Did you know data analytics is one of the top priorities for modern businesses? Well, you do now. And it’s an area that is desperate for talent. With the Master’s in Business Analytics, the University of Bath Online develops the profiles that industry needs.
After cloud computing, data analytics is the top priority for modern businesses, and the field is booming. A Master of Science in Business Analytics bridges the dynamic world of big data and strategic management. At the University of Bath Online, they offer an online course that “combines theory with practical business skills, enabling you to solve real-life business problems.” (00:49)
From a technical standpoint, students in the program look at data visualization and analysis and combine it with machine learning. The course explains how to leverage forecasting models, deep learning, and more, while teaching the R programming language as well.
The University states that, “You’ll become an expert in acquiring, cleaning, processing, and visualizing data; spreadsheet modeling, VBA programming, databases, business intelligence, and data mining.” (00:24) But these lessons aren’t learned in isolation.
The curriculum covers key business best practices in tandem with the technical skills to produce rounded profiles who can be the connecting link between IT departments and management. For example, ten credits of the course are aimed at project management. Here, students get to grips with the wider business context by studying risk management, strategic thinking, project planning, and communication.
Despite studying the Master’s in Business Analytics online, students get a great amount of hand-on experience. A clear example of this is their partnerships with tech giant IBM, and analytics, AI, and data management company SAS. By using the latest industry tools, students use descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive modeling to make data-driven decisions.
All of this is geared toward improving your future career prospects. The University explains, “Through our partnerships with IBM and SAS you will immerse yourself in state-of-the-art business analytics software, develop your technical skills, critical understanding, creativity, and problem-solving skills to improve your employability.” (00:56)
Sure, whether a program is “worth it” is highly subjective. However, studying this business analytics master’s degree online allows you to go from a complete business beginner to a data-focused leader in as little as two years.
To pass the program, students need to complete a total of 180 credits, with 10 credits costing £833. Subsequently, the 60-credit dissertation, where students provide solutions to a real world problem, requires two installments of £2,499. The University of Bath Online has a range of loan options to fund your studies, which you will only pay back once you earn over a specified threshold in your career.
The online format also means you don’t have to make any lifestyle changes, so you can work from home alongside a full-time job. After graduating, you’ll have the technical and leadership skills to advance your current position or to switch sectors into a higher-paying role.
Employers are increasingly seeing the real-world skills learned in a business analytics master’s as must-have, rather than desirable skills. This is partly because business analysts span all industries and can shift between technical, managerial, and consulting roles.
This opens up a wide range of opportunities for graduates of a Master’s in Business Analytics in the UK. As Bath Online describes, “Our MSc in Business Analytics prepares you for a career in a diverse range of sectors, including finance, healthcare, logistics, and marketing.” (00:38) Past students have gone on to work in multinationals such as Accenture, Procter & Gamble, EY, among many others.
More adventurous types have looked to consulting, where they usually work with business owners on a contractual basis. Mirroring the case study projects during the degree, they work to solve a specific business problem, and can choose between a freelance or collaborative path.
To find out more about the University of Bath Online campus, head to their profile page on MASTERGRADSCHOOLS.
