Master of Science in Applied Analytics, M.S.

Curriculum

The curriculum consists of 30 credit hours and a capstone project that must be completed prior to graduation. Coursework provides a blend of statistics, computer science, data science and business courses to serve as the building blocks for the creation of three primary job roles in analytics: Data Analyst, Data Engineer and Data Scientist. Specifically, the curriculum focuses on computer programming, data preparation, database management, statistical modeling, artificial intelligence, machine learning and data storytelling with each area infused with ethical frameworks. In addition to the technical skills and ethical component, the program also offers electives in entrepreneurship, project and product management, negotiation and marketing to develop and strengthen business acumen.

See All Program Requirements

Courses You'll Take

BSA 6010: Understanding the Data Environment
Pre-requisite: None. This course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the modern data environment, including topics such as Big Data, cloud vs on-premise computing, data governance and project management. Students will also learn about the roles of various job roles in data management and the essentials of product management and agile development. Students will delve into key concepts such as understanding Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), data leakage, bias in modeling data and stewardship profiling.
 
BSA 6050: Database Modeling, Design and Analysis
This course provides students with skills that facilitate the effective use of database management systems. Key components of this course include relational data modeling along with database design, development and implementation. Students will query and analyze data using SQL to create useful insights and generate recommendations for action.
 
BSA 6100: Fundamentals of Programming with Python
Pre-requisite: BSA 6050. This course introduces the fundamentals of programming using Python, one of the most widely used languages in the fields of data analysis, machine learning and web development. Students will explore various Python libraries and gain a solid understanding of Python's core objects, variables and control flow structures. The course also covers practical topics such as web scraping, data cleaning and data processing.
  
BSA 6150: Visual Analytics and Data Storytelling 
Pre-requisite: BSA 6050. This course provides students with the necessary knowledge and skills to leverage business data for ethical decision-making purposes using visualization techniques that ethically influence perceptions, decisions and policies. Key topics include visualization best practices, chart selection based on data complexity, dashboard development, key performance indicator (KPI) identification and measurement, data narratives and the use of visualization tools such as Tableau and PowerBI.
 
BSA 6350: Regression Analysis
Pre-requisite: BSA 6100. This course offers students an in-depth exploration of regression analysis techniques used for interpreting and analyzing data in various business settings. Students will learn how to prepare data, fit regression models, identify model weaknesses, draw conclusions and recommend business actions. They will also explore specific techniques such as least squares, model plots, transformations, model selection techniques, linear regression splines, logistic regression, Poisson regression and Bayesian approaches.
 
BSA 6650: Data Engineering
Pre-requisite: BSA 6100. This course will provide a comprehensive introduction to the field of data engineering, focusing on the skills and knowledge necessary to design, build and maintain data systems. Students will explore a wide range of topics including methods, technologies and computing platforms to support data-intensive applications and large-scale data analysis workflows. Students will gain experience building scalable data solutions and overseeing their production and deployment into the cloud.
 
BSA 6750: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning 
Pre-requisite: BSA 6650. This course provides an in-depth exploration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), focusing on ethical techniques and applications relevant to today's data-driven society. Students will learn about the data mining process, ethical data collection, exploration and pre-processing, regression models, decision trees, neural networks, ensemble modeling, document classification, sentiment analysis, correlations, clustering and the differences between supervised and unsupervised learning. The course also emphasizes hands-on learning and real-world applications.
 
BSA 6900: Analytics as a Business Strategy
Pre-requisite: BSA 6750. This course explores how to ethically leverage analytics as a key component of business strategy. Topics include establishing an ethical data culture, using data as an asset, data governance, data monetization, strategic thinking in a corporate setting, key concepts and frameworks of strategic management and negotiation and persuasion techniques. Students will learn how to develop and apply data-informed strategies to drive business success. All students will present their capstone projects at the Belmont University campus, offering a platform to share their insights, discoveries and accomplishments with peers, faculty and industry professionals.

In addition to the core curriculum and capstone project, MSAA students choose two electives. Not every elective is offered every semester, so be mindful of that as you plan. MSAA students can select courses from any of the following courses:

Accounting*
Accounting electives may be chosen from the courses listed in the Master of Accountancy course page. *Eligibility requires a minimum of 18 hours of previous undergraduate accounting coursework.
 
BSA 6230: Healthcare Analytics
This course introduces students to the core concepts, foundational skills and knowledge of healthcare analytics and provides students with the ability to extract, analyze and interpret data from patients’ health records, insurance claims and hospital financial records to drive actionable insights and improve performance. Students will gain hands-on experience with tools like Microsoft Excel and Power BI to understand and develop insights from data to improve patient care and services.
 
BSA 6310: Product Management and Analytics
Pre-requisite: BSA 6150. This course provides students with product management principles and analytics strategies necessary to become successful product managers in the digital age. Topics covered include product strategy, market research, user experience design, data analytics and product lifecycle management. Students will learn how to use data to drive product decisions, build and launch successful products and measure product success.
 
