Business Analytics
Acquire the skills and knowledge required to become a successful manager in today’s competitive environment. Our courses emphasize analysis and policy formulation and prepare students to pursue careers in a vast array of fields, from finance and healthcare to technology, government, and the nonprofit world.
The department includes two disciplines:
Business Analytics
Uses business data to guide the decision-making and competitive capabilities in enterprises, examining what has happened, predicting what will happen, and exploring what should happen.
Operations Management
A multi-dimensional, highly integrative business area that uses both quantitative analytical skills and cognitive problem solving to examine how organizations execute their missions and goals.
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At a Glance
Undergraduate Programs
Business Analytics Concentration
Business Analytics draws upon a portfolio of methods and tools including statistics, forecasting, experimental design, data mining, and modeling to turn data into information and insights.
Curriculum
5 courses
1
Required Course
| Course # | Course Name |
|---|---|
| BZAN3385 |
Applied Statistical Modeling |
2
Courses from this list
| Course # | Course Name |
|---|---|
| ISYS3350 |
Data Management for Analytics and Applications |
| BZAN6604 |
Management Science |
| BZAN3307/ISYS3360 | Machine Learning* |
*Only one Machine Learning class can count toward the Business Analytics concentration
2
Courses from this list (or a class not taken as a required course from the above list)
| Course # | Course Name |
|---|---|
| ISYS2160 | IOS/Swift Programming |
| ISYS2170 | Physical Computing |
| BZAN3310 | Sports Analytics |
| BZAN6605 | Risk Analysis and Simulation |
| BZAN6614 | Quality Management |
| ISYS6625 | Geographic Information Systems |
| ISYS6641 | Cybersecurity |
| ISYS6645 | Data Visualization |
| ISYS6655 | Introduction to Blockchain and its Business Applications |
| ACCT6640 | Dive, Dissect and Decide with Big Business Data |
| MFIN2270 | Data Analytics in Finance |
| MKTG2153 | Customer Research and Marketing Decisions |
Business analytics is a collection of tools and techniques used to turn data into insights for business decision making.
Analytics Magazine regularly features applications of analytics. The BC Library has a subscription, so you can access it through their website (search for “analytics journal”).
The most important skill to have is an aptitude for problem solving, but it is also helpful to have a familiarity with:
- Programming (Python is the most commonly used general-purpose language—and it's free.)
- Statistical software (R is the most widely-used statistical software. It’s free, and the interface R Studio, also free, can make getting started a little easier.)
- Visualization software (Both Python and R have great visualization capabilities; Tableau is a standalone product that you can get a free student license for, and you’ll find that you can teach yourself a lot.)
- Getting data from databases.
Analytics has a wide range of applications. The tools you learn in the Business Analytics co-concentration apply not only to traditional business problems but to any issue of interest where data is collected. Below are a few examples.
Social impact
Marketing
- “How to Make the Most of Predictive Analytics,” Marketing Week.
- “Analytics Applications in Consumer Credit and Retail Marketing," Analytics. This one has lots of jargon and is a dense read, but also has lots of details about applications.
Healthcare
Investment Banking
- “How to Secure a Big Data Job in Investment Banking,” Efinancialcareers.
- “What is it Like to be a Data Scientist at an Investment Bank,” Quora.
Accounting
- “Business Analytics: Transforming the Role of Management Accountants,” Managing Accounting Quarterly (2015). Page 5 of this link has examples of how analytics is used in accounting.
There are lots of competitions and hackathons for students to practice their analytics skills, and experience with these can help to build students' resumes.
- ASA Data Fest
- Kaggle has a revolving menu of competitions.
Found a good resource that should be listed here? Email Stephanie Jernigan.
Information Systems Concentration
Our Information Systems Concentration provides undergraduate students with the knowledge and skills required to plan, develop, and deploy technology-based business solutions—both within organizations and society at large.
Curriculum
4 courses
2
Required Courses
| Course # | Course Name |
|---|---|
| ISYS3350 |
Data Management for Analytics and Applications |
| ISYS4258 | Systems Analysis and Design |
2
Courses from this list
| Course # | Course Name |
|---|---|
| ACCT6640 |
Dive, Dissect and Decide with Big Business Data |
| ISYS2160 | Intro to Programming using Swift for iOS App Development |
| ISYS2170 | Physical Computing - Interactive Art, Robotics, and Tech for Good |
| ISYS2255/BZAN2255 |
Managing Projects |
| ISYS2267 | Technology and Culture |
| ISYS3178 | Design Thinking and Strategy |
| ISYS3315 | Management of Digital Innovation |
| ISYS3360 | Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (fall) |
| ISYS6618/ACCT6618 | Accounting Information Systems |
| ISYS6621/MKTG6621 | Social Media and Digital Business |
| ISYS6625 | Geographic Information Systems |
| ISYS6635 | New Media Industries (spring) |
| ISYS6641 | Cybersecurity Strategy and Management |
| ISYS6645 | Data Visualization |
| ISYS6655 | Business Applications of Blockchain (fall) |
| MFIN2270 | Data Analytics in Finance |
| BZAN3307 | Machine Learning |
Operations Management
With a focus on analysis and decision-making, the Operations Management Concentration is explicitly designed to deliver the skills and knowledge required to successfully manage people, processes, and systems in today's competitive environment.
Curriculum
4 courses
2
Required Courses
| Course # | Course Name |
|---|---|
| BZAN3375 |
Operations Strategy and Consulting (fall) |
| BZAN2255 | Managing Projects (spring) |
2
Courses from this list
| Course # | Course Name |
|---|---|
| BZAN3304/BZAN6614 | Quality Management (fall) |
| BZAN3310 | Sports Analytics (fall) |
| BZAN3332 | Supply Chain Management (spring) |
| BZAN3384 | Predictive Analytics (fall/spring) |
| BZAN6604 | Management Science (fall/spring) |
| BZAN6605 | Risk Analysis & Simulation (spring) |
| BZAN6608 | Pricing & Revenue Optimization (fall) |
| BZAN6612 | Forecasting for Business Analytics |
Full-Time Faculty
Our faculty are dedicated teachers and researchers who utilize innovative approaches in addition to the traditional blend of case studies, lectures, and texts.
Our Students
Careers
The demand for managers with these skills is strong and continues to increase as firms recognize that they compete not only with new products, good marketing, and skillful finance, but by leveraging a high degree of competence in managing their data, operations, and business intelligence.
Sample List of Employers
Bank of America
Barclays
BNY Mellon
Boston Consulting Group
Cambridge Associates
Citi
Converse
Dell Technologies
Deloitte
E&J Gallo Winery
Ernst and Young
Goldman Sachs
IBM
JPMorgan Chase
KPMG
Liberty Mutual
Mastercard
New York Jets
Study Abroad
Immerse yourself in a different culture, discover aspects of your discipline and yourself, gain new perspective, and cultivate important contacts.