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Business Analytics Track

The 21st century belongs to those who can think and act analytically. No longer is it good enough to make business decisions, no matter what the field, based on little more than feelings or gut reactions to events. Consumer products companies, insurance companies, banks, governments, and even sports teams are turning to Analytics to improve their bottom line and assure their survivability in this age of hyper-competition and increasingly severe externalities.

This track, designed expressly for Business Students, provide excellent training on Analytics, a critical component of 21st Business careers, whether the practitioner's primary responsibility is in a functional area (Marketing, Operations, Finance, Strategy, International Business, HR) or a vertical such as Health Care or Tourism.

The need for graduates with a strong analytical background has never been higher. Companies such as IBM, the U.S. Government, and many of the Washington area's top employers have a high demand for personnel with expertise in the traditional MBA domains but with knowledge of Analytical methods. Even in these challenging times, employment rates for those with these skills remain high.

If your passion is to succeed in the 21st century in business or government, you can find more information about the Business Analytics track in this presentation (PDF) or contact us with any questions.

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Certificate in Business Analytics

For more informaton regarding the certificate in business analytics please click here (PDF).

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Course Descriptions

Descriptive Analytics

Applied Database and Web Analytics (1.5 Credits)

This course provides an introduction to database analytics concepts, methods and tools with concrete examples from industry applications. Students will learn the fundamentals of customer data driven marketing techniques using traditional approaches using various Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) tools. At the same time the course will provide an introduction to the relatively more recent advancements in analytical methods on business data acquired through online channels, the new practice of web analytics using tools such as Google Analytics and Omniture. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (Bid Management)

Predictive Analytics

Data Mining Models (1.5 Credits)

This course provides an introduction to data mining concepts, methods and tools with concrete examples from industry applications in marketing, finance and retail. The focus will be on some of the most popular methods for descriptive segmentation (i.e. Cluster Analysis, Association Analysis) as well as predictive segmentation (i.e. Multiple Regression, Logistic Regression, Decision Tree Methods and Neural Networks. Students will be able to apply these methods on real world data using advanced statistical analysis software such as SPSS.

Forecasting Models (1.5 Credits)

The focus of the course is on predictive analysis and use of black-box models. Emphasis will be given to identifying hidden patterns and structures in the data and exploiting these for predictions. Topics include identification of periodicities, analysis of autocorrelation and partial autocorrelations, crosscorrelation analysis and their use in model identification. Applications in finance, marketing and operations such as forecasting default rates, market share prediction, call center arrival forecasting, etc. will be presented.

Prescriptive Analytics

Models for Analytics (1.5 Credits)

This course provides an introduction to optimization models that are used in a number of different application areas. Models covered include deterministic and stochastic optimization as well as Monte-Carlo simulation and their applications in Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing, Health Care, Sports, etc.

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Resources

• Business Analytics Information Event Presentation, February 10, 2011

• Certificate in Business Analytics