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Master of Science in Business Analytics

Advance your analytical aptitude and boost your career potential by learning how to transform raw data into important business intelligence with this affordable and flexible graduate degree program.

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Online Master's in Business Analytics

Deliver evidence-based insights that inform strategy and improve business outcomes with UMass Lowell's online Master's in Business Analytics. As companies generate and utilize increasing amounts of data, the need for business analytics professionals is growing. Integrating theory and practice, UMass Lowell's M.S. in Business Analytics will provide you with a solid foundation of analytical skills that can be used to solve real-world problems at both private and public firms in a diverse range of fields, including health care, government, telecommunications, e-commerce, transportation and manufacturing.

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No GMAT/GRE Required

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Earn a Top-Ranked Master's for Under $20k

Career Outlook

114,526
Jobs (2022)
+2.9%
% Change (2022-2023)
$109.4K/yr
Median Earnings
13,841
Annual Openings
Source: Lightcast (2023) Target Occupations in New England

Occupations

  • Big Data Analytics Specialist
  • Business Solutions Analyst
  • Computer Systems Analyst
  • Cyber Intelligence Analyst
  • Data Architect
  • Information Security Analyst
  • IT Business Analyst
  • Management Analyst
  • Marketing Analytics Consultant
  • Operations Research Analyst

Companies that hire business analytics professionals include Raytheon, Amazon, UPS, McKinsey & Co., FedEx, United Health Group, Massachusetts General Hospital, GE Energy Management and more.

"Employment of management analysts is projected to grow 14 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations. Demand for the services of these workers should grow as organizations continue to seek ways to improve efficiency and control costs."
— U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2019

Choose from Six Options

The online Master of Science in Business Analytics offers a flexible schedule for busy working adults. You can customize your degree and concentrate on a specific business area by selecting one of six options:

A foundation of required information systems and operations management courses, plus electives that cover areas such as accounting data analytics, advanced auditing, fraud examination and forensic accounting and accounting information for management decisions.
A foundation of required information systems and operations management courses, plus electives that cover areas such as enterprise resource management systems, social network analysis, data mining and statistical business analytics techniques.
A foundation of required information systems and operations management courses, plus electives that cover areas such as statistical methods and techniques for predictive analytics, capital strategy and investment analysis, financial reporting, and portfolio management theories and practice.
A foundation of required information systems and operations management courses, plus electives that cover areas such as health information systems, healthcare informatics, electronic health record systems and applied health economics.
A foundation of required information systems and operations management courses, plus electives that cover areas such as information technology project management, principles of supply chain management, service management and quality control.
A foundation of required information systems and operations management courses, plus electives that cover areas such as digital commerce, industry and competitor analysis, and marketing research techniques.

Key Takeaways

Deepen your knowledge in a range of topics, including:

  • The collection, management and analysis of data from a variety of sources
  • Different approaches to solving issues related to big data including volume, variety and velocity
  • The design and development of data-oriented business intelligence techniques
  • The use of applied mathematical modeling principles and methods in managerial decision making
  • The interpretation and communication of insights gleaned from descriptive, predictive and prescriptive analytics
Best Online Graduate Business Program in the Nation by U.S. News & World Report Ranked as One of the Best Online Graduate Business Programs in the Nation by U.S. News & World Report
AACSB Badge This program is offered through UMass Lowell's Manning School of Business, which is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB) — an elite distinction earned by less than five percent of business schools worldwide.

Learn more about AACSB accreditation »

Success Story

"The Master's Degree in Business Analytics at the Manning School of Business has been an immensely transformative journey for me. The expert and amicable faculty members further augment the influence of this program. This program has had a significant impact on my skills and knowledge, which coupled with my prior work experience, has helped me elevate my career in data science."

Ashwini Agnihotri, MS Business Analytics 2021 | Data Scientist, Taunton Press, Inc.
Ashwini Agnihotri

Ashwini Agnihotri

Manning School of Business faculty and instructors are dedicated to excellence in teaching and research, and the program’s challenging, relevant curriculum is aligned with current industry trends and employer needs.

