The Business Analytics MBA major is designed to build deep competency in the skills needed to implement and oversee data-driven business decisions, including
- collecting, managing and describing datasets,
- forming inferences and predictions from data and
- making optimal and robust decisions.
Business analytics makes extensive use of statistical analysis and the applications of business analytics span all functional areas.
Business analytics has emerged in recent years as a powerful and required capability for firms in competitive markets. The quantity, quality and diversity of available data have never been greater, which has created new and significant opportunities for organizations to use data to improve their decisions with respect to both internal resources as well as external interactions with suppliers and customers.
Students choosing the Business Analytics MBA major are ideally suited for the growing set of careers broadly defined under the header of "data science" with responsibilities for managing and analyzing data. In addition, the major provides an excellent complement to students who choose to focus on one of the functional areas of business (e.g., accounting, finance, marketing, operations).