Loyola University Chicago

Mathematics and Statistics

What Does an Applied Degree Mean in the Job Market?

Alumnus Profile: Paul Bell, Director of Data Science, Rakuten Intelligence

Loyola alumnus Paul Bell knows firsthand the benefit of a Loyola statistics degree. 

"My experience at Loyola was crucial in preparing me for a career path that took several twists and turns. My first professional role was more of the traditional statistician working on research for a large organization. At Loyola I had learned the programming language critical to this role. At the time, the language was SAS, but Loyola has been impressive over the years in staying current with the industry-standard languages and platforms such as R, Python, and Spark.

While that role was one of a quantitative statistician, the applied nature of Loyola’s program prepared me to present to a broad audience and balance pure theory against the application. This experience is what allowed me to grow into client-facing roles and eventually lead a team developing new products and methodologies. 

Today I direct the Data Science organization at Rakuten Intelligence where we have the world’s largest e-commerce panel. My team is responsible for creating new weighting and projecting methodologies and quickly prototyping new products for our clients.

In a world with an abundance of data, an Applied Statistics degree is highly sought after in many industries: biomedical, defense, sports, politics, and more.

You can be sure that an Applied Statistics degree from Loyola will be a big help getting you in the door."