Curriculum Outline

- Total Courses Required: 10 (30 Credits)

Required Courses (7 / 21cr)

Required Elective Courses (3 / 9cr)

Students can concentrate their studies in a particular field by selecting one of six options listed below to fulfill the three elective courses:

*This course can be substituted with another MSBA elective with approval by the program coordinator.

Course Descriptions

ACCT.6010 Accounting Information for Management Decisions (3cr)

Prerequisite: Student must be matriculated and must have completed foundation core courses. Focuses on the manager's view as opposed to the accountant's view of the decision process and related quantitative and qualitative information needs. The course material examines accounting information that will achieve faster, better, and cheaper operations. New strategic cost management models, such as ABC and target costing, are explored and contrasted with traditional cost approaches.

Notes:

If not currently matriculated in a Manning School of Business program, please contact the MBA staff at MBA@uml.edu or call 978-934-2848 for permission to take courses.

Requirements:

Pre-req: MBA; Foundation Core.

ACCT.6450 Fraud Examination and Forensic Accounting (3cr)

This course introduces students to forensic accounting, with a significant focus on fraud examination, elements of fraud and the types of fraud schemes, including fraudulent financial statements, asset misappropriation, corruption, and money laundering. This course will focus on how professionals including business owners, executives, managers and accountants will benefit from understanding the causes, types and scope of fraud, fraud prevention, fraud detection, and fraud investigation. This course will cover management fraud, employee embezzlement and other types of fraud. The principles and methodology of fraud prevention, detection and investigation (e.g., forensic accounting) will be discussed. Students will develop skills in this course which will help them in multiple professions.

Requirements:

MSA or MBA;found.core;60.601

ACCT.6550 Advanced Auditing (3cr)

This course provides a more in-depth study of auditing topics including audit planning, evidence gathering and evaluation, professional standards and regulatory agencies, and a practical approach to accounting and auditing research. Applications will be drawn from public and private sector audits.

Requirements:

MSA students, or permission

ACCT.6600 Accounting Data Analytics (3cr)

Topics to be covered in this course include managing and leaning data, building and evaluating models, visualizing the results of data analyses, and drawing conclusions from the analytics. A series of accounting topics with data analytics application will be discussed, such as fraud and earnings management detection, and financial statement analyses. Students should leave this course with skills necessary to understand data and manage data, to translate accounting and business problems into actionable proposals, and to present data/results to managers and data scientists.

FINA.6010 Corporate Finance (3cr)

Relates working capital strategy, capital investment analysis, long-term financing, and capital structure decisions in a risk-return framework to the dynamics of the firm and the market in which it operates.

Notes:

If not currently matriculated in a Manning School of Business program, please contact the MBA staff at MBA@uml.edu or call 978-934-2848 for permission to take courses.

Requirements:

MBA, MSA, MS ITE or MSF.

FINA.6110 Financial Statement Analysis (3cr)

This course introduces to students a comprehensive financial statement analysis and valuation framework that integrates financial reporting, financial analysis and valuation, and the application of this framework to fundamental analysis. This course provides students with hands-on experience in financial statement analysis. Students will be introduced to general tools of financial analysis, theoretical concepts, and practical valuation issues. By the end of the course, students should be comfortable with using firms financial statements to develop an understand of their performance and to establish a basis for making reasonable valuation estimates.

Requirements:

MBA, MSF, or MSA & Core Pre-req

FINA.6210 Securities and Portfolio Management (3cr)

This course analyzes the main concepts in investments with a focus on the role and functioning on equity markets. Specific topics include security types and how they are traded, portfolio theory, the capital assets pricing model, efficient market hypothesis, and investing in funds. The contents of this course, descriptive, theoretical, and applied, are designed to help you evaluate investment alternatives for various investment goals and critically analyze equity markets.

Notes:

If not currently matriculated in a Manning School of Business program, please contact the MBA staff at MBA@uml.edu or call 978-934-2848 for permission to take courses.

MIST.6030 Database Management (3cr)

This course provides students with in-depth knowledge for modeling, designing, implementing, and managing database systems for operational and decision support purposes. Topics covered include relational database model, entity-relationship modeling, normalization, SQL language, data warehousing, data quality and integration, data and database administration, and object-oriented database.

