Why study Business Analytics at Keele University?
Course summary
Combining leading expertise from across both Keele Business School and the School of Computer Science and Mathematics, our course will deepen your understanding of the technical and commercial implications of data-driven solutions.
Business analysts guide businesses to improve their decisions, processes, products and services through data analysis – bridging the gap between IT and business to improve organisational performance, create efficiencies and add value to the business. Grounded in theory and practice, our MSc focuses on developing your understanding of business, management, data analytics and data science within a global context.
With unique access to the combined expertise across Keele Business School and the School of Computer Science and Mathematics, you’ll gain a deeper insight into how businesses run their operations within today’s challenging economy. At the same time developing the technical skills and knowhow to identify, manage and analyse the most appropriate data sources to evaluate their performance.
Referring to real-life business examples and, where possible, working to solve actual client problems, you’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of the operational, human and environmental factors that influence performance within a business context, as well as the different quantitative and qualitative research approaches you can use to analyse these. We’ll look at the options for collecting data from various sources to support analytics programs, how to construct and quality assure datasets, the process of perform different forms of analysis and effective ways to summarise and present information in a way that senior management can understand.
You’ll graduate with a blended technical and commercial toolset that enables you to not only analyse organisations from different perspectives – strategically, functionally and operationally – but also come up with solutions that are technologically feasible and financially and functionally viable.
Designed to provide a rapid immersion into the field of business analytics, this programme is suitable for almost anyone who is required to evaluate business performance, or aspects of it – whether you work in a for-profit business, government or non-profit.
The programme also includes options that allow you to tailor the content to more closely suit your own backgrounds and interests. For example, if you have existing computing skills you can choose to study more advanced topics on the mathematical theories behind AI and data science. You are also given a choice of modules that allow you to specialise within a specific area of business such as marketing, finance, human resource management and sustainability.
What you'll learn
This exciting master’s course responds to the increasing demand for business analysts who can transform data into insights that drive business value through use of data analytics, data visualisation and data modelling techniques and technologies. This requires a balance of IT, business management, communication, strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
To give you a strong foundation in business and management, you will study two compulsory taught modules, which cover financial and non-financial performance management techniques in business scenarios and best practices in operations, procurement, supply and logistics management. You’ll study three core modules focused on data analytics and data science, with the option to study systems design and programming or, if you already have programming experience, Mathematics for AI and Data Science.
The course focuses on providing you with mixture of business understanding, technical knowledge and communication skills. You’ll broaden your understanding of different types of organisations and factors that influence business performance, together with methods used to analyse these for decision making. You’ll consider how managers use information and how data science can be applied to improve an organisation’s processes, operations and outputs.
Depending on your interests or career aspirations, you can tailor your studies through your choice of two optional modules, one of which depends on your final project pathway choice.