Dates
Summer Session 1: May 27 – June 6, 2024
Location
Philadelphia, USA
Application Deadlines
For information regarding our submission deadlines, please visit our application information page.
Program Fee
$7,599 (includes housing and meals)
Contact
For more information, please contact: AcademyPrograms@wharton.upenn.edu
Overview
Data Science, Statistics, and Coding through Sports Analytics is an intensive program designed for undergraduate students who are passionate about sports and eager to dive into the data-driven strategies that shape today’s sports industry. This program builds on the successful foundations of the Moneyball Academy and Moneyball Training Camp to offer a collegiate-level exploration of sports analytics and its critical role in sports business.
Students will gain a deep understanding of data analysis techniques, including statistical programming, data visualization, and predictive modeling, with direct applications to sports management, team performance evaluation, and decision-making. Through real-world case studies, interactive sessions, and team-based projects, participants will develop the analytical skills necessary to interpret and leverage data in sports contexts.
Key Program Takeaways:
- Advanced Data Analytics in Sports: Learn the use of statistical models and analytics tools to assess player performance, inform game strategies, and optimize organizational operations.
- Industry-Relevant Applications: Engage with real sports data to understand how teams, leagues, and organizations apply analytics to gain a competitive advantage and drive business outcomes.
- Team-Based Project: Collaborate with peers on an in-depth capstone project that mimics the analytics work conducted within professional sports organizations.
- Career Development: Explore career pathways in sports analytics, management, and business, and learn how to apply your analytics skills to various roles in the sports industry.
Who Should Attend: This program is ideal for college students with an interest in sports, data analysis, and business strategy. Students should have strong mathematical skills, and while a collegiate-level course in statistics is helpful, it is not required. Similarly, programming skills are helpful but not required. An enthusiasm for sports and a curiosity about how data informs business decisions is key.
Details
Academic classes for Data Science, Statistics, and Coding through Sports Analytics are held Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with evenings free (except for one or two group events).
A typical day looks like:
- 7:00-9:00 – Breakfast
- 9:00-12:00- Topics Lecture or Guest Speaker (with break)
- 12:00-1:00- Lunch
- 1:00-4:00- Group Work and Debrief (with break)
- 4:00-5:00 – Office Hours
You can expect to:
- Earn a Wharton Academy certificate of completion with a digital badge
- Join visiting undergraduates from around the world to build a network of emerging business professionals
- Engage in a 60-hour in-person learning program in Wharton classrooms
- Enjoy housing & meals in the residence halls at the University of Pennsylvania
Eligibility
Qualifications for Participation
- Current Undergraduate student or recent college graduate
- Highest English proficiency – TOEFL 100+ IELTS-Band 7 or higher. If TOEFL or IELTS scores are unavailable, applicants may submit Duolingo, PSAT, SAT, or ACT scores as an alternate. The minimum Duolingo score required is 130.
- Strong quantitative skills
Admission
Admission to Wharton Fundamentals of Corporate Finance and Valuation is selective. Selections are based on a record of academic excellence and a genuine interest in developing finance skills.
Please note that participation in the Wharton Academy program does not guarantee admission into Penn.
Instructional Team
Academic Director: Adi Wyner
Professor Wyner is Professor of Statistics and Data Science, chair of the Statistics Undergraduate Program and Academic Director of the Wharton Sports Analytics and Business Initiative (WSABI). Professor Wyner is an expert at Probability Models and Statistics, Information Theory and Applied Statistics and Machine Learning. He has published more than 50 articles in leading journals in many different fields, including Applied Statistics, Applied Probability, Finance, Information Theory, Computer Science and Bioinformatics. Professor Wyner has participated in numerous consulting projects in various businesses. He was one the earliest consultants for TiVo, Inc, where he helped to develop early personalization software.
Professor Wyner created the University of Pennsylvania’s Undergraduate Minor in Statistics and oversaw the program’s growth from just a handful of graduates to hundreds. He also co-led the creation of the very popular Business Analytics major for Wharton MBAs and Wharton Undergraduates. In 2017, Professor Wyner created the Undergraduate Sports Research Group to encourage research by Penn undergraduates. Dr. Wyner’s pursuit of statistics as a career was fostered in childhood by his interest with Baseball. Professionally, he first engaged sports analytics in 2006 when he received a grant from ESPN The Magazine to study player evaluation in Major League Baseball. He is the founder of the Wharton Moneyball Academy a 3-week summer program in sports statistics and computing for gifted high school juniors and seniors. Dr. Wyner is a co-host and co-creator of the Wharton Moneyball radio show and podcast which is aired on Sirius XM.