Requirements:

MIST.6010 Management information systems, and Matriculated MS Business Analytics, or Business Analytics Certificate, or Permission of Program Coordinator.

MIST.6060 Business Intelligence and Data Mining (3cr)

This Course introduces the concepts and technologies of business intelligence and data mining. The course studies how data-oriented business intelligence techniques can be used by organizations to gain competitive advantages, as well as how to design and develop these techniques. Topics include classification, clustering, association analysis, prediction, and text and web mining. Data-mining related ethical issues will also be discussed.

Requirements:

MIST.6010 Management information systems, and Matriculated MS Business Analytics, or Business Analytics Certificate, or Permission of Program Coordinator.

MIST.6070 Electronic Business (3cr)

This course provides a foundation on digital commerce and e-business for MBA students. It will cover both technological and managerial aspects of managing e-business operations in either a traditional or pure "dot.com" organization. Issues covered include interactive marketing and market-spaces, agent-based commerce and intelligent markets, electronic shopping carts, user interface issues, EDI transaction via Extranets, database interfaces, personalization and targeted communications, security, encryption, and payment systems, privacy and intellectual property.

Notes:

If not currently matriculated in a Manning School of Business program, please contact the MBA staff at MBA@uml.edu or call 978-934-2848 for permission to take courses.

Requirements:

MBA&FoundCore&MIST.6010

MIST.6080 Enterprise System Management (3cr)

This course, an MBA elective, will focus on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems that integrate information spanning the functional boundaries within an organization. ERP systems include like SAP/R3, PeopleSoft, Oracle, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) like Seibel, Tariva, etc. The goals of the course are to help students understand ERP systems and their underlying components and technologies, the implications of implementing ERP in organizations. Course will cover management and technical issues during the pre-implementation, installation, and post-installation stages of the ERP and/or CRM software in organizations. This course will cover topics such as: ES planning, business process re-engineering, selection of ES software and vendors, role of outside consultants, budgeting and resource planning, systems conversion, testing, user training, stabilization, role of top management, IT staff, consultants, design teams, and employee, and other topics.

Notes:

If not currently matriculated in a Manning School of Business program, please contact the MBA staff at MBA@uml.edu or call 978-934-2848 for permission to take courses.

Requirements:

MBA, Found Core, MIST.6010 or MSA

MIST.6140 Social and Economic Networks (3cr)

This course introduces the concepts and technologies of social network analysis. The course studies how social media analytics can be used by organizations to gain competitive advantages, as well as how to develop and implement the techniques of network analysis. We cover graph theory, graph database, social influence , community detection, information diffusion, and applications of network analysis of recommendation and feature selections. Upon successful completion of this course, students will possess a working knowledge of many concepts of social media analytics and associated techniques and will be able to solve real-world data-driven decision problems at strategic, tactical, and operational levels.

Requirements:

MIST.6010 Management Information Systems, or Matriculated MS Business Analytics or permission of program coordinator.

MIST.6150 Data Quality for Business Analytics (3cr)

This course provides students with knowledge and skills to process data for business analytics. Topics include data quality requirement and data preparation for business analytics, impact of data quality on analytics, and methods for assessing and improving data quality in the context of business analytics.

Requirements:

MIST.6010 Management information systems, and Matriculated MS Business Analytics, or Business Analytics Certificate, or Permission of Program Coordinator.

MIST.6160 Advanced Data Mining (3cr)

The course will cover advanced data mining techniques with applications in different business domains. Students will be introduced to advanced analytic solutions aimed at addressing issues related to big data including volume, variety, and velocity. Topics will focus on performing descriptive and predictive analytics through programmatic analytic platforms as well as text analytics techniques for unstructured or semi-structured data. Concepts will be introduced through a hands-on approach using state-of-the-art analytic platforms and tools.

Notes:

If not currently matriculated in a Manning School of Business program, please contact the MBA staff at MBA@uml.edu or call 978-934-2848 for permission to take courses.

