The University of Chicago’s Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies is now offering a Master’s Degree in Analytics, a hybrid of statistics, business, and data collection and analysis. The inaugural class will enter the program in January of 2014 as part-time students, with a full-time option beginning in the fall of 2014. Students can earn their degree in anywhere from 16 months to five years.

Aimed at attracting recent graduates as well as career professionals and leaders, the new analytics program stresses applied learning, management, and leadership, thus veering from a traditional statistics curriculum.

“It is rare that a statistics program will venture beyond the classroom setting to integrate industry data sets or case studies in the curriculum or provide students with opportunities to interact with colleagues or potential employers outside of academia,” Kim Kieras, associate director of recruitment and enrollment management at the Graham School, said in an e-mail.

To earn a Master’s Degree in Analytics, students are required to take 11 courses and complete a capstone project. Classes take place downtown at the Gleacher Center on weekday evenings and Saturday mornings, allowing for flexibility in scheduling as the majority of Graham students are working adults seeking to further their education.