MS Business Analytics

Graduate & Executive Education / MS Business Analytics

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The Haslam Master of Science in Business Analytics teaches students how to use the power of data to drive business outcomes.


Students develop not only the technical acumen to derive insight from large data sets, but also the business fundamentals and analytics communication skills to make a difference in the organizations they serve.

Nearly 100% of our graduates find jobs within six months of graduation, and their median annual salary is over $87,563 with an average signing bonus of $9,950. The industry’s top professional association recognized our curriculum with UPS George D. Smith Prize in 2018, and our students have the opportunity to network with top analytics professionals every year during our Business Analytics Forum.

Haslam’s MSBA program combines top technical expertise with practical experience so our graduates can help transform organizations with cutting-edge analytics on day one.

Duration: 10 months

Location: Knoxville, Tennessee

Start Date: July 2023

STEM Designated

International students may qualify for a 36-month Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension upon graduation.

Team-Based Learning

Possessing the skills to derive analytics insights isn’t enough to drive organizational change- our curriculum emphasizes small cohorts, career coaching and team building to reflect real-world business dynamics.

Industry-Focused

The Annual Business Analytics Forum provides the opportunity to network directly with professionals and companies interested in hiring top MSBA students and our Capstone class gives students experience applying analytical tools to drive real business outcomes.

Cutting-Edge

Through the program, students learn innovative data applications. Developing skills in R, SQL and Python enables them to perform a variety of data analysis functions. They will also have opportunities to learn from their classmates through professional case studies, presentations and a capstone project, while simultaneously practicing their business communication techniques.

Class Profile


Class Size: 42

Male: 71%

Female: 29%

Avg. GPA: 3.43

Avg. GRE Verbal: 156

Avg. GRE Quantitative: 162

International % : 12%

Admissions contact:
Katie Wood

Top Ten


Most Prominent Analytics and Data Science Institutes

Analytics Insight Magazine

2018


UPS George D. Smith Prize for Innovative Curriculum

INFORMS

24


Top 27 in Data Science School 2021

Predictive Analytics Today

What You’ll Learn


The Master of Science in Business Analytics program develops a student’s technical acumen in deriving insights from large data sets as well as business fundamentals and soft skills like leadership, teamwork and presentations. Our students graduate with both the ability to communicate the data relevant to the problem at hand and how it can be leveraged to benefit the organization.  

In their final semester, MSBA students work in teams using real data to solve a real problem for one of our industry partners in their capstone project. They communicate with company executives throughout the project, presenting their findings at the end of the semester.

For a full description of the content in required courses see the graduate course catalog

Dual Degree

Students can also pursue a dual degree, gaining an MSBA and MBA in two years.

STEM Designated

The Haslam MSBA is a STEM designated program. It also is an Optional Practical Training program, which affectively allows international students to work in the U.S. for up to three years after graduation before needing a work visa.

Learn More about the MS Business Analytics Program


Career Impact


Business Analytics is no longer an emerging field. It is a necessary function in almost every organization and across many job functions. Professionals perform analyses to produce dashboards, data visualizations, predictive models and more. Nearly 100% of Haslam’s MSBA students accept job offers within six months of graduation in a wide range of job functions and industries.

  • Consumer insights
  • Supply chain
  • Healthcare
  • Finance
  • Marketing

  • Analytics professional
  • Internal consultant

The Haslam College of Business has an extensive Career Services center dedicated to helping our students find employment after graduation. In addition, all Haslam MSBA alumni have access to the University of Tennessee career management resources HIRE-A-VOL and careershift.

Career Management Team

Haslam’s MSBA program provides ample exposure to employers through the Business Analytics Forum, which gathers dozens of the nation’s top analytics companies annual to discuss emerging technologies and best practices in the field.

In the final semester at Haslam, students participate in a team-based capstone project working with a business client on an existing problem. They gain hands-on experience with real-world data, which can have lots of grey areas and can be very messy. The project culminates with a formal presentation to the client. Other benefits include:

  • Gaining exposure to different corporate cultures
  • Learning and practicing soft business skills
  • Learning important management and leadership lessons

Curriculum


Total hours: 36

Business Analytics 533 (3 credits) Quantitative Methods for BA
Introduction to the application of probability and statistics models in Business Analytics. Extensive use of statistical programming languages.

