Master of Science in Business Analytics

Business analytics is a field of explosive growth and opportunity. Golden Gate University’s Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) program opens the door to this lucrative world by providing the knowledge and skills needed to apply data analytics to real-world business issues. Graduates leave the program with a “toolkit” of statistical and analytic theory, processes, tools, and techniques, which can support strategic decision-making.

Graduates of the Master of Science in Business Analytics degree program will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Explain the differences between structured and unstructured data, aligning each with appropriate business applications.
2. Articulate and align with corporate performance, the complexities of data management, including organizational structures, data policy, data governance, data ownership, and data strategies.
3. Explain and give examples of the three analytic disciplines of descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive (optimization).
4. Identify the different kinds of tools used in optimization and simulation and explain their appropriate usage in the work environment. Identify and explain the steps of the CRISP-DM process model.
5. Anticipate challenges to data security, privacy and ethics, recommending reasonable solutions to issues when they occur. Recognize the challenges of Big Data and describe the use of supporting technologies.
6. Use visual outcomes of analytics to communicate effective messages to members of the business community.
7. Describe the different approaches to machine learning, demonstrating application of the most common algorithms.
8. Explain Natural Language Processing, identifying potential uses and challenges. Interpret and analyze individual business problems, selecting the best analytic approach and appropriate tools for extracting value from the data.
9. Explain the differences between the R and Python programming languages and demonstrate proficiency in each. Promote data quality by effectively acquiring, cleansing, and organizing data for analysis.

Who is this course for?For IT professionals: Roles in the IT industry are evolving rapidly, and one is now expected to have a better understanding of analytics. Hence, to lead such teams, managers are expected to have the knowledge of analytics in addition to having strong leadership qualities. This program will help you with both.  

For non-IT professionals: With each and every business decision becoming data-driven, analytics is a de-facto skill expected from any manager, as you would be the one making decisions. This program will help you understand how to convert a business problem into an analytics problem and then solve it. So, if you are aiming to lead the teams working on solving problems of the digital age, start your own business, or even consult others in making business decisions, then this programme is meant for you.

Minimum eligibility 

Bachelor's Degree in any specialization.

Judith Lee

Dr. Judith Lee is a Tenured Professor and Dept. Chair of Business Innovation & Technology in the Ageno School of Business. A past recipient of the Nagel T. Miner Research Professorship focusing on Business Analytics Education, Judy has developed and taught Master of Science degrees in IT Management, Project Management, and Business Analytics. Judy has a BA in American History, an MBA in Management, and holds the degree of Doctor of Business Administration. She is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Sia Zadeh

Siamak Zadeh has over 30 years of academic and IT industry experience. He has worked in a variety of organizations, such as IBM Research and Oracle, developing business strategies and product specifications for the use and application of digital transformation and analytics to business problems and challenges. He earned an M.Phil. and a Ph.D. from Columbia University, New York.