Post-graduate Program in

Business Analytics

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Table of Contents
About the Program 3

Key Features 4

About Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota 5

Eligibility Criteria 6

Application Process 7

Careers in Business Analytics 8

Who is this Program Ideal for? 10

Program Outcomes 11

Learning Path 12
• Core Courses 13

• Electives 21

Tools Covered 25

Projects 26

Certificates 28

Advisory Board 29

Program Highlights 30
About the Post-
graduate Program
Business analytics (BA) is the combination of skills,
technologies, and practices used to examine an
organization's data and performance to gain insights
and make data-driven decisions in the future using
statistical analysis. The goal of BA is to identify
which data sets are useful, and analyze those to
increase revenue, productivity, and efficiency in any
organization.

Ride this wave and accelerate your career with

this acclaimed Business Analytics Post-graduate
Program. This program features a thorough mix of
theory, projects, and extensive hands-on practice,
while leveraging Carlson School of Management’s
(University of Minnesota) academic excellence
and IBM’s industry prowess. More importantly,
you’ll learn about the theoretical underpinnings of
analytics, and gain the practical know-how to quickly
and successfully apply the right tools and techniques
to new problems.

This Post-graduate Program offers a blend of online

self-paced videos, live virtual classes, hands-on
projects, and labs. Participants also have access to
mentorship sessions that provide a high-engagement
learning experience and real-world applications to
help master essential business analytics skills. You
will gain exposure to analytics, data transformation,
storytelling, an understanding of algorithms to
solve complex business problems, optimization
techniques, data visualization, and much more.

3
Key Features
Program completion certificate from Carlson
School of Management, University of Minnesota
and Simplilearn

University of Minnesota’s Alumni Association

membership

Masterclasses from distinguished UMN

instructors

Industry-recognized IBM certificates for IBM

courses

Masterclasses, Ask Me Anything sessions &

Hackathons conducted by IBM experts

12+ industry-relevant projects from the likes of

Walmart, Zomato, and more

14+ practical tools and frameworks for innovation

to bring impact to your work

Industry-relevant, case-based learning

Seamless access to integrated labs

Simplilearn’s Career Assistance to help you get

noticed by top companies

4
About Carlson School
of Management,
University of
Minnesota
Since its establishment in 1919, the University of
Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management has been a
leader in business education. By embracing innovative
teaching methods, cultivating world-class faculty, and
promoting cutting-edge research, the school has served
as a beacon of knowledge for the world’s business
community for generations. From the beginning, members
of the business community worked in partnership with
the school’s faculty and students by providing classroom
speakers, internships, employment opportunities, and
scholarships. In that first year, 14 faculty members
instructed 88 students. Today, the Carlson School of
Management has nearly 5,000 students, 57,000 alumni,
thirteen degree programs, and 103 tenure-track and 39
full-time instructional faculty members.

The Carlson School has a rich history of faculty developing

new ideas and innovations, translating that scholarship into
practice, and using it to provide real-world opportunities
for MBA students. The Carlson School also offers a wide
range of specialized master’s programs that help students
not only excel in the job market but also become a leader
in their respective fields.

5
Eligibility Criteria
For admission to this Post-graduate Program, candidates should have:

A bachelor's degree (any The drive to apply course 2+ years of formal work
background) concepts to real-world experience (preferably)
business problems

6
Application Process
Candidates can apply to this Post-graduate Program in 3 simple steps:

1 2 3

Submit an A pplicatio n Admissio n

A p p li c ati o n Review

Complete the application and A panel of admissions An offer of admission

include a brief statement of
purpose. The latter informs
our admissions counselors why
you’re interested and qualified
for the Post-graduate Program.
counselors will review
your application and
statement of purpose to
determine whether you
qualify for acceptance.
will be made to qualified
candidates. You can
accept this offer by
paying the program fee.

