FAQ

FAQ

What is business analytics?

Business analytics is the study of data. Modern businesses generate and store massive amounts of data. From web clicks, to sales, to advertising — all of these activities generate large amounts of interrelated data. Business analytics helps formalize the process of drawing insight from this data, which is used to drive business decisions and actions.

Are business analytics skills in demand?

Business analytics skills are in high demand across a wide range of industries. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, “business tntelligence” (another commonly used name for business analytics) shows growth of between 7% and 13% a year between 2008 and 2018. A recent New York Times article stated that IBM alone will be hiring or retaining 4,000 more analysts for their newly created Business Analytics and Optimization Services Group.

How can I acquire business analytics skills?

The School of Business has introduced the business analytics co-major. This co-major consists of a set of five courses that are designed to provide foundational training in business analytics.

What is a co-major?

A co-major is very similar to a double major except there is a slight twist — one of the required courses is dependent upon the student’s primary major. That is, one of the required courses, referred to as the gateway course, will differ depending on what the student is majoring in. This is not traditionally seen in second majors. The two majors are typically independent. The gateway course will count in fulfilling a requirement for both the major and co-major.

What are the gateway courses?

The gateway courses are major-specific. Each course not only satisfies a requirement in the respective major but also covers some material that provides a major-specific glimpse into the business analytics field. Gateway courses need not be taken prior to taking other courses in the business analytics co-major.

Major Gateway Course
Accounting ACCT 320 – Financial Statement Analysis
CIS CIS 316 - E-Commerce and Web Analytics
Economics ECON 402-  Advanced Macroeconomics
Finance FIN 442 - Financial Modeling
Management MGMT 305 - Managerial Planning and Decision Planning
Marketing MKTG 440 - Management of Marketing Databases and Analytics

What courses are required for the co-major?

Besides the gateway course, four additional courses are required for the co-major. See the Requirements & Courses page for details. 

When will these courses be offered?

  • BUAN 310 will be offered every fall term.
  • BUAN 327 will be offered every spring term beginning the spring 2013 term.
  • BUAN 410 will be offered every fall term beginning the fall 2013 term
  • BUAN 427 will be offered every spring term beginning the spring 2014 term. Note that planning is required to fit all co-major classes into your undergraduate course schedule.

Where can I find out more information?

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Business Analytics Program Advisors: