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Proposal Submitted to the UEPC by the

Business Administration Department

Undergraduate Concentration in Business Analytics

November 5, 2015

Contact Person: Anh Nguyen

Undergraduate Program Committee Faculty Approval:

October 15, 2015

SEBA’s Administrative Council Approval:

November 4, 2015

UEPC Review: February 22, 2015

Proposed Implementation:

Academic Year 2016-2017

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

I. INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………………………………… 3

II. CONCENTRATION IN BUSINESS ANALYTICS ADDRESSES A NEED ………........ 3

III. CONCENTRATION IN BUSINESS ANALYTICS SERVES THE OBJECTIVES OF

SEBA AND THE MISSION OF THE COLLEGE ……………………………………...... 3

A. Competitive analysis ………………………………………………………………………. 4

B. Industry/employment trends …………………………………………………………….… 5

C. Student feedback …………………………………………………………………………... 6

D. Business analytics careers ……………………………………………………………......... 6

E. Number of additional sections needed …………………………………………………..… 7

F. Number of additional faculty and other resources needed ……………………………….... 7

IV. CONCENTRATION IN BUSINESS ANALYTICS LEARNING OUTCOMES AND

STRUCTURE ……………………………………………………………………………... 8

A. Learning Outcomes ………………………………………………………………………... 8

B. Structure of the Business Analytics Concentration ……………………………………….. 8

C. Course Descriptions, Role of Courses in the Concentration …………………………….… 9

V. STUDENT POPULATION ……………………………………………………………… 11

VI. RELATIONSHIP TO PRESENT COLLEGE CURRICULUM ………………………… 11

VII. MANAGEMENT OF THE PROGRAM ………………………………………………… 11

VIII. IMPLEMENTATION, TIMING, AND ASSESSMENT ………………………………... 11

IX. LIBRARY RESOURCES ………………………………………………………………... 12

X. CONCLUSION …………………………………………………………………………... 16

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I. INTRODUCTION

This is a proposal for a Concentration in Business Analytics. The Business Analytics

Concentration will be housed in the School of Economics and Business Administration. The

Concentration will consist of courses from SEBA and the Mathematics Department which will

address the concentration’s learning outcomes. The proposed Business Administration

concentration in Business Analytics aims to develop graduates who can extract value from data

and analytics for actionable business opportunities and decisions.

II. CONCENTRATION IN BUSINESS ANALYTICS ADDRESSES A NEED

Since the advent of Internet technology, companies have been collecting far more data than they

can analyze. Yet over this time analyzing large data sets — commonly called big data — has

become a key competitive asset, fostering new waves of productivity, growth, and innovation.

As a result, the Harvard Business Review has identified the business analyst position the “sexiest

job of the 21st century.” Despite this enticing description, we have a scarcity of talented and

qualified people who can elicit managerial implications from the data and present them for

decision making. This lack prompted a 2011 McKinsey report estimating that by 2018 the United

States will have 140,000 to 190,000 unfilled data analytics positions. Responding to this

situation, the Undergraduate Concentration in Business Analytics aims to develop students who

can perform sophisticated analytics for actionable business decisions, and thus have access to the

lucrative jobs in this new field.

Few schools offer Business Analytics as an undergraduate concentration. In the Bay Area, there

are only four schools offering a concentration/major in Analytics/Data Science. Clearly, the

breadth and depth of both new and old economy companies in the region indicates a market need

that Saint Mary’s could serve.

III. CONCENTRATION IN BUSINESS ANALYTICS SERVES THE OBJECTIVES

OF SEBA AND THE MISSION OF THE COLLEGE

The proposed BUSAD concentration in Business Analytics aligns with SEBA’s strategic plan of

advancing academic excellence and enhancing student success by developing new academic

programs with minimum cannibalization. This proposal is also consistent with the College’s

goals of raising academic profile and distinction – “Discovery in Dialogue” – and supporting the

student lifecycle – “Access to Success” – by developing opportunities for engagement and

intellectual sustenance through new programs.

This Concentration will draw on SMC’s liberal arts mission with its emphasis on critical thinking

skills. Scrutinizing big data to discern useful information requires minds that can identify what is

relevant and why. The proposed BUSAD concentration in Business Analytics will provide the

skills needed to mine the data by using first principles to recognize the nuggets of information

that will be useful for addressing problems, such as social-justice, in the world.

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Business Analytics is designed to be a student-centered concentration because it focuses on

enhancing students’ abilities, and guiding them to meaningful and sustainable employment. This

is consistent with SMC’s mission to develop the whole person, academically, spiritually, and

professionally.

The Concentration will also emphasize clear communication of the findings to various

stakeholders by preparing students to communicate effectively the problem formulation,

solution, and the course of actions, as well as to possess the skill set to influence others in their

organizations. Critical thinking and communication skills are the hallmarks of SMC’s liberal arts

tradition.

A. Competitive analysis

Since Business Analytics is a relatively new field, the market for an undergraduate concentration

is not very competitive. Only four Bay Area schools offer a concentration or major. The

University of San Francisco offers a Data Science major offered through its Mathematics and

Computer Science departments, but this program is theoretical and highly technical: it is not a

business degree and so we do not see it as a competing program. The degree by Devry University

is offered entirely online, so will not be in direct competition with our proposed degree. This

leaves San Jose State University and San Francisco State University as the head-on competitors

in the Bay Area.

San Jose State

University Lucas College and

Graduate School of

Business

University of San

Francisco

College of Arts and

Sciences

San Francisco State

University

Devry University

College of Business and

Management

Type Business Analytics

Concentration

Data Science Major,

with 3 concentrations:

Computational

Analytics, Economic

Analytics and

Mathematical Analytics

Concentration (BSc

in BA)

Online Business

Intelligence and

Analytics Management

degree specialization

Number

of

Courses

6 17 7 7

Required

Courses

1. Statistical

Analysis

2. Business

Analytics

Base Curriculum, 14

courses

Concentration, 3

courses

1. Managerial

Applications of

Business Analytics

2. Applied Business

Analytics

3. Database Concepts

in Business

Intelligence

4. Introduction to

Internet Analytics

5. Operations

Strategy

6. Operations

Analysis

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7. Business Analysis

Elective

Courses

Select four:

1. Supply Chain

Analytics

2. Soft Skills

3. Marketing

Research

4. Decision Making

Under

Uncertainty

5. Data Mining

6. Spreadsheet

Modeling

7. Data

Visualization

8. Simulation

Modeling and

Analysis

9. Analytic

Strategy

10. Introduction to

Business

Programming

11. Database

Management

Systems

Select four:

1. Data Analysis

with Computer

Applications

2. Computer

Simulation

3. Applied

Management

Science

4. Business

Forecasting

5. Data Mining

with Business

Applications

6. Quality

Management

7. Sustainable

Supply Chain

Management

Select three approved

electives.

B. Industry/employment trends

We are at the start of an era when analytics will be a key competitive advantage of organizations.

However, a McKinsey Global Institute report estimates that by 2018 the U.S. could face a

shortage of 190,000 data scientists and 1.5 million managers and analysts who have the know-

how to use the analysis of big data to make effective decisions. Added to these specialists, the

industry will also need over a million analytical managers who possess a specific blend of skills

in programming and database management, statistical analysis, and domain knowledge.

Similarly, the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics expects management analyst jobs to grow at an

average rate of 19 percent over the next decade. Prior growth in demand for business analytics

jobs ranged from 50% to 500% as the figure from Indeed.com below shows.

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To address this demand, students who graduate with the proposed BUSAD concentration in

Business Analytics will provide employers with analytically trained specialists with knowledge

in the use of data and analytics to solve business problems, make informed decisions, and

effectively communicate the course of actions.

C. Student feedback

We presented the proposal to a Student Focus Group on October 30, 2015 and the SEBA Student

Advisory Board on November 3, 2015 to seek their feedback. Both groups unanimously

supported the Business Analytics concentration.

