As others have said, this course is what you make of it. I did a project with my employer around applying regression and non linear transformations to construction project costs in order to estimate project completion. I didn’t really do new research, but applied some research done in the area to a specific problem for my business. (I was careful to make this clear in my project proposal and in all my submissions!). Ultimately, my business partners at work liked what I did and submitted a favorable review. I earned an A in this course (as a VAST majority of people do.) I also watched the optional videos. My biggest complaint about this course is there is really no feedback whatsoever on how well your are doing. My suggestion would be to read the syllabus. Stay on top of all required submissions (there are not many, just watch the videos turn in a quality midterm presentation and a final report) and be patient. My final report was about 6 pages with lots of graphs and a brief bibliography. My advice for this is course is jut believe in your self and what you have learned, demonstrate what you know, and do your best. In the end, everything will be OK…. No news is good news in this course. And, with this post, I officially complete my Masters in Analytics in Georgia Tech. I graduated with my bachelors in math 30 years ago almost to the day. I have FINALLY completed my Master’s (with a 3.91 GPA, I might add.). I DID THIS AND YOU CAN TOO. STAY THE COURSE. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. DO YOUR BEST. AND…. GOOD LUCK! GO JACKETS!

I actually did the ISYE-6748, but all of the practicum courses are the same, just differing by project/track. In addition to the midterm report and final paper, there are weekly video sessions. These are usually less than an hour, and I found some of them to be exceptional in content and takeaways.

I did my project through my employer, and had been discussing and planning for it for at least a year. The information from the professor/TA's on expectations for actual deliverables are vague at best, but that's not all that unexpected considering the differences between projects.

One thing that I strongly recommend, is that you clearly define your scope, and make sure that you don't bite off more that you can chew. My manager was great at helping me on this front, and it definitely helped since the summer semester is slightly shorter than others.

I also found it very helpful to make out a detailed schedule of what I expected to accomplish each week, including things that I would try to do if time permitted. (Note: time ended up not permitting, so glad I contained my scope and had these as optional tasks) This not only helped me stay on track, but also helped when I went to do the final paper write-up. I had everything that I had accomplished outlined and just had to add the details in my methodology section.

I was limited in the actual data and details that I could share, but I found that using percentages and aliases (SKU A, SKU B, time period 1, etc.) worked well for me, and I was still able to do a full and complete report.

One last note, I chose NOT to do this piece of my coursework in my final semester. I did so partially because this timing worked best with my work and personal schedule, but also because the timing was very pertinent to things that I am encountering at work. I also took this class while also taking another class. Between taking this during the summer semester and taking with another class, it definitely was a time challenge. However, I had already prepared myself for this challenge and incorporated that into my work/school/life schedule prior to starting the semester. Just one semester left in the program, and I can breathe a little easier. :)