MIST.6170 Advanced Machine Learning (3cr)

This is an advanced course on machine learning and data science for business. In this course, students learn how to analyze, design and develop machine learning techniques and tools for business analytics. Applications to both strategic and operational problems in today's data-driven ecosystem will be discussed. Topics include supervised learning, unsupervised learning, statistical learning, ensemble learning, model and performance evaluation, text feature learning, text analytics, artificial neural networks, deep neural networks, deep learning, and machine-learning and Al related privacy and ethical issues. The course will be taught using Python programming language.

MIST.6450 Information Technology Project Management (3cr)

Application and integration of the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK) areas to managing information technology (IT) projects. Focuses on project management tools and techniques for defining and managing the project's goal, scope, schedule, and budget. Other topics include quality management, risk management, change management, and knowledge management as they are related to IT projects.

Notes:

If not currently matriculated in a Manning School of Business program, please contact the MBA staff at MBA@uml.edu or call 978-934-2848 for permission to take courses.

Requirements:

CSCE Graduate Restrictions

MIST.6490 Business Analytics Capstone Project (3cr)

Students will be guided through the process of developing their soft (communications) and hard (Technical) skills while delivering a business analytics project to support decision making in organizations. In this culminating project, students draw on the breadth and depth of the curriculum to address an industry supplied problem in small teams. The capstone project will involve application of industry accepted methodologies and analytical tools to solve real-world problems in R&D, marketing, supply chain, healthcare, finance and/or other disciplines. Students who cannot participate in university provided projects, with the permission of the program coordinator, are provided with two alternative project options: a) conduct a real-world business analytics project individually in a similar manner as above with an organization of their choice; or b) conduct a data analytics project individually as part of a research project under the guidance of an OIS Department faculty member.

Requirements:

MIST.6030 Business Database Management, and MIST.6060 Business Intelligence and Data Mining, and POMS.6120 Stat. for Predictive Analytics, and POMS.6220 Decision Analytics, or Permission of MS Business Analytics Program Coordinator.

MKTG.6010 Customers and Markets (3cr)

Prerequisite: Student must be matriculated and have finished foundation core. Pursues the development of comprehensive and integrated marketing plans using industry/competitor analysis, market value chains, and forecasting. An emphasis is given to business-to-business marketing situations which require an in-depth analysis of the firms' complex organizational behavior and evolving buyer-seller relationship.

Notes:

If not currently matriculated in a Manning School of Business program, please contact the MBA staff at MBA@uml.edu or call 978-934-2848 for permission to take courses.

Requirements:

MBA, MSA, MS ITE or MSF.

MKTG.6300 Market Research (3cr)

In this course students will learn and apply various marketing research techniques that will enable them to make soundly based decisions about new products or services in either an existing firm or new venture. Some of the topics covered include: assessing customer needs, estimating market demand, deciding the features of a proposed product/service and the price that would be most attractive in its target market. The course will provide students with an overview of key marketing concepts, and understanding of the statistical methodology behind market research techniques and practical application of these techniques through cases and projects.

Requirements:

MBA, FoundCore or MSITE or MSA

MKTG.6410 Marketing Analytics

The description for this course is not yet available.

POMS.6020 Global Supply Chain Management (3cr)

Supply chain management has become a crucial factor in the success of many leading organizations, including for-profit and not-for-profit companies, government agencies, and humanitarian relief efforts. This course will start with principles and concepts of supply chain management, tracing the flows of materials, funds, and information required to develop and deliver products and services around the globe. Topics covered include sourcing, logistics, demand planning, and inventory management, along with the use of quality tools and lean methodologies to improve supply chain operations and develop supplier relationships. This course will also discuss the challenges, key issues, and trends in global supply chain management, such as sustainability, disruptions, security, and innovation.

Notes:

If not currently matriculated in a Manning School of Business program, please contact the MBA staff at MBA@uml.edu or call 978-934-2848 for permission to take courses.

