Phd in Business Administration Business Analytics Concentration

Business Analytics is a fast-growing interdisciplinary field of business studies that combines data mining, statistical programming, applied statistics, optimization and data science to extract valuable information from business data and guide managerial decisions. Business Analytics is the only track of the MCOB PhD program with the STEM designation which allows International Students to extend the Optional Practical Training (OPT) from 12 to 36 months.

Students in the Business Analytics track of the MCOB PhD program gain competency in business analytics and have the opportunity to apply their skills and cooperate in an interdisciplinary fashion with faculty from other areas of business such as Economics, Finance, Management, Marketing, and Real Estate. Students are expected to produce high quality (publishable) research manuscripts and encouraged to present their research at regional and national conferences.

 Typical Research Areas

As an emerging field, business analytics research topics are a rapidly evolving field.
Examples of potential topics include:

• How does data analytics improve the operations management function in
  organizations?
• Does a data analytics approach result in competitive advantages for family firms?
• Can predictive modeling improve management decision making?
• Does business analytics reduce supply chain interruption risks?
• Using business analytics to understand and improve organizational decision
  making.
• Can data analytics improve the performance of small businesses?
• What is the relationship between a business analytics approach and
  organizational survival?
• Does a business analytics approach lead to more innovative business solutions?
• Can business analytics can help managers assess employee skill deficiencies?
• Which of these business analytics components – data generation, data
  acquisition, data storage, and data analytics processes – influence firm
  performance the most? 

Opportunities for Management Concentration Graduates

Academia
According to the AACSB’s database of programs, 220 business schools worldwide offer over 400 business analytics curricula. With this increasing trend, we anticipate our graduates will have multiple opportunities of employment in public and private research and teaching institutions. This is a rapidly emerging field in academia and most graduates are likely to find academic opportunities in traditional information systems, operations research, finance and marketing departments.

Industry

Several academic-like industry opportunities are available for Business Analytics graduates. Business Analyst has been rated among the top jobs in the U.S. by Glassdoor’s jobs in America. These positions are in high demand from most of the High Tech companies, including: Kforce, Deloitte, Google, McKinsey & Company, Cisco Systems, Intuit, Apple, and American Express.

View the course sequence for Business Analytics