D. Business analytics careers

The job opportunities for graduates with data analytical skills are abundant as evidenced by the

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and McKinsey & Company. According to Computerworld’s

“Forecast 2014 Survey” business analytics expertise is ranked as the second most difficult skills

to find. The proposed Business Analytics Concentration is designed to meet this need by

equipping our graduates with business analytic skills needed to crunch huge data sets into

meaningful information to facilitate actionable decision-making.

The following are descriptions of three analytics jobs (from Indeed.com):

Business Analyst: As an entry level Business Analyst the individual will be responsible

for providing user support for the various applications developed by the Business

Systems Development team. This includes learning internal systems, answering user

questions, troubleshooting issues, testing new features, and managing ongoing

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enhancements to the internal applications. Additionally, the individual will make

recommendations on ways to utilize and leverage these applications across departments.

http://www.indeed.com/cmp/Kacee-Technology-Services-Inc/jobs/Entry-Level-Business-

Analyst-d9a4d97c8224ea5b?q=business+analyst+entry+level

Operations Analyst: The Operations Analyst is a key position in ZypMedia that helps

drive revenue and strategy for the company. A multi-faceted role, the ideal candidate will

embrace working in a fast paced environment and thrive at thinking analytically about

ways to solve problems as ZypMedia scales up. The analyst will interface with sales,

engineering and product teams to improve the existing product. The role is highly visible

throughout the organization and will give ideal candidates a great platform to grow and

be heard amongst leaders in the organization.

https://www.firstjob.com/jobs/1w1pyin_ydc2g/zypmedia-entry-level-analyst/

Quantitative Analyst: As a member of the team responsible for the supervision of Wells

Fargo & Company at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, the individual will

work with other members of the Financial Resiliency Team to track and develop key

metrics and design analytical reports related to—but not limited to—liquidity risk,

investment portfolio risk, and performance measurement. Responsibilities relevant to this

position include working with large structured and unstructured datasets, utilizing data

visualization techniques, and developing and implementing analytical reporting that

enables supervisory decision making. This position requires effective collaboration with a

variety of subject matter experts.

https://frb.taleo.net/careersection/12l_external/jobdetail.ftl?job=425820&src=JB-10080

E. Number of additional sections needed

The proposed BUSAD concentration will require two new courses and two additional sections

for existing courses. Currently, there is only one section of BUSAD 137: Advanced Quantitative

Methods offered in the spring for our Finance concentration students. We will need to add

another section of BUSAD 137. We will also need to add one more section for the MA/CS 21:

Programming I course which is offered every spring by the Mathematics Department.

F. Number of additional faculty and other resources needed

Although the Business Analytics Concentration will be housed in SEBA, the concentration is

interdisciplinary in that it will draw faculty resources from the Business Analytics Department

and the Mathematics Department. Currently the Business Analytics Department is in the process

of hiring a Visiting Assistant/Associate Professor with expertise in Data Science, who will have

a combine teaching load of six (undergraduate and graduate) courses per year.

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IV. CONCENTRATION IN BUSINESS ANALYTICS LEARNING OUTCOMES AND

STRUCTURE

A. Learning Outcomes

The Business Analytics Concentration is designed to fulfill three learning outcomes. Graduates

of this program will be able to:

1. Perform advanced quantitative analysis

2. Extract value from data and analytics into actionable organizational decisions

3. Demonstrate proficiency with programming and software tools for analytics

B. Structure of the Business Analytics Concentration

The Business Analytics Concentration will consist of four courses that together fulfill the

concentration’s learning outcomes. There will be four required full-credit courses, which will

address and integrate the learning outcomes, as shown in the “Learning Outcome Map” below.

(The acronyms used are also shown below). These courses are drawn from SEBA and the

Mathematics Department.

Math 27: Calculus I is a prerequisite for all four of the required courses in the proposed

concentration. Therefore, students in this concentration are required to take Math 27 for their

math requirement.