BSA 6820: Predictive Analytics
Prerequisites:  BSA 6050  or instructor permission. This course provides students a practical, hands-on learning environment focusing on data mining and predictive analytics to solve business problems. Students will prepare data, create and validate predictive models and deploy those models to predict future events and uncover hidden patterns of behavior. Students will examine how data analysis technologies can be used to improve decision-making by studying the fundamental principles and techniques of data mining to develop data-analytic thinking.
 
BSA 6850: Enterprise Data Model Deployment & Optimization
Pre-requisite: BSA 6750. This course provides an in-depth examination of deploying and optimizing enterprise data models, featuring hands-on learning of relevant tools and techniques. The coursework covers machine learning operations, microservices, predictive analytics using Python, Agile/Scrum methodologies, DevOps, Docker containers, deployment in cloud environments such as Azure, AWS and Google Cloud and optimization modeling in a business context.
 
ECO 6400: Global Managerial Economics
This course will integrate economic theory, data analytics and global affairs to guide business decisions and solve business problems. This course is current and reflects the most urgent economic, political, social and business challenges. We will start with the World Economic Forum annual agenda and Davos meeting; explore United Nations 2030 growth and sustainability goals; dive into market framework and government intervention; pricing, game theory, national debt, interest rates and exchange rates. We will conduct multiple debates on current economic and business issues including minimum wage, income inequality, impact of automation and outsourcing on America’s middle class, future of work, stakeholder capitalism, etc. Finally, multiple simulations and case studies will allow you to practice economic concepts and apply business decision-making to real-world business scenarios.
 
ETP 6600: Opportunity Assessment
This course is designed to cultivate an understanding of the various processes involved in evaluating opportunities for new enterprises. Students will work toward developing an understanding of how personal interest, strategy, marketing, financing and legal matters impact opportunities in terms of perception, execution and growth. A key goal will be to empower students to enhance further their understanding of how to position a new venture for success. Completion of an opportunity assessment project is an integral part of the course.
 
ETP 6650: Strategy for New Enterprise and Innovation
This course is designed to cultivate an understanding of the processes involved in developing strategies for new enterprise and innovation in economic environments that are increasingly fast-paced, rapidly changing and highly uncertain. Students will explore how an entrepreneurial mindset can be used to create a richly stocked opportunity register by identifying new sources of differentiation, ways to reconfigure market spaces or re-segment existing markets, mobilize innovative ideas for redesigning existing products, seize on the potential created by design breakthroughs and develop a dynamic portfolio of strategic business options to move a venture, whether new or existing, toward an increasingly profitable and sustainable future. Individuals who are responsible for, or play a role in, technical innovation and business development within existing organizations should find this course equally helpful to those launching new ventures.
 
FIN 6150: Corporate Finance*
This course focuses on two topics as they relate to corporate finance: short and long-term valuation/securities issuance and options. Short-term valuation/financing is analyzed from a cash and credit management perspective. Long-term valuation/financing issues include discount rate estimation, alternative Net Present Value methods and mergers and acquisitions. The role of options in firm valuation and securities issuance is explored. Other topics may also be discussed. *Prerequisite: FIN 6100 or Instructor permission
 
FIN 6250: International Corporate Finance*
This course studies the application of financial management principles to the financial decisions of multinational corporations. The underlying causes of the accounting and economic exposure of multinational corporations are examined. The financial instruments available to hedge accounting and economic exposure are identified. The capital budgeting process is explored from the perspective of a multinational corporation. *Prerequisite: FIN 6100
 
BU 6200: Music Business Revenue Streams
This course examines how the music industry is structured to monetize and manage entertainment assets.
 
MBU 6360: Strategic Marketing in the Music Business
This course is a study of the traditional and emerging methods used to market and distribute recorded products from the label to the consumer.
 
MGT 6360: SCOPE International Business Consultancy
Student Consultancy Opportunities for Professional Engagement (SCOPE) International is intended to offer professional quality consulting services to clients involved in international business. Possible tasks include identifying viable market opportunities in foreign target markets, developing best market entry strategies and completing a preliminary marketing or business plan for clients. As students strengthen their consulting and project management skills, they also learn to successfully navigate new business environments and cultures - a prerequisite for success is a globalized economy. All projects involve an in-country immersion.
 
MGT 6370. SCOPE Domestic Business Consultancy.
Student Consultancy Opportunities for Professional Engagement (SCOPE) is intended to offer professional quality consulting services to clients in the local business community. Possible tasks include, but are not limited to, identifying viable market opportunities, developing market entry strategies and completing a marketing or business plan for clients. As students strengthen their consulting and project management skills, they also learn to successfully navigate current business environments. All projects involve on-site immersion with clients.
 