Business Analytics 537 (1.5 credits) Data Security and Ethics
Introduction to data security issues and the ethical use of analytics and data in business applications

Business Analytics 530 (1.5 credits) Business Skills Development
Designed to build skills that MSBA students need to successfully apply knowledge in the business world. Business communications and career development.

Software utilized in summer semester courses:

  • 533: R, Tableau

* Not all electives are offered every year/semester,

Business Analytics 531 (3 credits) Decision Optimization
Linear programming decision models, solutions, sensitivity analysis, linear and integer optimization models, transportation and selected network flow models, along with application issues of these models, introduction to a mathematical programming language and standard optimization software.

Business Analytics 535 (3 credits) Statistical Methods for Business
Presents data from real-world consulting engagements to give students practical experience solving problems. Topics include translating data to information, formulating models and communicating results to diverse constituencies. The course demonstrates the importance of developing solutions that address people, process and technology.

Business Analytics 542 (3 cr) Data Mining Methods for Business Applications
Understanding and applying data mining methods. Data preparation; exploratory data analysis and visualization; cluster analysis; logistic regression; decision trees; neural networks; association rules; model assessment; and other topics. Applications to business problems. Use of standard computer packages.

Business Analytics 545 (3 credits) Data Engineering for Business Applications
Fundamentals of data engineering pipelines with particular focus on extracting, transforming, combining, validating and loading data for further analysis and visualization. Topics include, but are not limited to, navigating the Linux operating system, version control and collaboration, SQL and NoSQL databases, distributed computing and high-level programming.

Business Analytics 536 (1.5 credits) Case Studies in Business Analytics

Software utilized in fall semester courses:

  • 531: Solver in Excel, AMPL, CPLEX, Gurobi, very limited R & Python
  • 535: JMP Pro, MySQL, Tableau
  • 536: Some combination of Excel, Python, R, and Tableau
  • 542: R, Python
  • 545: Linux, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Apache Spark, Python

* Not all electives are offered every year/semester,

Business Analytics 540 (3 credits) Applied Regression Analysis for Business
Matrix approach to multiple linear regression. Normal equations, interaction and confounding, use of dummy variables, model selection. Leverage, influence and collinearity. Autocorrelated errors. Logistic regression, maximum likelihood estimation, analysis of deviance, retrospective studies. Tree-based models for discrete and continuous outcomes. Robust regression and weighted least squares. Applications involving predictive modeling for credit risk and customer acquisition. Case studies from accounting, finance and marketing.

Software utilized in winter semester courses:

  • 540: R and/or JMP

* Not all electives are offered every year/semester,

1 required course + electives + capstone


Business Analytics 550 (3 credits) Business Analytics Experience
Application of the principles of analytics through a team-based, experiential project.  Students work on a real-world business problem through the stages of problem identification, data acquisition & preparation, analysis, determination of recommendations and presentation of findings.


Electives (choose 10.5 hours). Options are:

Customer Analytics/ Applied Statistics Electives

  • Multivariate and Data Mining Techniques (with text mining) (BZAN 552) 3 credits
  • Design of Experiments (BZAN 553) 3 credits
  • Deep Learning for Business Applications (BZAN 554) 3 credits
  • Text Mining (BZAN 557) 3 credits
  • Categorical Data Analysis (STAT 578) 3 credits
  • Simulation Modeling (uses Monte Carlo) (BZAN 546) 1.5 credits
  • Time Series Forecasting (BZAN 548) 1.5 credits
  • Deep Reinforcement Learning (BZAN 558) 1.5 credits
  • App Development for Business Analytics (BZAN 544)

Supply Chain Analytics Electives

  • Topics in the Geography of Transportation (GEOG 549) 3 credits
  • Systems Optimization (BZAN 556) 3 credits
  • Supply Chain Analytics (BZAN 555) 3 credits
  • Simulation Modeling (uses discrete event) (BZAN 546) 1.5 credits

