NST1020 Energy and the Environment
4 CreditsAs the world's current energy demand continues to rise, it is critical to understand the causes, impacts, and possible solutions to our current global energy crisis. This course will focus on the technologies associated with renewable forms of energy and their potential for future success.

Prerequisites: None

QTM3625 Financial Modeling Using Simulation and Optimization with Applications to Finance, Marketing, and Management
4 Advanced Liberal Arts CreditsThis course is an introduction to quantitative techniques that enable marketing, finance, and management professionals to make optimal decisions under uncertainty. While theoretical background for these techniques is provided, the focus is on their applications and mastering software that is widely used in industry, such as Excel, Solver, @RISK, and MATLAB. Topics include simulation of important probability distributions, bootstrapping, random walks, linear and nonlinear optimization. Lectures draw on examples such as asset allocation under different definitions of risk; index tracking; scenario approaches to project and portfolio management; hedging and arbitrage; and derivative pricing.

Prerequisites: QTM1010 or AQM2000

QTM9505 Financial Simulation
1.5 Intensive Elective CreditsThis course focuses on a quantitative technique, simulation, that enables finance professionals to make informed decisions under uncertainty. After taking this course, students will:
(a) have a basic understanding of the theoretical background for this technique; (b) have experienced implementing simulation models with Excel, @RISK, and VBA; (c) have used simulation in important financial applications such as new product development, capital budgeting under uncertainty, asset allocation under different definitions of risk, modeling asset price dynamics, derivative pricing, and hedging.

Prerequisites: QTM7800

AQM1000 Foundations of Business Analytics
4 Foundation Liberal Arts Credits

The course introduces the necessary quantitative methods that are prerequisites to follow-on courses in AQM and in Babson's integrated core business offerings. Statistical software and the use of spreadsheets are integrated throughout so that students better appreciate the importance of using modern technological tools for effective model building and decision-making. The initial third of the course focuses on basic frequentist statistical methods, their conceptual underpinning, such as variability and uncertainty, and their use in the real world. Topics include data visualization, data collection, descriptive statistics, elementary probability rules and distributions, sampling distributions, confidence intervals, and hypothesis testing. The remainder of the course is dedicated to decision-making problems in a managerial context using algebraic, spreadsheet, graphical, and statistical models. Topics include introductions to linear regression, time series analysis, and simulation. The course emphasizes the effective communication of quantitative results through written, visual, and oral means.

SCN3665 Global Climate Change
4 Advanced Liberal Arts CreditsGlobal climate change is one of the most contentious, yet critically important issues facing the world today. However, the science behind climate patterns and the influence of human actions on global climate are not always well understood. This course is designed to investigate scientific knowledge and uncertainty regarding past, present and future changes in the earth's climate, and how scientists study and predict patterns of climate change. We will investigate the known relationships between the earth's atmosphere and global climate, historic patterns of climate change, recent observations of changes in global climatic conditions, how scientists develop models and conduct experiments to predict future change, and the myriad of predicted ecological, economic and societal shifts that may occur. Finally, we will discuss options to mitigate climate change impacts, public perception and media portrayals of climate change, and ethical considerations related to climate change.

Prerequisites: Foundation Science

NST1040 Human Biotechnology
4 Foundation Liberal Arts CreditsThis course will provide you with a broad review of the basic scientific concepts, ethical considerations, and practical applications of biotechnology in our daily lives. We will discuss the regulations, technologies, and methods used by academic research laboratories, agricultural and pharmaceutical industries, and forensic scientists. Through this course, you will gain a number of different perspectives on personalized medicine, stem cells, drug discovery, development, and regulation, food, and the environment, all of which are directly connected to human health and well-being. By the end of this course, you will recognize the importance of biotechnology in the world today and see multiple scales of its application from molecular to global levels. You will be able to compare and contrast the positive and negative contributions biotechnology has made to our lives and you will grasp its strengths and limitations as we move forward into the middle of the 21st century.

SCN3660 Human Health and Disease
4 Liberal Arts CreditsThis class explores human health and disease. We identify the biological roots of infection, exploring advances in medicine and related disciplines. We analyze all facets of risk - from genetics to lifestyle - proceeding topically through major threats to human longevity and quality of life. Topics include the latest understanding of chronic illness - cancer, stroke, heart disease - that account for most premature mortality in the developed world. We will examine strategies to protect our health and to ameliorate some of the consequences of aging; we will investigate new challenges, such as emerging infections and eating disorders. Psychological aspects of wellness are discussed as well.

Prerequisites: Foundation Science

SCN3635 Human Nutrition
(Formerly Personal Nutrition)
4 Advanced Liberal Arts Credits
Every day we are bombarded with information about diet and health, often confusing and contradictory. As consumers, it is difficult to separate fact from fad, truth from fiction. This course will provide a foundation in basic nutrition, including anatomy and physiology of the digestive tract and the development of disease, with the goal of applying this information to aid in making informed choices in the treatment and prevention of nutrition related disease. We will also explore how the personal actions a student can take to encourage a sustainable diet, defined as "food choices that maximize personal health while minimizing the impact on the environment.

Prerequisites: NST10%

QTM7580 Independent Research

1.5-3 CreditsIndependent research is available for all academic divisions. Registration is manual for students through Graduate Programs and Office of Graduate Academic Services.

Independent Research provides an opportunity to conduct in-depth research in areas of a student's own specific interest. Students may undertake Independent Research for academic credit with the approval of a student-selected faculty advisor, the appropriate division chair, and Graduate Academic Services. Please note that a student is responsible for recruiting a faculty advisor through the student's own initiative and obtain the advisor's prior consent/commitment before applying for an independent research project. The research project normally carries 1.5 or 3 credits.

For more information and a proposal outline please visit: http://www.babson.edu/Academics/graduate/mba/Pages/independent-research.aspx

QTM9515 Introduction to Data Science
(Formerly Introduction to Data Science and Business Analytics)
1.5 Intensive Elective CreditsThis course is an introduction to data science - the science of iterative exploration of data that can be used to gain insights and optimize business processes. The course is set up as a journey through the data analytics lifecycle of a project based on an actual company and introduces predictive analytics techniques in the context of real-world applications from diverse business areas. A map of applications and an overview is provided for advanced methods for data visualization, logistic regression, decision tree learning methods, clustering, and association rules. The course utilizes the advanced visualization software Tableau, the free open-source statistical modeling language R, and various other tools like cloud computing to gain insights from data. The case studies include data sets from a variety of industries and companies, including financial planning startups, online retailers, telecommunications companies, and healthcare organizations.

Prerequisites: QTM7200 or QTM7800