MGT 6480: Improvement Methods in Healthcare
This course will give participants an overview of the basic concepts and tools for applying a variety of improvement methods and culture transformation approaches for healthcare organizations. Topics will include an overview of Lean Philosophies and Tools in a Healthcare environment, an introduction to the application of Six-Sigma methods, the use of management systems, application of high-reliability organizing methods from other industries, human performance in complex systems and human-centered design for the healthcare setting. The classroom lecture, exercises and simulations build the foundation throughout the course for the participants to apply them in a Mini-Kaizen Event Lab Exercise. This course will also include actual situations and healthcare examples from hospitals and healthcare organizations from around the world. Additionally, the course will involve other lean practitioners, healthcare leaders, high-reliability experts, design leaders and clinicians, each with multiple years of applying improvement methods in some of the top healthcare organizations in the US to assist with simulations and/or to share their experience in various aspects of applying proven best practices in healthcare.
 
MGT 6895: Business Communications (Special Topics)
Whether embarking upon (or continuing in) your career, this course is designed to explore various aspects of work beyond the hard skills. It is meant to empower you with tools and perspective to navigate the realities of work in today’s environment. Want to explore the power of personal branding? Curious about how culture can greatly affect your satisfaction? Want tips and strategies on how to deal with difficult bosses, talk about tough things like politics, feedback, pay and when to make moves? If so, this course is for you.
 
MGT 6930: Management Consulting
Students will gain an in-depth understanding of the management consulting process and its practical applications within a client setting. Topics will include consultant-client relationships, client firm entry, ethical practice, data collection and analysis, feedback and development of recommendations. Course instruction is supplemented through presentations by practicing management consultants who will further address topics including client expectations, how to facilitate strategic change and differences between independent versus internal consulting, among others.
 
MGT 6940: Decision Making and Negotiation Skills
This course will examine the cognitive aspects and the dynamics of decision-making. In addition, the course will explore the process of negotiation and decision-making when two or more individuals or groups are involved. Skills for improved negotiating will be introduced.
 
MGT 6950: Advanced Negotiation and Mediation*
This is an advanced course in negotiation and dispute resolution, focusing on complex modern social and business problems. In most instances, the course will address multi-party, multi-issue business deal-making. The course will examine the mediation process and the distinct mediation styles used by mediators and professionals engaged in conflict resolution activities. Students will observe and experience the dynamics of mediation as well as the various uses and applications of mediation in today’s business world. In addition, the course will explore the process of mediation when two or more individuals or groups are involved and discuss differing dynamics of the mediation process used in different industries. This course will include topics set forth under the certification requirements of the Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31. This course has been approved and certified by the Tennessee Supreme Court. *Prerequisite:  MGT 6940
 
MKT 6490: Global Cross-Cultural Business & Marketing Communication
As the world of business has become increasingly global, managers find it necessary to communicate, market, manage and negotiate in a manner appropriate to the cultural context. This course will enable students to develop skills of managing cultural differences in such a multicultural environment. Moreover, we will examine how problems in cross-cultural management and marketing often emerge less from cultural differences themselves, than from our own inability to perceive difference accurately or our insistence on finding difference where it does not exist.
 
MKT 6970: Marketing Analytics
An advanced graduate course introducing the students to a data-driven approach to marketing decision-making, with emphasis on translating quantitative analytical output into actionable managerial insights. With a case-based pedagogy, students will have a managerially relevant, hands-on experience of the marketing analytics value-chain process. We focus on not only the rigorous methods that yield reliable statistical analytical results but also the vividness with which the students will be able to translate these results into narratives that drive change and deliver value for stakeholders. Prerequisite:  MKT 6450

The following items are required to complete the application:*

1. Submit an application and a $58.00 fee through BusinessCAS
2. Belmont does not charge an application fee.
3. Upload a one-page essay on personal and professional goals
4. Upload a current resume
5. Send official university transcripts from schools you attended to BusinessCAS, NOT Belmont.
6. Provide the names and email addresses of two recommenders. Recommendations are submitted through online links provided. We do not accept recommendations from family members, pastors or friends because they may lack objectivity. 
7. Optional - GMAT (or GRE) official score report (Encouraged, but not required)
8. Interview - In-person OR via Zoom.

International Applicants who attended college outside the United States May also need to provide an official transcript evaluation and English Proficiency test score to BusinessCAS.  Belmont now accepts MANY English test options.  A full list of options for transcript evaluation companies and English testing options (as well as exceptions) can be found on the Belmont International Student Applicant page. If you are in F-1 status and have immigration questions, please contact Shauna Walsh in Belmont’s International Student and Scholar Services for more information at 615-460-6243 or shauna.walsh@belmont.edu.

Application Deadlines

Massey Graduate School of Business Application Deadlines

All prospective students should apply as soon as possible to complete their applications by the deadlines listed below. Your application must be completed and you must be accepted into the program to be considered for scholarships and graduate assistantships. Apply before March 1st for the best scholarship opportunities.

SUMMER: If Summer Business Institute is needed – April 1^st.

FALL:  Completed Application Deadline - July 1^st.