Business Analytics

Learning Objectives

• Create, structure and analyze big data to address business problems
• Apply statistical and analytics methods and models to business problems. 
• Apply Business Intelligence principles and practices to business problems. 
• Transform and structure data for use in business analytics
• Create and communicate business information visually

Preminor Requirements 

Admission to the minor in Business Analytics, requires completion of the college pre-major requirements and admission to Upper Division in Business & Economics.  Non-B&E majors must have the consent of the Director of the Business Analytics Center. Please note that prerequisites for all courses will be strictly enforced. Students wishing to apply for this minor may do so through the program change process on myUK.

Minor Requirements 

Comprised of five required courses and one elective, the two-year minor program is open to all upper division University of Kentucky students. Students who have met the prerequisites may either finish the full program or take any number of courses within the minor.

Course Descriptions

Introduction to Business Analytics (AN 300)
This core course introduces business analytics and its application to business problems in functional domains including operations, marketing, management and others. Students learn contemporary tools, models, and methods for developing and deploying descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics approaches to solving problems. 

Business Intelligence and Data Visualization (AN 306)
This course introduces students to the principles, tools and best practices of business intelligence and data visualization to enable the analysis of business data to improve decisions and performance.  Students will receive hands-on experience using appropriate software to create visual displays of quantitative data (reports, graphs, charts, maps, stories and dashboards) to facilitate communication of actionable insights for managerial decision-making.

Business Data Management (AN 324)
This course introduces “big data,” – data harvesting and cleaning, relational databases, structured query language (SQL), data warehousing and online analytical processing (OLAP). Emphasis is placed on data structure, database design, data queries and data manipulation.

Business Data Mining (AN 420G)
Data mining involves tools and techniques that help analysts numerically and visually explore vast data sets, classify data, predict outcomes, or identify associations, patterns, and exceptional events. These capabilities allow firms to better segment markets, evaluate and classify stocks, identify prospective customers, foretell contingencies and catastrophes, identify defaulters and fraudulent transactions, measure churn, identify threats, perform service requests, bundle goods and services, and recognize how events (e.g. purchases) are likely to unfold over time. 

Business Analytics Strategy and Applications (AN 450G)
This case-based course examines the role of analytics in the development and execution of business strategy. The examination includes applying the principles, tools, and techniques for data-driven business decision-making within business domains. Students will learn to critically analyze data to achieve strategic goals.

Electives

Students will choose one elective (3 credit hours) from the following list. Alternative electives may be approved by the Director of the Minor in Business Analytics. 

• Forensic Accounting & Fraud Examination (ACC 555)
• Data Management (ACC 590)
• Internal Auditing (ACC590)
• Information Technology (IT) Auditing (ACC590)
• Cost Benefit Analysis (ECO430)
• Analysis of Business Conditions (ECO463)
• Applied Econometrics (ECO491G)
• Financial Modeling (FIN430)
• Network Analysis for Business (MGT 380)
• Digital Marketing Strategy Evaluation (MKT 325)

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