Talk to an Admissions Counselor

We have a team of dedicated admissions counselors to help guide you in the application process
and related matters. They are available to:

Address questions related to the application

Provide information on financial aid (if required)

Help you better understand the program and answer your questions

Chat Now Contact Us | 1800-212-7688

7
Careers in Business Analytics

600,000 jobs
and more on the horizon for Business Analytics
Source: Multiple Job portals

13.5% CAGR growth

expected from 2021 to 2030
Source: Allied Market Research report

$77K
Average Annual Salary
Source: Glassdoor

8
Some Typical Job Roles in the Business Analytics
Career Path
Some of the key roles to consider when searching for a business analytics career path include:

B u s in es s A n a l yst
Job role: Business analysts are responsible for identifying and assessing
the changing needs of the business. They're frequently asked to analyze
Avg Salary:
the impacts of change, and document and support communication
$81K/yr
between relevant groups and stakeholders.

P ro j ec t Ma n a ge r
Job role: As a project manager you’ll use your data-driven business
acumen to plan, budget, and oversee your organization’s project/s. You will
Avg Salary:
also need to be organized and possess excellent leadership and critical-
$75K/yr
thinking skills.

Dat a A n a l yst
Job role: Data analyst responsibilities include conducting a full -lifecycle
analysis to include requirements, activities, and design. Data analysts will Avg Salary:
develop analysis and reporting capabilities. $70K/year

Ma r ket Res ea rch A na lyst

Job Role: Market research analysts compile complex reports,
spreadsheets, surveys, and opinion polls to gather and evaluate relevant
market intelligence that helps organizations market their products
or services in the best way possible. Data can include consumer
Avg Salary:
demographics, spending habits and sales trends, needs, interests, and
$63,120
preferences. Market research analysts need a good working knowledge of
statistical software and techniques in order to monitor and forecast the
effectiveness of such strategies.

9
Who is this Program Ideal for?
This Post-graduate Program is ideal for graduates and working professionals from all backgrounds—
with or without programming experience. Having an analytical mindset, the drive to learn, and how
to make impactful changes might mean that this course is for you.

The diversity of our students adds richness to class discussions and interactions. Some of the most
suited participants for this Post-graduate Program include:

IT professionals Banking and finance professionals

Marketing managers Supply chain network managers

Consultants Software engineers

Analysts

10
Program Outcomes
Grasp the fundamentals of Excel
analytics functions and conditional
formatting
Understand the tools and techniques
used in business analysis planning and
monitoring
Understand essential statistical
concepts and SQL concepts
Apply statistical tools and concepts
like moving averages, hypothesis
testing, ANOVA, and regression to
data sets using Excel
Gain an in-depth understanding of the
basics of R and learn how to write
your own R scripts
Master R programming and
understand how various statements
are executed in R
Define, understand, and use apply
functions and DPLYR functions
Understand and use graphics in R for
data visualization and gain a basic
understanding of related statistical
concepts
Understand and use the hypothesis
testing method to drive business
decisions and use linear and non-
linear regression models and
classification techniques for data
analysis
Learn to visualize data using Tableau
and Power BI and become proficient
in building interactive dashboards
11
Learning Path

Core Topics

1 Introduction to Data Analytics

2 Business Analytics with Excel

3 SQL

4 R Programming for Data Science

5 Data Analytics with R

6 Data Visualization using Tableau

7 Business Analytics program Capstone

Electives
Data Analysis with Python Business Analytics program: UMN
Academic Masterclass
Mathematical Optimization for Business
Problems Business Analytics program: IBM Industry
Masterclass
Data Visualization using Power BI

12
STEP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Introduction to Data Analytics

Simplilearn’s Introduction to Data Analytics course will give you insights into applying data and
analytics principles in your business. You will gain an understanding of the complete data analytics
lifecycle, from problem definition to solution deployment. Through various industry-specific
examples and case studies, you will learn how to leverage analytics, data visualization, and data
science methodologies to drive better business decisions.

