Why study MSc Business Analytics at Essex

Business analytics is rapidly becoming one of the most important functions in a business, as organisations try to use the huge amount of data they hold to gain a competitive advantage. At Essex Business School, we recently launched a January entry point for our MSc Business Analytics, in addition to our existing October option, in response to the growing demand for graduates in this area.

What is this course about? 

First of all, this course is not trying to teach you to become a data scientist. Our MSc Business Analytics aims to equip you with the types of tools and techniques often used by data scientists and shows you how to use these to make effective business decisions. We want you to be able to understand what all the data held in a business is actually telling you, so we’ll be training you how to both ask and answer strategic business questions, informed by insight from organisational data. 

Who should apply to study MSc Business Analytics? 

You need to have the equivalent of a UK 2:2 in your bachelors degree to apply for this course. During your first degree, you need to have studied at least one quantitative topic such as statistics, advanced mathematics, management science or operations research. Don’t worry – we’re not expecting you to have studied programming before. If you’re completely new to programming, you can join our two-week programming boot camp that will teach you all the skills you’ll need for your studies. 

Which statistical tools and techniques will you learn? 

You’ll study the programming languages Python and R and you’ll use software such as SPSS, ANN and STATA. You’ll develop the statistical modelling skills that you need to get hands-on with big datasets and you’ll also look at business models and data visualisation techniques. You’ll use real-life case studies as the basis for exercises and classroom discussions so you’ll use the types of datasets that you will most likely find in the workplace, such as performance analytics or web analytics. 

What careers will this course lead to? 

Experts in business analytics are highly sought after as organisations grapple with huge amounts of customer and organisational data. We work hard to make sure that the MSc Business Analytics is grounded in the real-world of business. For example, as an alternative to your main Masters dissertation, this course offers you the opportunity to complete a work-based project. You’ll join an employer for between 8 and 12 weeks, applying the skills you’ve refined during the course and writing a report on a topic or issue that the organisation is facing.  

How can I find out more about MSc Business Analytics? 

Our programme specification gives lots of details about the course structure, with links to module information and learning outcomes.

You can also watch a recent webinar, hosted by Dr Debashree De, on the topic of Using data to drive business decisions:

Alternatively, you can contact the team if you have some specific questions you would like us to answer.