Businesses want to better use information in operational, tactical and strategic decision-making. The information value of both in-house and third-party data sets is leveraged using powerful emerging technologies. Increasingly, organizations leverage advances in software interoperability, data exchange mechanisms and visualization techniques to better understand their operations, customers and markets. This trend has become known as data mining, business analytics, business intelligence and big data, and these skills are in high demand.

Our program offers high-quality relevant coursework to students from a wide variety of professional backgrounds, including:

• Those with an MBA seeking to refresh their skill set.
• Early career professionals looking to advance in the analytics field.
• Those from outside the analytics field seeking career opportunities in this rapidly growing space.

The Job Market

According to a McKinsey Global Institute report, the United States faces a shortage of 140,000 to 190,000 individuals who possess deep business analytics skills and an additional 1.5 million managers with the skill set to implement the results. The certificate in business analytics at Oregon State helps you develop the analytical skills required to add value to organizations across several industries.

Graduates with the certificate in business analytics will be able to:

• Integrate information technologies with data science methods to extract value from data sets.
• Think critically about the business implications, meaningfulness and applicability of observed data patterns and analytical inferences.
• Identify opportunities, needs and constraints for data analytics within organizational contexts.
• Select appropriate analytic tools for specific managerial issues.
• Compose data-analytic tools and concepts to create innovative data-analytic solutions.
• Demonstrate proficiency with several data-analytic tools.
• Communicate clearly and persuasively to audiences with various backgrounds.
• Provide leadership in analytics teams and projects.

Format and Length of Program

The graduate certificate in business analytics is offered in-person in Corvallis and also fully online. It is a seven-course, 21 quarter-credit hour program which requires the completion of each of the following courses:

Courses

Course Number	Course Name	Course Description
BANA 560	Data Analytics for Competitive Advantage	Case studies, hands-on data analysis experience and a class project will introduce basic concepts of data analytics, sketch the life cycle of a data analytics project, and connect analytics to business consequences. Students will use representative analytic tools to support decision-making.
BANA 570	Data Management	Familiarize students with the major activities involved in collecting and managing data for a data analytics project, including extracting information from relational databases, mapping organizational requirements into a data design, transforming data into information, exploring data warehouse concepts, and exploring basic concepts underlying Hadoop and other noSQL data management and analysis methods.
BANA 571	Data Exploration and Visualization	In this course, the concentration will be on the initial, exploratory phases of business analytics data analysis. We explore different types of data and the types of analyses they allow, aggregating and disaggregating data and issues of validity with both selecting and collecting data. We also start exploring one or more data sets relating to our integrated business analytics project (BA 577). (Prereq: BA 573)
BANA 572	Data and Text Mining	Examine how data/text analysis technologies can be used to improve decision-making. The class covers the fundamental principles and techniques of data mining and text analysis using real-world examples and cases to place data mining techniques in context. You will have hands-on experience with data/text mining software. (Prereqs: BA 574 and BA 575)
BANA 577	Integrated Business Analytics Project	You will integrate what you've learned to solve industry-sponsored problems. The goal of the class is to provide you with opportunities to design, implement and evaluate analytic solutions for a real-world enterprise. Your student team will examine the data, technical, and organizational requirements necessary for the success of analytical solutions. The project will give you the experience of leading and managing an analytical team, much as a chief analytics officer (CAO) would be expected to do. (Prereqs: BA 555 and BA 574 and BA 575)
BA 555	Practical Business Analytics	Advanced survey of quantitative business methods useful for aiding management decisions. Topics include a review of basic statistics, mathematical programming, business simulation, statistical process control, advanced regression analysis and forecasting.
BA 572	Advanced Information Systems	The development, implementation and management of information technology applications will be addressed. Topics include the development and application of technology to support linkages within and outside of organizations. Projects will be assigned to illustrate the topics.

Students starting in fall term can complete the graduate certificate in business analytics in nine months to one year. 

Earning an MBA in Business Analytics

Current students and graduates of the certificate in business analytics program have the option of transferring credits earned to the MBA in business analytics. The MBA in business analytics requires completion of all courses included in the graduate certificate as well as seven core business classes and an elective. If you're interested in this option, please note that admission to the MBA in business analytics requires taking either the GMAT or the GRE and earning a score at or above our established minimums as well as submission of three references and a current resume. Candidates for the MBA in business analytics who do not hold an undergraduate major or minor in business may be required to complete Core-1 coursework. All coursework required for the MBA, including courses completed in the graduate certificate program, must be completed within seven years. Learn more about the MBA in business analytics. 
 

A strong foundation of business knowledge is critical if you're interested in improving your job performance and advancing your career.

A graduate certificate in business fundamentals will give you the skills to plan, organize and direct the functions and processes of a firm or organization. It includes instruction in management theory, human resources management and behavior, accounting and other quantitative methods, purchasing and logistics, organization and production and marketing.

Our graduate certificate in business fundamentals is an 18-credit-hour program for students in a wide variety of professional backgrounds including:

• Those with degrees in fields other than business who are looking to gain strong business acumen.
• Those interested in pursuing an MBA who want an opportunity to first explore the foundations of business graduate education.

Graduates with the certificate in business fundamentals will be able to:

• Acquire a basic understanding of the fundamentals of business essential to any career.
• Develop an understanding of the language of business to be able to comprehend and communicate financial information.
• Learn marketing and operations skills.
• Build knowledge in financial accounting and corporate finance, including learning to analyze financial statements and read balance sheets.
• Develop networking and communication skills crucial to career success.

Format and Length of Program

The graduate certificate in business fundamentals is offered fully online. It is a six-course, 18 quarter-credit hour program which requires the completion of each of the following courses:

Courses

Course Number	Course Name	Course Description
BA 513	Business Legal Environment	Provides the essential legal foundation for business managers in companies operating in the United States. Effective strategies for managers to prevent and resolve legal disputes will be stressed. Topics include legal issues related to corporate forms, creating and enforcing contracts, reducing exposure to tort liability and the role of employees as agents of a business.
BA 514	Operations Management	Provides a foundation for business managers in statistics and operations management. Emphasis on quantitative tools for sampling, interval estimation and hypothesis testing as well as operations management concepts for processes, quality systems, supply chain management, inventory management, resource planning and sustainable lean systems.
BA 515	Managerial Decision Tools	Develop business management skills by learning the principles of managerial and financial accounting. Emphasis will be placed on understanding financial statements, cost analysis and funding decisions. Focuses on integrating the theoretical framework of accounting and finance with the “hands-on” technical skills needed to evaluate financial decisions within an organization.
BA 516	Creating Value in Exchange	A graduate-level survey course that provides a foundation for business managers in the concepts of marketing. You will develop an understanding of marketing principles and an awareness of marketing challenges.
BA 517	Markets and Valuation	Introduces you to the basic questions facing a financial manager and the tools a financial manager uses to find answers to these questions. Introduces the basic tools of finance and applications of financial theory in use today. You will be introduced to legal, ethical, technology and global issues facing a financial manager. The course is designed to enhance your approach to financial decision-making and emphasizes technical analysis and quantitative approaches to decision-making.

Elective

This elective can be any 3-credit, 500-level College of Business course for which you meet the prerequisites.