Key Learning Objectives

Understand how to solve analytical
problems in real-world scenarios
Define effective objectives for analytics
projects
Understand charts, graphs, and tools used
for analytics and visualization and use
them to derive meaningful insights
Create an analytics adoption framework

Work with different types of data Identify upcoming trends in the data
analytics field
Understand the importance of data
visualization to help make more effective
business decisions

Topics Covered
Introduction Data Science, Data Analytics, and Machine
Learning
Data Analytics Overview
Data Science Methodology
Dealing with Different Types of Data
Data Analytics in Different Sectors
Data Visualization for Decision making
Analytics Frameworks and Latest Trends

13
STEP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Business Analytics with Excel

The Business Analytics with Excel course will help you learn powerful Microsoft Excel skills. This
course will equip you with the most sophisticated and effective concepts and hard skills. You’ll learn
the basic concepts of data analysis and statistics, and how to promote data-driven decision-making.

Key Learning Objectives

Understand the meaning of business analytics and its importance in the industry

Grasp the fundamentals of Excel analytics functions and conditional formatting

Learn how to analyze complex data sets using pivot tables and slicers

Solve stochastic and deterministic analytical problems using tools like Scenario Manager,
Solver, and Goal Seek

Apply statistical tools and concepts like moving averages, hypothesis testing, ANOVA, and
regression to data sets using Excel

Learn how to utilize statistics for data analytics and applying macros for data analysis

Topics Covered
Introduction to Business Analytics

Data Cleaning and Preparation

Formatting, Conditional Formatting, and Other Important Functions

Analyzing Data With Pivot Tables

Dashboarding

Data Analysis Using Statistics

14
STEP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

SQL
This course gives you the information you need to successfully start working with SQL databases
and make use of the database in your applications. Learn the concepts of fundamental SQL
statements, conditional statements, commands, joins, subqueries, and various functions to manage
your SQL database for scalable growth.

Key Learning Objectives

Understand databases and relationships

Use common query tools and work with SQL commands

Understand transactions, and creating tables and views

Comprehend and execute stored procedures

Topics Covered

Introduction to SQL Subqueries, Operators, and Derived

Tables in SQL
Database Normalization and Entity
Relationship Model Windows Functions in SQL

MySQL Installation and Setup Working with Views

Working with Databases and Tables Stored Procedures and Triggers in SQL

Working with Operators Constraints and Performance Optimization and Best

Data Types Practices in SQL

Functions in SQL

15
STEP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

R Programming for Data Science

Gain insight into the R Programming language with this introductory course. An essential
programming language for data analysis, R Programming is a fundamental key to becoming a
successful data analytics professional. In this course, you will learn how to write R code, learn about
R data structures, and create your own functions. After the completing this course, you will be
equipped with the knowledge and skills to begin your first data analysis project using R.

Key Learning Objectives

Learn about math, variables, strings, vectors, factors, and vector operations

Gain fundamental knowledge on arrays, matrices, lists, and data frames

Get an understanding of conditions and loops, functions in R, objects, classes, and debugging

Learn how to accurately read text, CSV, and Excel files; and how to write and save data objects
in R to a file

Understand and work on strings and dates in R

Topics Covered
R Basics

Data Structures in R

R Programming Fundamentals

Working with Data in R

Stings and Dates in R

16
STEP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Data Analytics with R

The next step in this Program focuses on learning R, the most in-demand open-source technology.
R, a powerful data science and analytics language, has a steep learning curve and a very vibrant
community. This is why it is quickly becoming the technology of choice for organizations that are
adopting the power of analytics for a competitive advantage.

Key Learning Objectives

Gain a foundational understanding of business analytics, Install R, R-studio, establish your
workspace setup, and learn about the various R packages

Master R programming and understand how various statements are executed in R

Gain an in-depth understanding of data structures used in R and learn how to import/export
data in R Define

Understand and use the various apply functions and DPLYR functions

Understand and use the various graphics in R for data visualization

Gain a basic understanding of various statistical concepts

Understand and use the hypothesis testing method to drive business decisions

Understand and use both linear and non-linear regression models and classification techniques
for data analysis

Learn and use the various association rules and the Apriori algorithm

Learn and use clustering methods including K-means, DBSCAN, and hierarchical clustering

17
Topics Covered
Introduction to R Programming Regression Analysis

Data Structures Classification

Data Visualization Clustering

Statistics for Data Science Association

18
STEP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Data Visualization using Tableau

This course helps you understand how to build visualizations, organize data, and design charts and
dashboards to empower more meaningful business decisions. You’ll be exposed to the concepts of
data visualization and different combo charts and stories; work with filters, parameters, and sets;
and build interactive dashboards.

