Babson Offers New Concentration in Business Analytics
Yesterday, Babson College announced that it has launched new concentrations in Business Analytics for its undergraduate and graduate programs. Babson referenced a 2012 in-house survey of business practitioners in which 91 percent of respondents said they would hire graduates with backgrounds in business analytics. 60 percent of those surveyed said they would be willing to pay more than a 10 percent premium to hire a business analytics graduate over a non-analytics graduate.
Babson created the new concentration using input from industry partners and Babson faculty and staff. The faculty advisors for the graduate concentration in business analytics are Abdul Ali and Dessislava Pachamanova.
“An employee with business analytics mastery will be invaluable to [their] company,” observed Cheri Paulson, the Director of Babson College’s Graduate Center for Career Development. “This is a ‘sweet spot’ for Babson students shaped from the moment they step foot on campus to become entrepreneurial leaders who can identify and create opportunities.”
The graduate concentration in business analytics is available to MBA students in the one-year, two-year, evening and Babson Blended Learning programs. Each student must complete foundational courses in basic data management, data analytics techniques and applications, and use of software related to data analytics. Students will also be able to explore business analytics through a wide range of electives. To earn the concentration, students must take a minimum of 12 credits from a list of electives including “Marketing Analytics,” “Data Mining,” “Business Intelligence,” “Information Technology,” and “Economic and Financial Forecasting.”
Although the business analytics concentration is just beginning its initial rollout, it is already popular among Babson students, according to college representatives.
