Business Analytics Minor

College of Management
Undergraduate minor

About this program

The need for business analytics-related professionals is growing rapidly across industries and occupations.

This minor focuses on data analytics competencies across business domains and industries. Courses in management of information systems, statistics, database management, business intelligence and analytics, prediction modelling, and analytics consulting make this an important credential for majors across the university.

The Business Analytics Minor develops data analytics skills in a business context using courses in management of information systems, statistics, database management, business intelligence, prediction modelling, and analytics consulting.

Enrolling in this program

Current students: Declare your program

Once you’re admitted as an undergraduate student and have met any further requirements your chosen program may have, you may declare a major or declare an optional minor.

Future students: Apply now

Apply to Metropolitan State: Start the journey toward your Business Analytics Minor now. Learn about the steps to enroll or, if you have questions about what Metropolitan State can offer you, request information, visit campus or chat with an admissions counselor.

Get started on your Business Analytics Minor

Program requirements

At least 16 credits from among the Required Courses and Electives must be completed at Metropolitan State.  See also the COM policies page for requirements that are common to all programs.  

Course requirements

Requirements (24 credits)

Required

STAT 201 Statistics I

4 credits

This course covers the basic principles and methods of statistics. It emphasizes techniques and applications in real-world problem solving and decision making. Topics include frequency distributions, measures of location and variation, probability, sampling, design of experiments, sampling distributions, interval estimation, hypothesis testing, correlation and regression.

Full course description for Statistics I

Choose one of the two courses below

MIS 310 Principles of Management Information Systems

4 credits

This course is designed to define the role of information systems in organizations, and in particular the roles of IS staff and end-users in developing and maintaining computer systems. The managerial aspects and implications of databases, telecommunications, hardware, software and e-commerce are included. Special attention is given to management information systems theories in the organizational setting including: infrastructure, transaction processing, operational reporting, decision support systems and executive information systems. Also included are all phases of the systems development life cycle (SDLC) as well as alternative development methodologies. The course prototypically includes analysis of real world business cases and post-implementation audit report of a recently completed management information system. All students taking this class must have completed as a prerequisite the MIS 100 Fundamentals of Information Technology in Organizations course or its approved…

Full course description for Principles of Management Information Systems

DATA 211 Data Science and Visualization

4 credits

An introduction to methods and techniques commonly used in data science. This course will provide hands-on practice of the methods, procedures, and tools used to summarize and visualize data, preparing students to use data in their field of study and in their work, and to effectively communicate quantitative findings. Topics will include visualizations to transform data into information in a variety of contexts, relational databases, ethical issues with the use of data, and using the statistical programming language R for data analysis. Students will complete a data science project.

Full course description for Data Science and Visualization

MIS 380 Business Intelligence and Analytics

4 credits

Business Intelligence is the user-centered process of exploring data, data relationships and trends - thus helping to improve overall decision making for enterprises. This course addresses the iterative processes of accessing data (ideally stored in the enterprise data warehouse) and analyzing data in order to derive insights and communicate findings. Moreover, the course also addresses the use of software tools for analysis and visualization of data, especially report design along with the use of dashboards.

Full course description for Business Intelligence and Analytics

MIS 480 Predictive Analytics

4 credits

This course builds upon prior coursework related to analytical thinking and competence in business intelligence and analytics approaches. The course serves to advance and refine expertise on theories, approaches, tools and techniques related to prediction and forecasting in business. Students will gain practical experience in analyzing a variety of business analytics cases and scenarios using industry-standard tools and platforms. The course prepares learners to help organizations make more effective business decisions based on the gathering and analysis of data. The design and delivery of the course enables an engaged learning environment.

Full course description for Predictive Analytics

STAT 480 Statistical Consulting

4 credits

This advanced workshop will give students exposure to the statistical and non-statistical issues that arise in statistical problem solving, and provide an experiential background in statistical consulting. Students will develop the knowledge, skills, and professional rapport necessary to interact with clients, including the skills necessary for communicating technical statistical content with non-statisticians.

Full course description for Statistical Consulting

Electives

Choose one

MIS 335 Management and Use of Databases

4 credits

Competence in management and use of organizational and external databases is a skill needed by all business people and critical to management information systems effectiveness, especially in the new era of "big data". This course teaches the development and accessing of internal and external information resources. Topics include: ensuring the availability of appropriate data; interrelating and applying data to typical business problems; normalized database design; protecting and managing information resources; scalability; and compatibility issues.

Full course description for Management and Use of Databases

STAT 301 Analysis of Variance and Multivariate Analysis

4 credits

This course covers introductory and intermediate ideas of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) method of statistical analysis. The course builds on the ideas of hypothesis testing learned in STAT 201 Statistics I. The focus is on learning new statistical skills and concepts for real-world applications. Students will use statistical software to do the analyses. Topics include one-factor ANOVA models, randomized block models, two-factor ANOVA models, repeated-measures designs, random and mixed effects, analysis of covariance, principle component analysis, and cluster analysis. Completion of STAT 201 Statistics I is a prerequisite.

Full course description for Analysis of Variance and Multivariate Analysis

STAT 311 Regression Analysis

4 credits

This course covers fundamental to intermediate regression analysis. The course builds on the ideas of hypothesis testing learned in STAT201 (Statistics I). The focus is on learning new statistical skills and concepts for real-world applications. Students will use statistical software to do the analyses. Topics include simple and bivariate linear regression, residual analysis, multiple linear model building, logistic regression, the general linear model, analysis of covariance, and analysis of time series data. Completion of STAT201 (Statistics I) is a prerequisite.

Full course description for Regression Analysis