Business Analytics, MSBA

Overview

Graduate Program

Clark University’s Master’s in Business Analytics program will equip you with the skills needed for the growing field of data analysis. You’ll learn techniques to formulate insights and the capability to communicate your knowledge effectively to data scientists, managers and executives. Essentially, you’ll learn how to synthesize data into powerful information that you and other managers can use to inform decision making.

Students that pursue this degree will leave with the following outcomes:

• Hands-on approach and state-of-the-art technology skills development
• Rigorous and systematic educational experience
• Individualized research and competition experience (award winning students group)
• Career development opportunities
• Opportunity to specialize in Marketing, Financial, and Accounting concentrations

The MSBA program at Clark University is internationally accredited by AACSB.

Graduate Program Requirements

The curriculum for the MSBA program consists of 9 required core courses and two additional courses specific to each concentration, for a total of 11 units, with the exception of the the Accounting Analytics concentration, which is a total of 12 units.  All courses are worth one unit, unless otherwise specified.

Students must achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 to be in good academic standing at the end of each semester (a ‘B’ in each of their classes).  The lowest grade a student can earn in a course is a ‘C.’

Completion of a graduate internship or experiential learning requirement is required for all full-time students in this program.  There are several options available for students to complete this requirement.  It may also be possible to waive this requirement if students have 3+ years of professional business work experience related to their field of study; for details contact a member of the Stevenish Career Management Center for more information.

Students can begin this program at the start of the fall or spring semester.

Students must satisfy the Master of Science in Business Analytics prerequisite courses prior to beginning their first semester at Clark University. Students must satisfy 1 Math or Statistics course and 1 Python or SQL Server Programming course.

For any questions, contact the Program Director, Jing Zhang.

Marketing Analytics Concentration

In addition to the required core courses above, students that choose the Marketing Analytics concentration must also complete the following courses during their second and third semesters, respectively:

• MKT 5401  Marketing Research and Analysis (second semester)
• MKT 5495  Digital Marketing Analytics (third semester)

Financial Analytics Concentration

In addition to the required core courses above, students that choose the Financial Analytics concentration must also complete FIN 5401  Investments in their second semester, and one elective course in their third semester from the following options:

• FIN 5200  Corporate Finance
• FIN 5216  Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives
• BAN 5700  Blockchain and Cryptocurrency

Accounting Analytics Concentration

Students that choose the Accounting Analytics concentration must complete 12 units for their degree. 

In addition to the required courses above, students must complete ACCT 4101  Foundations of Financial Accounting in the first semester of their program, ACCT 5100  Accounting Analytics in their second semester, and one elective option in their third semester from the list below:

• ACCT 5101   Financial Analysis and Reporting I
• ACCT 5102   Financial Analysis and Reporting II
• ACCT 5103   Management Accounting with Data Analytics
• ACCT 5104   Accounting Information Systems
• ACCT 5105   Financial Auditing with Data Analytics
• ACCT 5109   Government and Nonprofit Accounting
• ACCT 5206   Federal Taxation

• Semester 1

• ACCT 4101 - Foundations of Financial Accounting
• STAT 4450 - Managerial Statistics
• STAT 4600 - Intermediary Statistical Modeling for Analytics
• BAN 4550 - Analytics Programming

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• Semester 2

• STAT 4650 - Machine Learning
• BAN 4500 - Information Systems for Analytics
• BAN 5501 - Database Management and SQL for Analytics
• Accounting Track Required Course: ACCT 5100  

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• Semester 3

• BAN 5573 - Visual Analytics and Business Intelligence
• BAN 5600 - Advanced Big Data Computing and Programming
• BAN 5650 - Applied Business Analytics
• Accounting Track Elective (Choose 1: ACCT 5101 , ACCT 5102 , ACCT 5103 , ACCT 5104 , ACCT 5105 , ACCT 5109 , or ACCT 5206 )

Program Director

Jing Zhang, Ph.D.

Program Faculty

Hamidreza Ahady Dolatsara, Ph.D

Atefeh Yazdanparast, Ph.D.

Kyunghee Yoon, Ph.D.

Jin Fang, Ph.D.

Adjunct Faculty

Dean Cascione, M.A.

Yue Gao, Ph.D.

Emeriti Faculty

Margarete Arndt, D.B.A.

Robert Bradbury, Ph.D.

Gary Chaison, Ph.D.

Harold T. Moody, Ph.D.

Edward J. Ottensmeyer, Ph.D.

Maurry Tamarkin, Ph.D.