As head of the Institute, Dr. Rappa leads the nation’s first Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) as its originator and principal architect. The MSA is an intensive 10-month professional degree for aspiring data scientists that blends computer science, statistics, applied mathematics and business disciplines into an innovative education focused on the analysis of very large amounts of data. Since launching the Institute in 2006, the MSA has quickly become one of the largest and most selective degree programs on campus, and its students among the most sought-after and highly compensated graduates of the university. The Institute enrolls up to 120 students annually and counts over 1,400 alumni. The Institute's students have performed (gratis) nearly 300 projects with over 150 organizations spanning virtually every industry segment, city, state, and federal government agencies.An independent study of student outcomes commissioned by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors published in 2024 places the Institute's pioneering degree program at the top among 600 graduate programs across the 16-campus UNC System, in terms of the median lifetime return-on-investment (ROI).Appointed the Goodnight Director in January 2015, Dr. Rappa’s current position is first and sole endowed directorship at NC State University.

Dr. Rappa is one of only two-dozen who hold the rank of Distinguished University Professor among 2,400 faculty at his university—an honor he has held since 1998. Founded in 1887, North Carolina State University (also known as NCSU or NC State) is a public research university with 34,000 students and is a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina system. With its 10 colleges, NC State has historical strengths in engineering, statistics, agriculture, life sciences, textiles and design. The graduate school, which offers 104 master's degrees, is home to the nation's first Master of Science in Analytics.