Program Overview

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Program Overview

The Master of Data Analytics – Business Analytics Option is a graduate degree program designed to prepare students for positions such as business analyst and analytic system designer. The program focuses on building a practical skill set that can help support data-driven business decisions.

Program Details

• The program is 100% online, allowing students to complete their coursework at their own pace.
• The application deadline for the summer semester is March 15, with classes starting on May 18.
• The program consists of 30 credits, with a tuition rate of $1,078 per credit.
• The program is nationally recognized, with Penn State's graduate IT programs highly ranked by U.S. News & World Report.

Program Curriculum

The program curriculum explores and analyzes data to support data-driven business decisions through a complete spectrum of analytics activities, including:

• Descriptive (what happened)
• Diagnostic (why it happened)
• Predictive (what will happen)
• Prescriptive (what should happen)

Required Courses

The program requires 9 credits of core courses, 9 credits of prescribed courses specific to the business analytics option, and 9 credits of electives. The required courses include:

• DAAN 545: Data Mining
• IE 575: Foundations of Predictive Analytics
• STAT 500: Applied Statistics

Business Analytics Option Prescribed Courses

The prescribed courses for the business analytics option include:

• BAN 830: Descriptive Analytics for Business
• BAN 840: Predictive Analytics for Business
• BAN 850: Prescriptive Analytics for Business

Electives

The program offers a range of electives, including:

• BA 831: Foundations in Finance
• BADM 834: Portfolio Management
• BUSAD 525: Quantitative Methods in Finance
• BUSAD 843: People Analytics
• DAAN 822: Data Collection and Cleaning
• DAAN 846: Network and Predictive Analytics for Socio-Technical Systems
• DAAN 862: Analytics Programming in Python
• DAAN 871: Data Visualization
• DAAN 897: Enterprise Analytics Strategies
• STAT 501: Regression Methods
• STAT 510: Applied Time Series Analysis
• SWENG 805: Software Project Management

Culminating Capstone Experience

The program culminates in a 3-credit capstone experience, BAN 888: Implementing Analytics for Business, which sets business analytics in a real-world context and explores the project life cycle from business problem-framing to model lifecycle management.

Career Opportunities

The program prepares students for careers in a variety of fields, including:

• Data Analyst
• Information Architect
• Business Intelligence Analyst
• Actuarial Analyst

Faculty

The program is taught by a team of experienced faculty with diverse backgrounds and expertise in data analytics, business, and engineering. The faculty includes:

• Adrian S. Barb
• Mohamad Darayi
• Cheryl Horten
• Ashkan Negahban
• Colin Neill
• Robin G. Qiu
• Dusan Ramljak
• Raghvinder S. Sangwan
• Rashmi Sharma
• Chris Solo
• Satish Srinivasan
• Serkan Yilmaz

Admissions

The program requires a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a tertiary degree deemed comparable to a four-year bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution. The program also requires a postsecondary (undergraduate) GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale. Applicants not meeting these requirements may be asked to complete bridge coursework before starting the program.

Tuition and Financial Aid

The program's tuition rate is $1,078 per credit, with a total of 30 credits required for completion. The program also offers financial aid and scholarships to eligible students. Military service members, veterans, and their spouses or dependents may be eligible for military education benefits and financial aid opportunities.