EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University is launching a new degree program in business analytics to meet the growing need for professionals who can analyze large data sets to guide business decisions.
MSU’s Broad College of Business, in partnership with the College of Engineering and College of Natural Science, will offer a master of science in business analytics beginning in January 2013.
“The exponential growth of data and the rise of analytics spans many fields – including natural science, engineering, computer science, social science and business,” says Vallabh Sambamurthy, Eli Broad Professor and faculty director of the master’s in business analytics program. “Our college partnerships in this program will prepare students for career opportunities in the growing analytics industry through a multidisciplinary, practical approach.”
The 30-credit program is designed to be completed in one calendar year – three consecutive semesters. It is aimed at professionals with backgrounds in math, science, engineering, and business who have analytical, qualitative and computer skills.
Coursework will cover business strategy, data analysis and mining, statistics, and marketing technology, as well as intellectual property and ethical issues associated with analytics. Throughout the program, students will work individually and in teams on projects using live data sets to gain hands-on skills extracting and interpreting data.
“Individuals able to engage the current volume and velocity of data to solve business problems are in high demand,” says Sue Haka, senior associate dean of the Broad College. “MSU’s degree in business analytics enables graduates to step up to the challenges posed by big data.”
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