Data Science Electives

  • Introduction to Programming for Scientists and Engineers 3 credits
  •  (Languages such as C++ and Python) (COSC 505) 3 credits
  • Fundamentals of Digital Archeology (COSC 545) 3 credits
  • Databases/Scripting Languages (COSC 565) 3 credits

Degree Requirements Summary
MSBA requires 36 credits.
* Not all electives are offered every year/semester,

MSBA courses are not available to non-Haslam College of Business (HCB) students. Non-HCB students interested in graduate analytics courses should enroll in a course in the IGSDSP (500-level STAT) or PhD (600-level) curricula, or in non-degree Business Analytics programs.
MSBA courses may be available, on a very limited basis, to highly qualified HCB graduate students (e.g. PhD students) if space is available. These students are first encouraged to find IGSDSP or PhD courses that match their interests.

Admissions


Applications for the MSBA are submitted through the University of Tennessee’s Graduate School; however, Haslam has application requirements specific to the MSBA.

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Readmission

Requirements

All undergraduate degrees are accepted, but the most successful students have a strong technical aptitude and have taken quantitative courses such as math, statistics, engineering, computer science and calculus. Due to the lock-step nature of our program, transfer credits are not accepted.

The program requires a brief (30 minute) interview and can accommodate both in-person and virtual interviews.

Applicants with undergraduate GPAs below 3.0 are not typically considered. Our average GPA varies with each incoming class, but hovers around 3.4 on a 4.0 scale.

GRE/GMAT tests are required, but waivers will be considered. All students are expected to demonstrate quantitative abilities either through undergraduate coursework or by completing a quantitative assessment test, such as the Pearson MyMath or GRE/GMAT test. The UT MSBA program has designed a custom version of the MyMath test, which costs $14.99. Students interested in MyMath are expected to take the UT version of the test, and should contact our admissions director Katie Wood for further information.

Please ensure your official scores are sent to the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. GMAT ID: 8GR-KN-71, GRE ID: 2834

Applicants whose native language is not English must score at least 600 or 100 IBT for the TOEFL or 7.5 for the IELTS. Test scores are valid for two years. Please refer to the Graduate School’s website for more details.

In the application, please enter the name and email address of your recommender. When you submit the application, they will receive an email with the recommendation to complete. The admissions committee prefers to see one academic (faculty) and one professional (current/previous supervisor) recommendation.

Admission opens in August and applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the class is full.

International applicants must meet the Graduate School’s deadlines as follows:

  • December 15: Recommended Application Completion Date
  • May 1: Final Consideration Date

International applicants must meet the Graduate School’s deadlines as follows:

  • October 15: Application Submission deadline
  • February 15: Application Complete Date

***Applications submitted by December 15th will receive priority consideration for merit-based scholarships and assistantships.

Tuition & Financial Aid


Estimated Program Cost (for students entering Summer 2023)

In-State: $26,379

Out-of-State: $54,119

You can find an up-to-date schedule of tuition and fees for in and out-of-state students on One Stop Student Services’ website. The tuition and fees listed do not include room, board, books and supplies or other living expenses.  

Download MSBA Tuition Expenses

Financial Aid 

Learn about federal student loans and other need-based financial aid for graduate students at the financial aid for graduate students at One Stop Student Services. Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) by February 15.

Out-of-state candidates in the Southeast region may be eligible to obtain in-state tuition rates through the Academic Common Market. Students using Post-911 GI Benefits are particularly likely to benefit.

Funding

Our admitted applicants are automatically considered for merit-based program-funded graduate assistantships and scholarships. Assistantships and scholarships are highly competitive and not all applicants receive funding opportunities. The graduate assistantships include a tuition fee waiver and a stipend for the semester awarded.No additional application is necessary for financial consideration. However, you can apply for graduate assistantships that are outside of the MSBA program; our graduate school has a website where you can see openings for graduate assistantships that different departments and colleges post.

Faculty


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For more information contact us.


Ashley Sams
Assistant Director of Admissions, Graduate Business Programs
(865) 974-8696
asams6@vols.utk.edu

Katelyn Wood
Assistant Director of Admissions, Graduate Business Programs
(865) 974-3959
Kwood31@ utk.edu