High School
In high school, take a college preparatory curriculum that includes classes in business management, economics, mathematics, data science, artificial intelligence, psychology, sociology, philosophy, and social studies. English and speech courses will come in handy because you’ll frequently be required to write reports and analyses and give oral presentations to coworkers (including managers and executives) and clients. Learning a foreign language increases both your ability to communicate with coworkers and clients who do not speak English and work in other countries.
Postsecondary Education
Decision scientists have degrees in a wide range of areas, including business management, organizational psychology, sociology, economics, mathematics, statistics, data science, computer science, physics, and engineering. A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in one of these disciplines or a related field is required to enter this profession.
Some colleges and universities offer degrees in decision science or in information and decision sciences. For example, the Department of Social and Decision Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, offers a bachelor of science in decision science. Courses in the program include Reason, Passion, and Cognition; Empirical Research Methods; Decision Analysis; and Behavioral Decision Making. Students also take elective courses that allow them to focus on one aspect of decision science, such as managerial and organizational concepts, philosophical and ethical perspectives, or public policy relevance. Visit https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/sds/undergraduate for more information.
The Decision Analysis Society offers a list of colleges and universities that offer coursework in decision sciences on its Web site, https://connect.informs.org/das/das-resources/where-to-study.
Certification
A few colleges and universities offer certificate programs in decision sciences, while many offer classes. For example, Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, offers an undergraduate decision sciences certificate that features classes such as Fundamentals of Decision Science; Discovering Game Theory: Social Complexity and Strategic Interdependence; and Research in Decision Science. Enrolling in such a program will provide you with a general introduction to the field and may help you to gauge whether a career in decision science is a good fit for your interests and skill set. Visit https://decisionsciences.trinity.duke.edu to learn more. Contact schools in your area to learn about available programs.
Other Education or Training
Participating in continuing education (CE) classes and webinars is a great way to keep your skills up to date and learn about new developments in decision science. These educational opportunities are provided by colleges and universities, as well as professional associations such as the Society for Judgment and Decision Making, Decision Sciences Institute, and the Decision Analysis Society.
- Accountants
- Agricultural Consultants
- Arbitrators
- Auditors
- Automotive Dealership Owners
- Bank Examiners
- Billing Clerks
- Bookkeeping and Accounting Clerks
- Budget Analysts
- Business Continuity Planners
- Business Development Managers and Directors
- Business Intelligence Analysts
- Business Managers
- Buyers
- Chief Customer Officers
- Chief Executive Officers
- Chief Financial Officers
- Chief Information Officers
- Chief Information Security Officers
- Chief Restructuring Officers
- Chief Revenue Officers
- Chief Robotics Officer
- Chief Sustainability Officers
- Chief Trust Officers
- Client Services Managers
- Collection Workers
- Community Health Program Coordinators
- Compliance Managers
- Continuous Improvement Managers
- Corporate Climate Strategists
- Corporate Community Relations Directors
- Corporate Lawyers
- Corporate Librarians
- Cost Estimators
- Cultural Advisers
- Customer Service Directors
- Customer Service Representatives
- Customer Success Managers
- Customs Brokers
- Data Entry Clerks
- Data Scientists
- Database Specialists
- Digital Workplace Experience Engineers
- Directors of Corporate Sponsorship
- Directors of Security
- Document Management Specialists
- Economists
- Energy Consultants
- Entrepreneurs
- Environmental Consultants
- Ergonomists
- Ethical Sourcing Officer
- Event Planners
- Executive Recruiters
- Fashion Models' Agents
- Financial Analysts
- Financial Consultants
- Financial Quantitative Analysts
- Forensic Accountants and Auditors
- Franchise Owners
- Fraud Examiners, Investigators, and Analysts
- Health Care Consultants
- Health Care Managers
- Health Club Owners and Managers
- Health Data Analysts
- Human Resources Consultants
- Human Resources Managers
- Indoor Environmental Health Specialists
- Information Security Analysts
- Information Technology Consultants
- Information Technology Infrastructure Engineers
- Information Technology Security Consultants
- Internet Consultants
- Internet Executives
- Internet Marketing and Advertising Consultants
- Internet Store Managers and Entrepreneurs
- Internet Transaction Specialists
- Labor Union Business Agents
- Learning Innovations Designers
- Legal Operations Specialists
- Life Coaches
- Loss Prevention Managers
- Management Analysts and Consultants
- Market Research Analysts
- Marketing Consultants
- Music Agents and Scouts
- Office Administrators
- Payroll Directors
- Personnel and Labor Relations Specialists
- Political Consultants
- Press Secretaries
- Product Designers
- Professional Organizers
- Project Managers
- Proposal Managers
- Public Relations Specialists
- Purchasing Agents
- Receptionists
- Regulatory Affairs Managers
- Regulatory Affairs Specialists
- Sales Managers
- Sales Representatives
- Secretaries
- Security Consultants
- Security Guards
- Space Tourism Managers
- Statisticians
- Stenographers
- Strategy Managers
- Tax Managers
- Temporary Workers
- Traffic Managers
- Typists and Word Processors
- Workplace Diversity Experts
