Program Overview

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MSc Business Analytics

Overview

Our MSc Business Analytics program equips you with the knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience you need to become a business-ready analytics professional. This course focuses on the practical application of analytical techniques in business settings, making it ideal for those who want to excel in business intelligence, business insight, business analysis, management consultancy, or simply wish to make better use of data and make more accurate decisions in their current field.

Mode of Study:

• Full-time

Duration:

• 1 year

Start date:

• September

Course details

In today's data-driven world, businesses are eagerly looking for individuals with the expertise to extract meaningful insights from the volumes of data now available to them. Our MSc Business Analytics program equips you with the knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience you need to become a business-ready analytics professional.

You'll gain the knowledge and practical experience to effectively utilise descriptive, prescriptive, and predictive analytics to make sound business decisions and drive success within any organisation.

A key design thread linking the program's modules is the development of performative competency. Together, the modules you study will develop your ability as a 'business-ready' analytics professional who can choose the best techniques to address different business problems, formulate models with software and programming tools, and interpret and then persuasively communicate findings to both a technical or lay audience.

Lead academics

• Professor Maxwell Chipulu
• Associate Professor Sujoy Bhattacharya

Compulsory Modules

• Analytics Final Project
• Data Analytics
• Decision-making with analytics
• Final project Development
• Machine Learning, AI and Ethics
• Predictive Analytics
• Prescriptive Analytics

Optional Module

• Business Analytics and Change OR Digital Analytics Strategy

How will my degree reflect sustainability and sustainable development?

The Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) – established under the UN Global Compact – places a clear onus on Higher Education to ‘transform management education and develop the responsible decision-makers of tomorrow to advance sustainable development’. The Business School is a PRME signatory, and we seek to influence professional practice and policy nationally and internationally, helping to drive key societal, economic and environmental impacts.

Our mission is ‘to empower communities to apply business knowledge for positive societal impact’ and we work constantly to embed practical actions into our curriculum, to promote sustainability and relate these to the key ideas of sustainability, as reflected in the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes now reflect one or more of the SDG, and our research is targeted to solve real world problems, mapped against the criteria used in the Times Higher Education’s Impact Ranking.

What is distinct about equality, diversity and inclusion?

Edinburgh Napier University is enriched by the diversity of perspectives, cultures and backgrounds brought by all within our global community. We are committed to a positive environment where diversity and inclusiveness is celebrated and everyone is treated fairly regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, disability, age, ethnic origin, religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status or whether pregnant or on maternity leave. We commit ourselves to providing a learning, working and social environment that is free from discrimination, prejudice, intimidation, stigmatisation and all forms of harassment and bullying.

The Business School's vision:

'To be the Business School for empowerment, enterprise and employability for all'.

Our mission statement:

'Empowering our communities to apply business knowledge for positive societal impact'.

How you’ll be taught

The course will utilise a range of teaching and learning methods to ensure that students achieve the learning outcomes.

Learning activities will include:

• Lectures, tutorials and seminars
• Individual Modelling Assignments
• Computer Labs
• Class debates and discussions
• Private Study
• Internet and digital research
• Problem-based learning involving ‘real world’ organisations
• Simulations

Class activities and problem-solving exercises will enable you to gain feedback about your knowledge and understanding, before any formal summative assessments.

Assessments

A range of assessment methods are used in this program to enable you to demonstrate your achievement of the intended learning outcomes, including:

• Individual computer modelling tasks where you submit a model
• Individual written assessments, including layperson, executive summaries, technical analysis reports and model documentation
• Poster displays and presentations
• Capstone projects involving ‘real world’ organisations
• Business simulations
• Reflective reports

To enable you to customise your program to your learning styles and interests, both the learning methods and assessments will allow you as much flexibility as is feasible. For example, you may choose the topic, materials, databases, analytic techniques, group members, etc. for an assignment. Similarly, teaching and learning topics will be related to the latest business practices from diverse industries, allowing you the chance to learn from the examples most suit your interests.

