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�鶹ӰԺ’s College of Business Administration is now accepting fall 2016 applications for its new Master of Science in Business Analytics (M.S.B.A.) degree, which can be completed in just one year.

The M.S.B.A. program requires a bachelor’s degree in science, technology, engineering, mathematics or business, with prerequisites that include mathematics, information systems and business. The M.S.B.A. program will provide graduates with the ability to lead, communicate, innovate, manage complex projects, and creatively solve problems and find opportunities.

“The skills of business analytics professionals include leadership, decision-making, organizational and project management to maximize their benefit to the organization,” says Alan Brandyberry, D.B.A., associate professor of management and information systems at �鶹ӰԺ State. “We’re adding the M.S.B.A. in response to industry demand and because current programs in Northeast Ohio cannot adequately serve this region’s needs.”

A McKinsey Global Institute’s study estimates that about 190,000 big data experts will be needed in the United States by 2018. Thus, the job market for analytics and big data experts is robust and transcends all business sectors, including retail, banking, healthcare, the public sector and Fortune 500 corporations. As analytics continues to solidify its place in business, algorithm programmers have become progressively essential in helping companies better comprehend the data they collect. Companies have a need for analysts who can pick out important pieces of data, make sense of them and translate them back to the company for a better understanding.

“The M.S.B.A. program provides a competitive advantage for students wanting to become business analytics professionals,” says Deborah F. Spake, dean of �鶹ӰԺ State’s College of Business Administration. “Our ultimate goal is for M.S.B.A. graduates to join the elite ranks of big data experts who are highly paid by employers and aggressively sought by recruiters.”

The �鶹ӰԺ State M.S.B.A. program focuses on technologies, analytical methods and business expertise to provide the skills needed to analyze potentially large datasets for strategic business decision making. It is a 10-course, 30-credit-hour program that can be completed in 12 months. The eight required and two elective courses prepare students to make sense of often complex and unstructured data, mine vast quantities of information, visualize patterns, detect trends to direct customer behavior, create operating efficiencies, build new business models, disrupt the competitive status quo and spark innovation.

For more information about the College of Business Administration’s M.S.B.A. program, visit .