Business Analytics and Decision Sciences MSc

Course overview

Businesses are increasingly collecting large amounts of information about their customers and activities. This ‘big data’ is big news with the media, businesses and government, as they consider how to use this mass of information in a meaningful way.

Analysts interpret and apply this information to make evidence-based business decisions, making them highly sought after by employers in various sectors.

This course gives you an insight into business analytics, exploring how organisations can thrive during the big data revolution. You’ll develop decision-oriented, quantitative analytical skills in a management context, learning to sift intelligence from the growing volume and variety of data collected on many aspects of life.

Combining theoretical concepts with practical application, you’ll develop a unique mix of quantitative and behavioural skills relevant to data analysis, effective decision making and management.

Course Highlights

• This course brings together the technical side of analytics, with psychological understanding of decision making. You’ll be exposed to current debates from both areas.
• Graduate with a powerful combination of technical analytical skills, and business communication skills.
• You’ll be taught by internationally recognised academics and business practitioners from our Centre for Decision Research, who are actively engaged in the latest research, advising businesses, governments and international bodies. They share this expertise and knowledge with you in the classroom.
• Benefit from the growing wealth of expertise and resources in the Leeds Institute for Data Analytics on campus.
• On all Masters courses at Leeds University Business School you’ll have an opportunity to apply for a place on a week-long international study tour which will include company visits, guest lectures and networking events, as well as an opportunity to visit local places of interest. Previous study tours have included visits to Berlin, Frankfurt, Milan and Zurich.

Find out more about studying your Masters at Leeds University Business School.

Applying

Entry requirements

A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) in a related subject. Must have a sound grounding in quantitative subjects, typically through some university-level study in subjects such as statistics, management science, computer science or mathematics.

International equivalents

We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English

International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Business (6 weeks) and Language for Business (10 weeks).

We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. Find out more about our six week online pre-sessional and our 10 week online pre-sessional.

You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.

Career opportunities

From day one, we encourage you to think beyond your time at Leeds and reflect on a meaningful career. Graduates of the MSc Business Analytics and Decision Sciences can expect to have the quantitative skills to analyse complex business information and use the resulting intelligence to inform business decisions.

You’ll be ideally placed to pursue a career in analytics and decision making, general and specialist management roles in a range of industries, or as a business or market analyst.

Recent Leeds graduates are now working in business analytics roles for a range of companies, including eBay, Amazon, NHS trust, Transport for London, The Home Office, Capital One, KPMG, the Department of Health, and Dell International.

Demand for experts in business analytics is growing rapidly and Leeds University Business School is at the forefront of developments in this area.

Links with industry

Students on this course engage with senior leaders from the world of business as part of our Leaders in Residence initiative. Successful and established business professionals will share their experience at speaker events and guest lectures to help you connect the theory of your course to real-world practice.