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ӣ����Ƶ of California’s Barowsky School of Business (BSB) is launching a Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) program to prepare graduates for careers in the fast-growing field of data analytics. The program is the first of its kind in Marin and Sonoma.

Beginning fall 2020, students enrolled in the one-year ‘hybrid’ program will learn to use quantitative data analytics tools (including Python, R, and Tableau) to transform complex data into actionable business decisions and communicate the results effectively. Graduates will be prepared for careers such as data analyst, data scientist, business analyst, financial analyst, marketing analyst, operations analyst, supply chain analyst, forensic analyst, gap analyst, and program/product management.

According to Science Daily, more than 90% of the world’s data has been generated in the last two years. However, the talent gap continues to grow for employees who can analyze large data sets.

 “There is a huge talent gap nationally and, in the San Francisco Bay Area, there are tens of thousands of jobs that require those skills. In the North Bay there is nobody providing that sort of education,” says Dr. Yung-Jae Lee, BSB Dean.

“There is more need for business analytics, especially nowadays when we have so much data available and many companies are struggling about what to do with the data,” Dr. Lee adds, “It’s hard to find talent who can actually use the data and tell the story.”

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The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the need for business analysts is to increase by 14% by 2024, faster than the average for all occupations.

 “Increasingly more companies are defining themselves as IT companies,” Dr. Lee says, noting many firms in healthcare, financial, and consumer goods industries are increasingly depending on data to stay ahead of their competition.

According to Salary.com, the average salary for a Business Analyst Manager in the San Francisco Bay Area is $152,306 as of December 26, 2019.

The MSBA is suited for recent college graduates with strong quantitative backgrounds, as well as business professionals who want to change careers and working professionals who are interested in developing their skills in analytics.

 “Our program is very unique in that we are not requiring anyone to have any prior knowledge,” Dr. Lee says. “As a teaching institution, we are inspired and motivated to teach students from ground zero to move up to that level within a year. It is an accelerated program.”

The MSBA is a 12-month program consisting of 11 courses plus a practicum. Students will take two courses over a seven-week (two-month) period. Classes are held on campus every other Saturday along with two 160-minute online sessions weekly.

Courses include Applied Data Analysis; Programming for Data Analytics; Data Visualization and Storytelling; Data Management for Business Analytics; Advanced Data Analysis; Machine Learning for Business; Cloud Computing; Data Security, Ethics and Risk Management; Marketing Analytics; Optimization for Business Analytics and Finance Analytics.

In the Business Analytics Practicum capstone course, students will work in teams to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned throughout the program to tackle real life business analytics projects. They will interact with industry professionals, and present and defend their findings and recommendations to faculty and their clients.

“We want to reach out to Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties and beyond,” Dr. Lee says. “BSB is very entrenched with local businesses and we will have a practicum to help solve problems for them. We will ask community partners to provide us with challenging data analysis problems and our students will provide innovative and professional quality solutions for them. The practicum will also help students to learn new tools on their own and showcase all their skills acquired throughout the program.”

Media Contacts: 
Sarah Gardner, Executive Director of Communications and Media Relations at ӣ����Ƶ of California, (415) 485-3239, sarah.gardner@dominican.edu.
Dave Albee, Director of Communications and Media Relations at ӣ����Ƶ of California, (415) 257-1308, david.albee@dominican.edu.