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Business Analytics and Machine Learning
Earn your Babson MBA with a Business Analytics STEM-designated concentration. This program, focused on a combination of machine learning, programming, and technical training, will prepare you to problem solve, translate valuable insights, and drive innovative solutions using data. These skills, in combination with the entrepreneurial mindset developed throughout your MBA, will position you as a strong business leader in even the most complex environments.
Where Will the Business Analytics and Machine Learning STEM Concentration Take You?
Set yourself up for a successful career in finance, professional services, technology, and beyond. You’ll draw from your business analytics MBA as you leverage data and models to make informed decisions and lead operational improvements based on thoughtful analysis. Explore how methods apply to different aspects of business with core classes in economics and optimization, and electives in topics like marketing and health care.
As STEM fields continue to grow, your STEM-designated MBA business analytics concentration will give you the in-demand skill sets that employers are searching for and lead to higher earnings over your career. International students in the Business Analytics and Machine Learning concentration also may be eligible for 36 months of OPT, as compared to 12 months for students in non-STEM degree programs.
What You Will Study
The MBA Business Analytics and Machine Learning concentration consists of 12 credits with coursework that is primarily technical and teaches state-of-the-art modeling and software tools. You will learn about advanced statistical, econometric, and optimization techniques, machine learning algorithms, computer programming (using languages like Python and R), and database management and manipulation (using tools like SQL) to solve business problems. Your coursework is made up of three foundational classes that you select from a list of five options, plus one elective from the list of approved electives.
The courses listed below are a sample of what’s available to Babson MBA students who concentrate in Business Analytics and Machine Learning. The concentration requirements shown here are an example of the courses that will be available to students in Spring semester 2023. Current students should visit the student portal to view the full list of available courses and contact an academic advisor with any questions. All prospective and incoming students can reach out to Graduate Admissions to discuss any concentration questions you have.
Requirement A
Students must choose at least 9 credits from Requirement A.
Learn to transform a wide range of statistical and machine learning methods into innovative data insights. You will gain hands-on experience as you implement statistical and machine learning methods, from data pre-processing to generating predictions and evaluating model accuracy.
Work with fundamental programming concepts, including data structures, networked application program interfaces, and relational databases using the Python programming language. You will also apply statistical, machine learning, information visualization, text analysis, and social network analysis techniques through popular Python toolkits to gain data insights.
Python, a general-purpose programming language, has rapidly become one of the most popular languages among data scientists. In this course, you’ll learn powerful ways to conduct data analysis, using Python to efficiently collect, clean, analyze, visualize, and narrate insights from your data.
Do you anticipate making or evaluating economic and business forecasts in your career? This hands-on course will provide you with a comprehensive introduction to the field of forecasting and econometrics and covers three main areas of forecasting: basic statistical methods, structural models, and time series models.
Gain an introduction to optimization models and their applications across a variety of business decision problems, including linear, integer, and network models. This course emphasizes understanding the relevant applications for various models, the strengths and limitations associated with these models, the use of software tools to solve optimization problems, and the interpretation and analysis of solution results.
Requirement B
Students may take up to 3 credits from Requirement B.
Discover the benefits of using a systematic and analytical approach to marketing decision-making. This course integrated marketing concepts with practice, emphasizes learning by doing, and provides software tools to help you apply marketing concepts to real world situations.
In this class, you will learn several methods to address the numerous challenges associated with modeling and forecasting financial and macroeconomic variables. In particular, you will address cointegration, vector autoregression, and a machine learning algorithm to conduct unbiased model selection from "big data" while addressing outliers and structural change.
Tackle real-world problems throughout the healthcare industry in this hands-on, two pronged course. Not only will you develop your understanding of the healthcare market and the organizational structures of major stakeholders, but you will also use empirical methods to analyze the challenges these stakeholders face, assess their business opportunities, and design your own evidence-based strategies.
This course is an introduction to data science–the iterative exploration of data as a means to uncover new insights and inform future business process optimizations. You will move on a journey through the lifecycle of a data analytics project, using a real-world company as your basis. Learn to frame analytics problems and map business questions to appropriate predictive analytics techniques within the context of real-world applications from diverse business areas.
Should You Choose a Concentration in Business Analytics or Business Analytics and Machine Learning?
Are you interested in a career built upon analytical experience and data-driven decisions? Choose from two MBA analytics concentrations: the MBA in Business Analytics or the STEM-Designated MBA in Business Analytics and Machine Learning. Both offer strong pathways to employment in highly sought-after fields.
The MBA in Business Analytics is designed for flexibility, allowing you to choose from over a dozen available electives so you can build your Babson MBA to complement your career goals.
The MBA in Business Analytics and Machine Learning is a STEM-designated concentration, with greater focus on technical training, including advanced modeling techniques and programming in Python. International students who complete this concentration may be eligible for 36 months of OTP.
Who You Will Learn From
Learn from world-renowned thought leaders and innovators. Babson’s distinguished faculty are experts in big data, artificial intelligence, prescriptive analytics, and more.
Yunwei Gai
Yunwei Gai specializes in industrial organization, econometrics, financial economics, healthcare and public policy. He has recently taught classes on Economic & Financial Forecasting as well as Health Care: Market Analytics and Strategies.
Nada Hashmi
Nada Hashmi is a leading scholar on group dynamics, specifically how to measure and predict group performance using metrics such as the Collective Intelligence Scores. She also studies how technology plays a role in gender equality.
Dessislava Pachamanova
Dessislava Pachamanova is an expert in the design and application of advanced analytical tools such as robust optimization, simulation, predictive analytics, and natural language processing to numerous fields, including financial risk management, healthcare policy and operations, marketing, business strategy, legal studies, and engineering.
Michelle Li
Michelle Li’s expertise lies in the domain of operations research, game theory, business analytics, supply chain network management, humanitarian logistics, and sustainable systems. She co-authored a book titled "Competing on Supply Chain Quality A Network Economics Perspective" and offers graduate courses Optimization Methods and Applications, as well as Machine Learning Methods for Business.
Looking For A More Specialized Business Analytics Degree?
Learn more about our Master in Business Analytics, a STEM-designated degree offered in both nine- and 16-month formats. Learn how to synthesize and draw insights from complex data, enabling you to tell an effective story and impact business strategy.
Looking for Advice?
Find the degree that best supports you and your goals. With several programs and formats to choose from, you can cater your Babson experience to your unique needs.
Begin Your Babson Journey
With small class sizes, hands-on learning, and customizable courses, you can craft your Babson MBA to support your unique goals. Get started by beginning or continuing your application today.