POMS.6030 Service Management (3cr)

This course is intended to provide students with the necessary tools and understanding to manage service operations. Service firms represent the fastest-growing sector of the economy. This course will focus on the various aspects involved in the management of service operations. The service operations are managed differently to their intangibility, time-sensitivity, high levels of customer involvement and lack of engineering standards. This course will explore topics such the measurement of productivity and quality, managing capacity and demand, management of waiting line, management of technology, and the most used service analytic tool - Data envelopment Management.

Notes:

If not currently matriculated in a Manning School of Business program, please contact the MBA staff at MBA@uml.edu or call 978-934-2848 for permission to take courses.

Requirements:

Matriculated MBA students who have completed ACCT.5010, FINA.5010, MKTG.5010, POMS.5010, MGMT.5010, MGMT.5110 or permission of MBA coordinator.

POMS.6040 Managerial Quality Control (3cr)

The description for this course is not yet available.

Notes:

If not currently matriculated in a Manning School of Business program, please contact the MBA staff at MBA@uml.edu or call 978-934-2848 for permission to take courses.

POMS.6120 Statistics for Predictive Analytics (3cr)

This course introduces statistical methods and techniques for predictive analytics. This is part of the business-analytics umbrella of courses. The main focus of this course is on regression, a powerful and widely used predictive method. Topics covered include simple linear regression, multiple regression, variable selection, model diagnostics, and systems of regression equations. The course also covers classification techniques using statistical methods such as linear discriminant function and logistic regression. Spreadsheet software, such as MS Excel, and statistical software, such as SAS and R, will be heavily utilized.

Requirements:

POMS.6010 Operations Management, or Matriculated MS Business Analytics, or Business Analytics Certificate, or matriculated MS Engineering Management, or permission of program coordinator.

POMS.6210 Advanced Statistics for Business Analytics (3cr)

This course introduces important statistical techniques in business analytics such as time series analyses, multivariate analyses, and fundamental concepts in casual inferences. This course is practice-oriented with a focus on business contexts such as housing finance, e-commerce and online marketing.

Requirements:

POMS.6120 Stat. for Predictive Analytics, or MIST.6060 Business Intelligence & Data Mining, or Permission of Program Coordinator.

POMS.6220 Decision Analytics (3cr)

This course covers the three main facets of business analytics: descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics. Students will gain the knowledge of managerial decision-making (commonly referred to as data analytics, decision support systems-DSS, data mining). Some of the business analytic topics covered include neural networks, decision trees, support vector machines, k-means, association rule mining, Analytical Hierarchy Process, Data Envelopment Analysis, expert systems, optimization, and simulation.

Requirements:

POMS.6010 Operations Management, or Matriculated MS Business Analytics, or Business Analytics Certificate, or matriculated MS Engineering Management, or permission of program coordinator.

POMS.6240 Analytical Decision Making Tools (3cr)

This course covers principles and techniques of applied mathematical modeling for managerial decision making. Emphasis is on the methods of prescriptive analytics, including optimization models, decision analysis, simulation modeling, and risk analysis. Problems studied will include applications in finance, health care, marketing, operations, and management. Cases studies will be used extensively to demonstrate the practical use of models to improve managerial decision making. In addition to developing and applying models, emphasis will be placed on explaining the models and interpreting their results.

Requirements:

POMS.6010 Operations Management, or Matriculated MS Business Analytics, or Business Analytics Certificate, or matriculated MS Engineering Management, or permission of program coordinator.

PUBH.5060 Quantitative Methods in Health Management (3cr)

This course explores analytic methods that can be used to improve the decision making of management, clinicians and others within the healthcare industry. Students learn the conceptual foundations of quantitative analysis and common methods used in supporting decision-making; developing evidence-based practices; analyzing data and testing hypotheses. Students also learn how to use industry-standard data analysis software applications, statistical packages and common applications for the development and reporting of analytic findings.

Requirements:

CSCE Graduate Restrictions

PUBH.5150 Applied Health Economics (3cr)

Students explore the economic dimensions of healthcare by considering the input, output, production and costs of producing quality healthcare which meets demand and evaluates the behavior of supply. Students consider provider payer systems and aspects relative to private and public health insurance in determining market power and competitive markets. Common economic evaluation methods are introduced to measure health service feasibility, and promote value judgment in the realm of healthcare reform and regulatory compliance.