Learning Outcomes (LO):

QA = Perform advanced quantitative analysis

AD = Understand the connection between data analytics and actionable decision-makings

TO = Demonstrate proficiency with programming and software tools for analytics

Unit Course Options Learning Outcomes

QA AD TO

Required BUSAD 137: Advanced Quantitative Methods √ √ √

Required MA/CS 21: Programming I

√

Required BUSAD 138: Business Intelligence and Visualization √ √ √

Required BUSAD 139: Business Analytics & Big Data √ √ √

C. Course Descriptions and Role of Courses in the Concentration

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BUSAD 137: Advanced Quantitative Methods and MA/CS 21: Programming I are existing

courses. BUSAD 138: Business Intelligence and Visualization and BUSAD 139: Business

Analytics and Big Data are new courses. These new courses will be offered primarily for

business majors. They will have a one-unit value and will include assessment methods consistent

with existing SEBA courses (e.g., midterm and final exams and class participation).

Business Administration 137: Advanced Quantitative Methods

Course description:

This course covers the theories and practices of diverse quantitative methods and procedures that

enable managers to judiciously use data in solving complex decision-making problems. Topics

include logistic regression, non-linear regression, time series analysis, decision analysis,

optimization, and simulation. Real-life examples and cases are presented from different

applications including finance, marketing and supply chain. The course involves an extensive use

of Excel and an introduction to SAS.

Prerequisites:

All lower-division common business core courses and Math 27.

Learning goals:

1. Understand the conceptual framework of quantitative methods in the decision-making

process.

2. Apply advanced statistical tools and techniques for quantitative analysis to support

conclusions drawn from empirical evidence in a variety of business situations.

3. Interpret the results of quantitative analyses and think critically about the potential issues

that arise when trying to draw conclusions from such results.

4. Use computer software to conduct quantitative analyses.

Computer Science 21: Programming I

Course description:

This course aims to provide students with an understanding of the role computer programming

can play in solving problems. Topics covered include top-down design with a structured

programming language, bottom-up testing, control statements, and structured data types. No

prior knowledge of programming is required. The class will use the Python programming

language.

Prerequisite:

Math 27 or permission of instructor.

Learning goals:

1. Appropriately use the vocabulary of computing and computer science.

2. Demonstrate an understanding of the syntax and semantics of variables, assignments and

expressions.

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3. Explain the purpose of existing code segments, modify existing programs and program

segments to meet new requirements or to eliminate semantic and syntax errors.

4. Document a program with written comments using both plain English and programming

terms so that a knowledgeable reviewer can immediately understand the logic of the

program. Select and use appropriate types and built-in data structures (int, float, bool,

string, list, and tuple) and control structures (functions, loops, decisions, and recursion) to

perform given tasks.

5. Perform basic algorithm design and analysis.

6. Indicate an intuitive understanding of program flow, memory use, and information

passing in Python. This includes storage, assignment, input/output and function

parameters/arguments.

7. Develop the logic of a program from problem specifications.

BUSAD 138: Business Intelligence and Visualization

Course description:

This course prepares students to develop systems to measure, monitor and predict the evolution

of key enterprise variables and performance indicators and present them in the form of usable

information supporting the business decision-making process. Students also learn techniques to

present analytical results visually and communicate the business insights revealed by analytics

effectively. Topics include data warehousing, business reporting and performance management,

visual querying, and dashboards. Structured Query Language (SQL) and Tableau will be used in

the course. Offered every semester, beginning in Spring 2017. Prerequisites: Lower-division

common business core courses and Math 27 or Math 13/14.

Prerequisites:

Lower-division common business core courses:

o BUSAD 10 Global Perspectives in Business and Society

o BUSAD 40 Business Statistics

o ACCTG 1 Financial Accounting

o ACCTG 2 Managerial Accounting

o ECON 3 Micro-Economic Theory

o ECON 4 Macro-Economic Theory

Math 27: Calculus or Math 13/14: Calculus with Elementary Functions I and II

Learning goals:

1. Manage data for various business applications.

2. Discuss the process of formulating or refining business objectives, data selection, data

preparation, model selection and evaluation that lead to actionable business opportunities

and decisions.

