Online Master of Science in Financial Technology (MS in FinTech)

Using spreadsheet software, this hands-on course teaches a variety of quantitative methods for analyzing data to help make decisions. Topics include: data presentation and communication, probability distributions, sampling, hypothesis testing and regression, and time series analysis. This course uses numerous case studies and examples from finance, marketing, operations, accounting, and other areas of business to illustrate the realistic use of statistical methods. Previously QA 0400, BUAN 5400.

This course is an introduction to Python, with an emphasis on general programming concepts (structure, logic, data, etc.) that apply to just about any general purpose programming language. Starting with a review of fundamental programming concepts, the course uses short lessons, quizzes, and coding challenges to cover the basics of how Python is used in a professional Business Analytics setting. The course concludes with a final project designed to demonstrate proficiency. Previously BA 0405, BUAN 5405.

This course focuses on quantitative modeling and analyzing business problems using spreadsheet software, such as Excel and its add-ins. Topics include descriptive analytics, visualizing and exploring data, predictive modeling, regression analysis, time series analysis, portfolio decisions, risk management, and simulation. Business models relevant to finance, accounting, marketing, and operations management are set up and solved, with managerial interpretations and “what if” analyses to provide further insight into real business problems and solutions. Open to MS Management students only. Previously BA 0410, BUAN 5410.

This is an introductory level graduate course focusing on spreadsheet modeling to analyze and solve business problems. Topics include descriptive analytics, data visualization, predictive modeling, time series analysis, and data mining. Contemporary analytical models utilized in finance, marketing, accounting, and management are set up and solved through case studies. Previously IS 0500, ISOM 6500.

This course provides a broad overview to the analytics profession, with a focus on data driven leadership and hands-on analytical skills. Starting with a foundation of analytical framing and statistical analysis, the course moves on to more advanced topics like data visualization and summarization, descriptive and inferential statistics, spreadsheet modeling for prediction, linear regression, risk analysis using Monte-Carlo simulation, linear and nonlinear optimization, and decision analysis. The course culminates with a group research project using curated big data datasets, as well as individual exercises in problem framing intending to be a component of an analytics capstone experience. Previously BA 0500, BUAN 6500.

In this course, we introduce Python as a language and tool for collecting, preprocessing, and visualizing data for business analytics. Since Python is one of the most popular programming languages in machine learning, its fundamental programming logic and knowledge is essential for students to apply in analytics and to succeed in the job market. Specifically, this course focuses on the data munging phase, which includes collecting, preprocessing, and visualizing data, with respect to applications in business modeling, optimization, and statistical analysis. In addition, important techniques such as web scraping and Application Programming Interface (API) usage are introduced. The course culminates with a final project in exploratory data analysis, as well as individual exercises in data munging intending to be a component of an analytics capstone experience. Previously BA 0505, BUAN 6505.

This course introduces datasets, databases, data warehouses, data management, and data visualization techniques. Starting from the relational data model and basic database fundamentals, the course offers a hands-on introduction to Structured Query Language (SQL) for defining, manipulating, accessing, and managing data, accompanied by the basics of data modeling and normalization needed to ensure data integrity, including entity relationship modeling and diagrams. Additionally, the course simultaneously offers hands-on learning with visualization and interactive dashboards in Tableau. The course concludes with a comprehensive data warehousing and visualization project that gives each student the opportunity to integrate and apply the new knowledge and skills learned from this class. Previously BA 0510, BUAN 6510.

With the rise of analytics for cutting-edge business innovation, the industry needs business leaders who can solve an organization’s most important problems by asking and answering questions using data. These business consultants need to bridge both the data analytics and business fields. This class tries to provide a “real world” consulting experience through a project-centric experiential approach, in addition to case studies of analytics consulting and business problem solving using descriptive, predictive and prescriptive analytics. When possible, class projects will be client-driven using community partners. Students work in teams using analytics to answer the client’s current and important business questions using data. The students will approach these as business analytics consultants by using effective project management to gathering requirements, using continuous client engagement to deepen understanding of the problem, suggesting ways in which to explore the question and its possible solutions through data, running different data models to approach the solution, working with clients to come up with effective analytics strategies, making business presentations based on findings, incorporating the inevitable changes that come with real world projects, and recommending strategic solutions based on their findings. Previously IS 0520.