Key Learning Objectives

Become an expert on visualization techniques such as Heat Map, Treemap, Waterfall, and
Pareto charts

Understand metadata and its usage with filters, parameters, and sets

Master special field types and Tableau-generated fields and the process of creating and using
parameters

Learn how to build charts, interactive dashboards, story interfaces, and how to share your work

Master the concepts of data blending, create data extracts, and organize and format data

Master arithmetic, and logical, table, and LOD calculations

Topics Covered

Getting Started with Tableau Applying Analytics to the Worksheet

Core Tableau in Topics Dashboard in Tableau

Creating Charts in Tableau Modifications to Data Connections

Working with Metadata Introduction to Level of Details in Tableau

(LODS)
Filters in Tableau

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STEP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Capstone Project
The capstone project will give you an opportunity to implement the skills you learned throughout
this Program. Through dedicated mentoring sessions, you’ll learn how to solve an industry-aligned
problem—from data processing and model building to reporting business results and insights.
This project is the final step in the learning path and will enable you to showcase your expertise
in business analytics to future employers or make informed decisions for your current business.
This capstone project is proof of how you trained in the methodologies of data pre-processing,
exploratory data analysis, and data storytelling by creating dashboards to drive business decisions.
You can choose to work on projects that cover the most relevant industries (consumer services,
BFSI, and healthcare) to make your practice more relevant.

20
Electives

Data Analysis with Python

Grow beyond spreadsheet software for data analytics. Perform statistical analyses and create
meaningful data visualizations using Python. This course will take you from the basics of Python
to exploring many different types of data. You will learn how to prepare data for analysis, perform
simple statistical analyses, create meaningful data visualizations and predict future trends from
data.

Key Learning Objectives:

Learn data analysis with Python

Learn how to import data sets, clean and prepare data for analysis

Summarize data and build machine learning models using scikit-learn

Build data pipelines

Topics Covered:
Importing Datasets

Cleaning and Preparing the Data

Summarizing the Data Frame

Model Development

Model Evaluation

21
Electives

Mathematical Optimization for

Business Problems
Construct optimization models to solve business problems in this course. Learn different aspects
of mathematical programming to construct optimization models using IBM Decision Optimization
technology in this course.

Key Learning Objectives

Learn how to model and solve optimization models

Learn basics of optimization models like data, decision variables, objective functions, and
constraints

Understand the different types of solutions possible and mathematical programming

techniques to optimize a business

Topics Covered
The Big Picture

Linear Programming

Network Models

Beyond Simple LP

Modeling Practice

22
Electives

Data Visualization using Power BI

Microsoft Power BI is a suite of tools used to analyze data and extract business insights through
interactive dashboards.

This Power BI course will help you get the most out of Power BI, enabling you to solve business
problems and improve operations. Master the development of illuminating dashboards from
published reports, discover greater insight from your data with Quick Insights, and learn practical
recipes for the various tasks that you can perform with Microsoft Power BI—from gathering data
to analyzing it. This course also contains some handy recipes for troubleshooting various issues in
Power BI.

Key Learning Objectives

Create dashboards from published reports

Generate visuals and dashboards with Quick Insights

Use natural language in the Q&A feature to generate visuals for actionable insights

Create and manage data alerts

Understand report layouts and data visualization best practices

Understand which charts/graphs to use depending on the question being answered or the story
being told

Use shapes to design, emphasize, and tell a story

Incorporate custom visuals into your reports and dashboards

Share reports and dashboards, including the pros and cons of each

Complete a Power BI data analysis/visual project from start-to-finish

Improve team collaboration with Microsoft Teams

23
Electives

Know how to retrieve and prepare your data for analysis and visualization

Learn how to create relationships between tables in your data model

Create calculated columns and measures using the DAX language

Topics Covered
Get and prep data like a super-nerd

Develop your data-nerd prowess

Generate reports and dashboards

Tips & tricks

Masterclasses from University of

Minnesota
Attend live online masterclasses conducted by the renowned instructors from the University of
Minnesota. Understand what business analytics can and cannot do, how to interpret data to make
better decisions, and gain exposure to different business analytics techniques.