We recognise that not all students may undertake learning and assessment as specified. Therefore, to ensure that the course is inclusive of and considerate of diverse needs, we will make alternative, individualised, arrangements if you are not able to complete learning and teaching sessions or assessments in the specified manner.

Work placement

There is no work placement on this course but learning activities will involve working with real organisations to enable you to see how business analytics operates in a commercial context, while providing the opportunity to practice workplace-relevant skills.

Facilities

You will study at our Craiglockhart campus

Modules

Modules that you will study* as part of this course

Analytics Final Project (SOE11170)

The final project is the most important part of the MSc Business Analytics program. It is a chance for you to independently conduct a large project on a business problem or issue of your choice or provided by a real organisation, with real datasets, using the analytics techniques covered in the program.

Analytics and AI for Marketing Strategy (MKT11127)

In this module, you will develop in-depth understanding of the theory, practice and managerial implications of using analytics and AI as part of an organisation's marketing strategy.

Business Analytics and Change (HRM11127)

This module has a focus on change management and people analytics and importantly contributes towards a greater understanding of how to manage change and the key levers which support the successful implementation of change projects.

Data Analytics (SOE11154)

The module aims at introducing you to the new possibilities opened up by the digital revolution and how these can be translated into the field of global logistics.

Decision-making with Analytics (SOE11166)

This module aims at introducing you to the new possibilities opened up by the business analytics revolution and how these can be used in the field of decision-making in business and management.

Final project development (SOE11169)

This module aims to provide you with a sound understanding of the approaches and techniques to structure, design and execute with rigour your final project of the program involving business issues informed by the experience of real organisations.

Machine Learning, AI and Ethics (SOE11165)

Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and ethics will be crucial to changing business models and decision-making in the future.

Predictive Analytics (SOE11167)

Predictive Analytics is a way of using data to predict future events.

Prescriptive Analytics (SOE11168)

Decision-Making for OrganizationsOrganizations face many complex decisions every day.

Skills for Success (TBS11108)

Module is designed to ensure you are equipped with a longitudinal induction which ensures ‘How to be here’ foundation moves through Professionalism in classroom and beyond to Careers awareness and guidance as part of pass/fail attended module.

Entry requirements

What are the entry requirements for Business Analytics?

The entry requirement for this course is a Bachelor (Honours) Degree at 2:2 or above in a degree with significant quantitative component. Suitable fields include: Statistics, Psychology, Maths, Physical and Biological Sciences, Business Management, Economics, Finance, Engineering, Computer Science.

We may also consider lesser qualifications if you have sufficient professional work experience within the industry.

Can I get admission into Business Analytics based on my working experience in this sector?

This course has academic entry requirements which are assessed alongside relevant work experience. Full details of any relevant work experience, including references should be submitted with your application and may be considered for entry where the minimum academic entry requirements are below those required.

Can I make an appointment with an advisor to discuss further about the admission process?

If you want to get more information on the admission process, please get in touch with the postgraduate admissions team.

Fees & funding

Tuition fees for 2024/25

• Students from Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland: £8,715
• Overseas and EU: £18,800

Tuition fees are subject to an annual review and may increase from one year to the next.

Careers

What can you do with a postgraduate degree in Business Analytics?

As the influence of data analysis methodology grows, and the volume of data collected increases rapidly, the number and variety of roles in data science are also growing significantly. The purpose of our MSc Business Analytics degree is to develop industry-ready analytics professionals who have knowledge and skills in the techniques that are integral to developing and implementing the analytics function of organisations, making graduates attractive to employers.

Graduates will have gained useful and practical business skills and descriptive, prescriptive and predictive analytics knowledge. This will enable them to significantly contribute to the performance of any organisation and to deliver important information for key business decisions and business development within the global business environment.

What does a Business Intelligence Analyst do?

A Business Intelligence Analyst professional plays a vital role in supporting businesses to make date-driven decisions. They collect, analyse and interpret large volumes of data to transform numbers into actionable insights that inform business decisions. Working in this role will mean you have excellent problem-solving skills, digital abilities and great communication.

Daily tasks and responsibilities in this role may include:

• Data collection and integration
• Data analysis
• Identifying trends and opportunities
• Business development and optimisation