Whitman School starts graduate-degree program in business analytics

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management is launching a graduate-degree program in business analytics, available both online and on campus.

The Whitman School is offering the master’s degree program through its partnership with 2U, Inc. (NASDAQ: TWOU), a Landover, Maryland–based education-technology company, the school said in a news release.

The online program, dubbed BusinessAnalytics@Syracuse, expands the existing MBA@Syracuse, which is also offered through 2U.

SU contends it has designed the business-analytics program to equip students “with the skills needed to become data-driven business leaders.”

The Whitman School describes growth in the data-generation field as “rapid,” creating “great demand for professionals who can effectively harness, interpret and analyze data.”

It cites data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that projects 27 percent growth in employment for the business-analytics field by 2022 with “demand continuing to grow as technology advances.”

The degree program will focus on the use of business applications and analytic tools, along with a “practical” curriculum for students.

Students will complete courses in data analysis and decision making and business analytics, along with courses in accounting analytics, financial services analytics, marketing analytics and principles of management science.

“We have seen job opportunities for professionals in business analytics accelerate at high rates over the past three years, and we anticipate this demand to continue on its upward trajectory as data-driven roles within businesses continue to grow,” Donald Harter, associate dean of graduate programs for Whitman, said in the release. “BusinessAnalytics@Syracuse will enable students to develop a business skill set that is needed by businesses everywhere, without relocating to Syracuse.”

Participation

BusinessAnalytics@Syracuse will utilize 2U’s cloud-based, software-as-a-service technology platform.

Students and faculty will meet weekly through live, online class sessions and students will also complete “immersive” course content between classes, accessible both online and offline, on computers and mobile devices, from any location, according to Whitman.

The degree consists of 36 credits that a student can finish in 18 months.

The online program annually will have four start dates in January, April, July, and October, with admissions decisions “made on a rolling basis.”

The first application deadline is April 4, 2016, and the first online class begins in July 2016.

The full-time, on campus program has an application deadline of Feb. 15, 2017 for international students and April 19, 2017 for U.S. citizens, with the first class starting in the fall of 2017.

Students can submit applications after Oct. 1, 2016, Whitman said.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com