Program Overview

Master of Science in Business Analytics

The Master of Science in Business Analytics program is designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills of descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics. The program aims to prepare students with advanced concepts and theories in business analytics, as well as the ability to apply data-driven approaches to solve business challenges in different areas.

Program Overview

• The program consists of 33 credit hours, distributed as follows:
  • Compulsory courses: 18 credit hours
  • Elective courses: 6 credit hours
  • Thesis: 9 credit hours
• The program is offered on a full-time and part-time basis, with a duration of 2-4 years.
• The language of instruction is English.
• The program is located at the Sharjah Main Campus.

Admission Requirements

• Applicants must have a bachelor's degree in Business, Information Systems, Computer Science, and Engineering (or a closely related field) from a recognized college or university with an overall undergraduate grade point average of 3.00 (out of 4.0) or higher.
• Applicants may be required to enroll in prerequisite courses, which they have not taken in their prior studies, as deemed necessary by the Department's Graduate Studies Committee.
• Applicants must provide certified transcripts from the institution where they received their B.Sc. degree, along with course descriptions, and must provide letter(s) of reference.
• Applicants must demonstrate English language proficiency by obtaining a minimum of 550 on the Institutional TOEFL or its equivalent on the iBT or CBT, or 6 on the academic IELTS for programs taught in English.

Program Goals

• Equip students with advanced concepts and theories in business analytics.
• Prepare students with the knowledge and skills in various data analytics and methods to become effective decision-makers.
• Prepare students in business analytics techniques and models to solve real-world problems.
• Apply the data-driven approach to solve business challenges in different business areas.
• Develop the ability to work in a team to apply knowledge acquired to solve real-world business problems.

Program Learning Outcomes

• Integrate theoretical foundation and quantitative skills in Business Analytics.
• Apply the concepts and methods of business analytics to real-life scenarios.
• Interpret results and solutions, and identify appropriate action for managerial situations and decision making.
• Work effectively as a member of a team and communicate effectively with a variety of audiences.
• Use leadership and responsible behavior in a group setting.
• Identify and manage ethical challenges in their career.

Course Description

• Databases and Business Intelligence: This course provides students with the theoretical foundation and technical skills required to implement a business database solution.
• Fundamentals of Business Analytics: This course is an introduction to business analytics, focusing on teaching fundamental concepts and tools needed to understand the emerging role of business analytics in organizations.
• Statistics and Forecasting: This course studies the use of linear regression techniques for examining relationships between variables.
• Data Mining: This course introduces data mining, its terminology, and overview of various types of data and its properties.
• Optimization and Decision Models: This course covers basic concepts in optimization and heuristic search with an emphasis on process improvement and optimization.
• Research Methods: This course enables students to deeply understand the importance of business research and how research is carried out in various management and business settings.
• Thesis: This is a required capstone course, serving as the program's final component, and allowing an extended independent study and research.

Elective Courses

• Advanced Business Analytics: This course provides advanced knowledge, skills, and tools to support data-driven decision making.
• Analytical Software Tools: This course provides everything a student needs to get started using Python and R for data analysis.
• Finance Analytics: This course provides students with knowledge of the application of financial data analytics techniques in different financial situations.
• Healthcare Analytics: This course presents students with an introduction to the field of health informatics and advanced healthcare analytics.
• Marketing Analytics: This course explores customer data analysis techniques and their theoretical foundations to help students acquire analytic skills that can be applied to real-world marketing problems.
• Supply Chain Analytics: This course provides an advanced understanding of the concepts related to managing supply chains using analytics.
• Special Topics: This course explores in-depth the latest theoretical and practical aspects of business analytics, current issues, and trends.