3. Examine the implications of business intelligence and visualization on finance,

marketing, and supply chain.

BUSAD 139: Business Analytics and Big Data

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Course description:

This course covers predictive modeling techniques. Students will also be exposed to a collection

of current practices and computer technologies used to transform business data into useful

information and support the business decision-making process. Topics include data mining, text

and web analytics, and big data strategies. RapidMiner will be used in the course. Offered every

semester, beginning in Spring 2017. Prerequisites: Lower-division common business core

courses and Math 27 or Math 13/14.

Prerequisites:

Lower-division common business core courses:

o BUSAD 10 Global Perspectives in Business and Society

o BUSAD 40 Business Statistics

o ACCTG 1 Financial Accounting

o ACCTG 2 Managerial Accounting

o ECON 3 Micro-Economic Theory

o ECON 4 Macro-Economic Theory

Math 27: Calculus or Math 13/14: Calculus with Elementary Functions I and II

Learning goals:

1. Gain a fundamental understanding of big data and learn how to apply complex analytics

methods.

2. Explore how predictive analysis can improve the business model and efficiency.

3. Examine the implications of analytics and big data analysis on finance, marketing, and

supply chain.

V. STUDENT POPULATION

Expected students include Business majors. We do not believe that there is much overlap with

our current BUSAD concentrations in terms of student target. The proposed SEBA concentration

in Business Analytics requires incoming students to possess sufficient aptitude for quantitative

analysis, and builds on their competence in analytical methods and tools. This is unlike our

current BUSAD concentrations that focus on Marketing, Finance, Global Business,

Entrepreneurship, and Digital Media and do not have quantitative requirements.

VI. RELATIONSHIP TO PRESENT COLLEGE CURRICULUM

The proposed BUSAD concentration in Business Analytics is unique in that it participates in a

newly developing field. Its particular focus is not available anywhere else on campus.

Furthermore, the Business Analytics Concentration provides Saint Mary’s College an

opportunity to get ahead of the curve by offering a much needed resource to the market in the

form of well-developed graduates who have been trained to extract value from data and analytics

for actionable business decisions.

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VII. MANAGEMENT OF THE PROGRAM

The Business Analytics Concentration will be managed by the Business Administration Director.

The current Director is Kim Clark. The Director will advise students, address special action

petitions, answer inquiries about the Concentration, and lead Concentration reviews.

VIII. IMPLEMENTATION, TIMING, COSTS, AND ASSESSMENT

If the proposal is approved, we hope to launch the BUSAD Business Analytics Concentration in

fall 2016. The concentration is available to new incoming students. In addition, current students

will be able to switch from their current concentration and pursue the Business Analytics

Concentration if they fulfill all requirements. Since there is only two new courses, we anticipate

that the launch will not be difficult.

The proposed concentration requires faculty time to develop the two new courses. Faculty will

be designated to serve as advisors for students enrolled in the new concentration. If the number

of students in the proposed concentration increases, the workload for oversight and advising for

the concentration may increase. In that event, workload issues for such faculty designees may

need to be revisited.

Due to its concerted efforts to obtain the AACSB accreditation, SEBA has developed the culture

of assessment. Although SEBA has successfully obtained the initial accreditation, the School

needs continuous assessment of all its programs to ensure the reaccreditation. The proposed

BUSAD Concentration in Business Analytics will be treated exactly the same as all other

undergraduate concentrations in that its learning outcomes will be assessed in an ongoing basis.

The Director of the Business Administration Program will lead the timely completion of the

necessary concentration assessments.

IX. REVIEW OF LIBRARY RESOURCES AND INFORMATION LITERACY

A copy of the revised library review report was prepared by Sarah Vital and is attached to this

proposal.