the fields of Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Probability, providing students with adequate command of general methods and scientific content;
- A common curriculum for all students, aiming at providing competences in the various field of statistics. Students will therefore acquire an adequate amount of credits in three out of the five class specific areas: Statics, Applied Statistics, Demography. Business Economics, Applied Computer Mathematics;
- A sound number of integrative and class related activities, divided into three groups. The first two groups consist of subject areas which are already included in class specific activities (economics and business economics), and the third group consists of teachings aiming at integrating graduates’ groundings. These teachings are related to experimental applied health areas and soft skills such as legal competences;
- Possibility of improving or increasing language skills through a course aiming at providing technical language skills related to the professional area;
- Training based on frontal teaching, accompanied laboratories for the discussion of case studies and the investigation of economic-social issues. Laboratory activities aim at general and applied statistical applications, through the direct relation with professionals, in a way to understand the limits and opportunities for statisticians in various application areas. In this way, the course aims at providing students with adequate analytical capability which, based on solid methodological groundings, bring them to pay constant attention to the process of data production – conceptualization, definition and measurement – and to a critical use of theories and methods with respect to the type and meaning of available information;
- Small number of examinations, reached through the distribution of content among various teachings and the attribution to each educational activity entailing an examination of an adequate number of credits (normally 8 or 10);
- Possibility of attending educational stages at private or public organization, awarded with 8 to 14 credits. This option is suggested to students wishing to conclude their training with a 1st cycle degree. Those who wish to continue their studies may substitute the stage with other educational activities related to the subsequent educational programme, in accordance with the procedures defined by the Course educational regulations.