Data Analytics Sequence
Data analytics is a key component of the BC MBA. All full-time and part-time MBA students take three core courses in data analytics as a program requirement. This sequence of courses is designed to provide students with a fundamental understanding of data analytics from a business perspective.
Why Data Analytics?
In today’s world, effective business leaders must be willing and able to embrace data-driven decision making. This entails understanding an organization’s data capabilities and knowing how to use the latest analytical tools to drive informed decisions.
The BC MBA’s data analytics sequence enables students to master these skill sets, while also providing them with the fundamental framework to confidently approach data across a range of job functions and industries.
At a Glance: The BC MBA Data Analytics Sequence
Designed for All Students: Our data analytics courses are developed for students from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds. Prior to taking Data Analytics 1, students gain foundational knowledge of statistics by completing Managerial Statistics, a quantitative skills course.
Fundamental to the Curriculum: The data analytics sequence is built into the BC MBA curriculum, providing a vital analytical component of the program and its cross-function, cross-industry design.
Hands-On: Each data analytics course takes a significant hands-on approach to help students gain proficiency with tools most sought after by employers, including R, SQL, Python, and Tableau.
Taught by Expert Faculty: Our faculty have deep expertise in data analytics, and use state-of-the-art analytics models in their academic research. Many consult with top technology companies and are experts in the fields of analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.
Core Data Analytics Courses
This course teaches the details of the primary mathematical modeling methods used in business: machine learning (or “big data”) and optimization. Using advanced tools such as the coding language R, students learn to solve actual business problems, understand how the methods work, interpret the results, and apply them in practical situations.
Students are exposed to a broad overview of information technology fundamentals, key emerging technologies, and IT managerial frameworks. Using SQL and entity relationship diagrams, they learn how data is queried and modeled. In the process, students develop the mindset to promote innovative strategic initiatives that are increasingly IT-dependent.
Note: This course is titled “Data Analytics 2: Data Management for Analytics” for the part-time MBA program.
This course provides a pragmatic overview of emerging analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence techniques. Students are introduced to the Python language and Tableau visualization tool, and gain a core understanding of data analytics necessary to make intelligent managerial choices in today’s data-driven world.
Career Outcomes
I wouldn’t have gotten the internship offers and ultimately the full-time job I have now without the data analytics credentials I gained at BC. Human resources, like all fields, is becoming increasingly analytics-focused, but there are not a lot of people who are able to work with, interpret, and craft strategies based on data. In my current position, my analytical abilities have allowed me to make sense of data and knowledgeably talk about it with colleagues and company leaders.
Lisa Hersh Conlon (MBA ’21)
Senior Human Resources Analyst, Clean Harbors
You encounter Big Data no matter what your job is. Our students are finding that they go to interviews for positions with seemingly nontechnical titles like “Market Specialist” or “Financial Manager” and are asked about their exposure to mathematical modeling. We’ve committed to a curriculum that gives all our MBAs a solid practical knowledge of all major aspects of analytics so that they can work effectively with the quantitative specialists at their workplaces, as well as stand out among job candidates.
Dr. Pieter VanderWerf
Associate Professor of the Practice, Business Analytics