This course introduces analytical techniques used for decision-making under uncertainty. Topics include time series and other forecasting techniques, such as Monte Carlo simulation, to assess the risk associated with managerial decisions. Specifically, we will cover data collection methods, time dependent models and analysis, advanced solver, time series techniques, exponential smoothing, moving averages, and Box-Jenkins (ARIMA) models. Application examples include financial models – stock prices, risk management – bond ratings, behavior models – customer attrition, customer likes/dislikes, buying patterns – propensity to buy, politics – identify swing voters, and sales. Previously QA 0500, BUAN 6530.

Modernly, business intelligence has become far more interactive. This course provides an advanced application and overview of the new techniques for building interactive dashboards and tools now prevalent in this profession. Additionally, with data overload happening on every level, the importance of good data storytelling has soared. Using programming languages and environments such as Tableau and R, this course introduces students to the business intelligence profession and teaches the skills necessary to develop and deploy cloud-based interactive apps to assist in data and analytical storytelling, including insights into user interface design (UI) and user experience design (UX). The course concludes with a comprehensive project. Previously BA 0540, BUAN 6540.

This course provides an advanced understanding of the practices of machine learning techniques and operations (MLOps), with a special focus on business applications. To assure practical relevance, the emphasis of this course is on the applications of techniques and tools realizing machine learning in terms of business analytics. The course is organized following the Cross-Industry Standard Process for Data Mining (CRISP-DM) and all learned techniques are applied in a couple of semester-wide projects. Python is introduced and illustrated through a series of tutorials and case studies, and Automatic Machine Learning (AutoML) is introduced as well. Students are expected to actively participate in the course deliverables through independent assignments, lab work, and group projects. The course culminates with a final project in predictive analytics, as well as individual exercises in modeling and interpretation intending to be a component of an analytics capstone experience. Previously BA 0545, BUAN 6545.

This course introduces the fundamentals of Big Data management and its implementation in the public cloud. Topics include classic theories of data architecture, dimensional database design, data pipelines, and data governance, supplemented with the latest developments in the emerging field of DataOps. The theory is grounded with hands-on experience building databases and data pipelines with the Modern Data Stack. Previously IS 0550.

Sports analytics is transforming the way teams, leagues, players, coaches, referees, and fans perceive and appreciate their favorite pastimes and games, including major team sports such as baseball, basketball, football, soccer, cricket, and rugby, more individualized sports like tennis and golf, and brand-new innovations such as e-sports. In this course, students will gain experience in framing analytical questions in sports, discover and evaluate cutting-edge research and findings in sports analytics, develop hands-on skills in using and implementing sports analytics solutions, and learn how to communicate findings to a non-analytical audience in an impactful and actionable way. This course culminates in a scholarly sports analytics research paper.

Artificial intelligence is becoming far more prevalent in the business and analytics worlds, yet many analytics professionals are excluded from participating in this new wave because they lack the strong coding foundations that are typically needed to implement this new technology from scratch. However, recent advances in AI/ML have coincided with desktop and cloud tools that can be deployed far more easily to generate new models without complicated coding requirements. This course will teach students how to discover, use, and daisy-chain such tools to solve real-world business problems in ways that would otherwise be impossible.

This course introduces students to the latest development of machine learning, namely deep learning, as well as its applications to a variety of domains. Fundamental knowledge, such as the architectures of the deep neural networks, extraction of high-level features representing unstructured data, backpropagation, and stochastic gradient descent. Additionally, students get hands-on experience building deep neural network models with Python. Topics covered in this class include model building and optimization, image classification, natural language processing, generative models, and so forth. These topics cover the foundations and the latest developments in the field of deep learning.

This course provides an opportunity for students to complete a project or perform research under the direction of an Information Systems and Operations Management (ISOM) faculty member who has expertise in the topic being investigated. Students are expected to complete a significant project or research paper as the primary requirement of this course. Enrollment by permission of the ISOM Department Chair only. Previously IS 0598, ISOM 6990.

This capstone course for the MS Business Analytics program is to be taken in the last term before graduation. The purpose is to apply and integrate knowledge and skills learned in the program (statistics, modeling, data management, data mining, etc.) to a live data analytics project. The course is project-based, with students collaborating on their work under the guidance of faculty members. Application areas and format of the projects may vary, depending on faculty, dataset, and budget availability. However, the work should be rich enough to demonstrate mastery of business modeling and technology, with each student making a unique, demonstrable contribution to completion of the work. Previously BA 0590, BUAN 6999.