PUBH.5270 Business Strategies for Health Organizations (3cr)

This course explores the important aspects of planning and implementation of business strategies in a health service organization. Students learn about the multi-step process of creating and managing a successful business plan, as well as strategies and solutions for analyzing business situations while utilizing popular tools of the industry.

PUBH.5310 Health Informatics (3cr)

This course introduces healthcare professionals to the power of data and the importance of analysis. Students learn how population informatics, consumer health informatics, translational bioinformatics, and clinical research informatics are essential components in selecting the techniques and systems used for transforming clinical data into information, knowledge and improved decision-making. The past, current and future role of healthcare IT is also discussed.

PUBH.6070 Healthcare Information Systems (3cr)

This course provides a broad-range overview of the healthcare information systems industry, its history, recent developments and continuing challenges, as well as a practical understanding of healthcare information systems acquisition and implementation. Topics include EMR, Data, CMS Quality Programs, Clinical Integration and health information exchange.

PUBH.6390 Electronic Health Record Systems (3cr)

The course addresses Electronic Health Records (EHR) integration with patient care flow, clinical decision making and patient engagement, as well as patient registries and clinical quality reporting. Students also learn core EHR functions, strategies for EHR optimization, and how the EHR can be leveraged for population health management. The course uses industry-leading EHR software as a learning tool to demonstrate how electronic health record technologies are used in a healthcare setting.


Program Requirements

To be recommended for a University of Massachusetts Lowell master's degree, candidates must satisfy all of the general requirements below, plus any additional requirements that may be required by the department through which the program is offered. Any additional requirements for this program are either listed below or may be found in the University's Graduate Program Catalog.

General Requirements:

  • Students must complete the program of study designed by the Department in which they are enrolled and approved by the University.
  • Satisfactory grades in all subjects offered for the degree must be earned. See Academic Standing.
  • All financial obligations, including tuition, fees and expenses, must be satisfied as evidenced by completion.
  • Upon completion of all their courses, graduate degree candidates must submit a signed Declaration of Intent to Graduate (DIG) form to their coordinator. The coordinator will apply them in SIS, Graduation Tracking.

Graduate Program Policies

In applying for a degree program or registering for courses, each student assumes full responsibility for knowledge of and compliance with the definitions, regulations and procedures of UMass Lowell as set forth on our website. For additional information, please refer to the Graduate Program Policies found within the UMass Lowell Graduate Catalog.

Tuition & Fees

Tuition at UMass Lowell is typically half the cost of private colleges, and our online tuition is among the lowest in the nation. Tuition for online programs offered through the Division of Graduate, Online & Professional Studies is the same whether you live in-state, out-of-state or outside of the U.S.

Summer 2024 Tuition

Cost Per Credit Cost Per 3-Credit Course*

Graduate

Online $600 $1,800
Online Business1 $655 $1,965
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*Tuition is priced on the listed credit hour unless the contact hour is different. Tuition is then based upon the listed contact hour.
1Applies to ACCT, BUSI, ENTR, FINA, MGMT, MKTG, MIST and POMS courses.

Additional Costs

Term Registration Fee $30
Returned Check Fee $30
Graduate Engineering and Business Degrees and Certificate Applications $75

Please note: Tuition and fees are subject to change.

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Prerequisite Undergraduate Courses

Introductory-level business course prerequisites are required in the following areas: statistics and management information systems.

Applying into a Graduate Degree Program

All applicants must submit:

Graduate Program Admissions Requirements

Admission to all graduate programs at UMass Lowell is contingent upon successful completion of a bachelor's degree. In many cases, applicants may register for a course before formally applying to the program; however, students requiring financial aid may want to wait until they have been formally accepted into the program to ensure that their course(s) will be covered. Contact UMass Lowell's Office of Graduate Admissions if you have questions about the application process.

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Email Graduate_Admissions@uml.edu or call 800-656-4723 (for U.S. students) or 978-934-2390 (for international students).

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