Industry Masterclass from IBM

Attend live online masterclasses conducted by industry experts at IBM. Get insights into the latest
industry updates in the field of business analytics.

24
Tools Covered

25
Projects

Pro j e c t 1 :
Demand Forecast for a Multinational Retail Corporation
Predict store sales and demand while factoring in economic conditions for a multinational retail
giant’s stores across the United States.

Pro j e c t 2 :
High-value Customer Identification for an e-Commerce
Company
Use the clustering methodology for customer segmentation for a large UK-based online retailer to
identify high-value customers and set up loyalty programs.

Pro j e c t 3 :
Comparative Study of Countries for Insurance
Use Tableau to compare various parameters of a data set from various countries for an expanding
insurance company.

Pro j e c t 4 :
Data Manipulation and Reporting with Power BI for
Zomato
Zomato's owners aim to find hidden irregularities in their company's data. The ultimate goal of this
the project is to examine the data in such a way that they can accurately assess their business
performance.

26
Pro j e c t 5 :
Measuring Insurance Agents’ Performance using Power BI
Analyze insurance data provided from multiple companies to identify regional patterns and
measure agents’ performance based on several attributes like demography, products sold, new
business, etc.

Pro j e c t 6 :
Comparison of Regions Based on Sales
Help an organization create a dashboard to visualize the sales comparison between two selected
regions.

Pro j e c t 7:
Employee Performance Mapping
Analyze employee performance and generate reports on employee performance using different
data sets for a data science startup.

Pro j e c t 8:
Air Cargo Analysis
Help an air cargo company improve its operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. The
company looks to create reports of regular passengers, busiest routes, ticket sales details, and
other scenarios to improve the ease of travel and booking for customers.

27
Certificates

This is to certify that

John Doe
has successfully completed the 6-month

Post-graduate Program in
Business Analytics
on DD/MM/YYYY

Dr. Ravi Bapna Krishna Kumar

Associate Dean of Executive Education CEO
Carlson School of Management,
University of Minnesota

This is to certify that

John Doe
successfully completed and received a passing grade in

Data Analysis with Python

(DS010EN, provided by BigDataUniversity)

A course on skillsnet.simplilearn.com
Powered by IBM Developer Skills Network.

Issued by

July 22, 2022

Authenticity of this certificate can be validated by going to:
https://courses.skillsnet.simplilearn.com/certificates/33c40d51cf8e422e81039cc30094449b

Upon successful completion of this Post-graduate Program, you will receive a certificate of
completion from Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota and Simplilearn. You will
also receive IBM certificates (sample IBM certificate shown above) for all IBM courses, along with
certificates from Simplilearn for the courses completed in the learning path. These certificates will
testify to your skills as a business analytics expert.

28
Advisory Board

Dr. Ravi Bapna

Associate Dean of Executive Education
Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota

Dr. Ravi Bapna is the Curtis L. Carlson Chair in Business Analytics

and Information Systems, Associate Dean for Executive Education
and the Academic Director of the Carlson Analytics Lab and the
Analytics for Good Institute at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson
School of Management. Bapna’s expertise lies in helping companies
leverage data-science, machine learning, AI and business analytics
for competitive advantage. He has been awarded the INFORMS ISS
Distinguished Fellow Award and the INFORMS ISS Inaugural Practical
Impacts Award.

29
Program Highlights

Program Duration: 6 months

Be part of this Post-graduate Program and ensure the following benefits:

Program completion certificate Learn by applying through a

from Carlson School of rigorous and high-engagement
Management, University of hands-on training
Minnesota and Simplilearn

University of Minnesota’s Alumni Complete this Business Analytics

Association Membership Post-graduate Program while you
work

Industry recognized IBM Active recruiters include: Amazon,

certificates for IBM courses Google, Microsoft, etc.

Why wait! Take the first step to your Business Analytics career journey by applying below

Apply Now

30
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