MS in Business Analytics
Admission Requirements
Applicants are considered on an individual basis. In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, applicants must meet the following program requirements:
- Baccalaureate Field Individuals from all baccalaureate fields are encouraged to apply. The exact course requirements will be determined based on an individual’s baccalaureate field and work experience. All applicants must have had the following background coursework: mathematics through the level of calculus covering integration and differentiation, and statistics through regression analysis.
- Grade Point Average At least 3.00/4.00 for the final 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) of undergraduate studies. Applicants with a master’s degree must have maintained a GPA of at least 3.00/4.00 in that program.
- Tests Required GMAT or GRE taken within five years of entry into the program.
- UIC and UIUC students or alumni (graduated within five years of applying) with a cumulative GPA of 3.00/4.00 and a GPA of 3.00/4.00 in selected IDS-related courses will be waived from the GMAT or GRE requirement.
- Minimum English Competency Test Score
- TOEFL iBT 80, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Speaking 20, and Writing 21, OR,
- IELTS Academic 6.5, with 6.0 in each of the four subscores, OR,
- PTE-Academic 54, with subscores of Reading 51, Listening 47, Speaking 53, and Writing 56.
- Letters of Recommendation Two required.
- Personal Statement Required.
Degree Requirements
In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, students must meet the following program requirements:
- Minimum Semester Hours Required 32.
- Coursework No more than two 400-level courses may be used to count toward degree requirements.
- Students entering the program with sufficient background in any of the required core courses may, with the approval of the director of graduate studies, take an advanced analytics elective in its place.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Prerequisite Courses | ||
| Technical Prerequisites | ||
Knowledge of relational databases and querying using SQL at the level of IDS 410 or the equivalent. | ||
| Business Prerequisites | ||
| Two introductory courses in any two functional areas of business. Each course may be waived based on equivalent prior coursework or appropriate work experience in the functional area. | ||
| Introduction to Operations Management | ||
| Introduction to Financial Accounting | ||
| Introduction to Corporate Finance | ||
| Introduction to Marketing | ||
| Prerequisite courses do not count toward the mininum degree requirement of 32 hours. | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| Advanced Database Management | ||
| Analytics Strategy and Practice | ||
| Data Mining for Business | ||
| Machine Learning and Statistical Methods for Business Analytics | ||
| Electives | ||
| Select 16 hours of electives from the following list, with at least 8 hours of analytics electives. Students may choose all 16 hours from analytics electives, or choose up to 8 hours of business analytics electives. Electives must be approved by the director of graduate studies. Based on the student's background and interests, other analytics-related courses may be taken with the advice and approval of the director of graduate studies. | ||
| Analytics Electives | ||
| Optimization for Analytics | ||
| Analytics for Big Data | ||
| Social Media and Network Analysis | ||
| Advanced Text Analytics for Business | ||
| Business Data Visualization | ||
| Deep Learning and Modern Applications | ||
| Special Topics in Information and Decision Sciences | ||
| Business Electives | ||
| Analytics-related business electives approved by the director of graduate studies, such as the following: | ||
| Financial Statement Analysis | ||
| Investments | ||
| Theory and Structure of Options and Futures Markets | ||
| Audit and Control of Information Systems | ||
| Supply Chain Management | ||
| Risk Management | ||
| Consumer Behavior | ||
| Marketing Analytics | ||
- Comprehensive Examination None.
- Thesis, Project, or Coursework Only Options Coursework only.
- The required capstone course (IDS 560) ties together the technical material in the core courses and electives with discussion and cases to address issues related to analytics strategy for organizations and effective analytics practice. This course further integrates this material with project work that involves either detailed study of analytics strategy and practice in organizations, or development of analytics related solutions for specific problems. Such projects, organized as part of the capstone course, can be driven by specific client needs, or framed around problems as currently encountered in practice.