Originally published in Carroll Capital, the print publication of the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. .
In 2020, the Carroll School’s Operations Management Department changed its name to Business Analytics, reflecting what John and Linda Powers Family Dean Andy Boynton referred to as a “tsunami” in business as well as management education. The field of business analytics continues to balloon, fueled by the proliferation of digital technologies, including enormous amounts of customer data available to companies. Meanwhile, the number of Carroll School students choosing one of three concentrations offered by the department (Business Analytics, Operations Management, and Information Systems) has grown by more than five-fold over the past decade. The department has drawn nationwide notice, with the undergraduate program currently by U.S. News and World Report. Still, many people have basic questions about this phenomenon.
Business Analytics Professor Jiřà Chod
What is Business Analytics?Â
For businesses hoping to stay relevant in an increasingly technological world, data is integral. Business analytics is not only the use of statistical, mathematical, and computer science techniques to understand and analyze this data, but also the process of communicating findings. An analyst equipped with the tools to understand and interpret complex data can “help organizations make informed decisions and find data-driven solutions to problems,” says Jiřà Chod, the Business Analytics Department chairperson and professor. This isn’t an industry, though. Business analytics classes prepare students to work across industries. “It’s about taking messy data and making it readable for someonewho isn’t a data expert,” says Madeline Cortés, assistant director for undergraduate career advising. All that helps firms understand customers better.
What can you do with these skills?Â
While the skills can be applied broadly, “they are critical for anyone wishing to start their career as an analyst,” Chod says. Jane Ewald ’20, a growth analyst at Grubhub, planned to go into marketing, but pursued business analytics as a co-concentration after learning how it could benefit her career. “As an analyst with a background in marketing, I’m able to work on strategy and campaign creation, but also have a secret ingredient, which is data,” she says.
Jane Ewald '20
Who's taking these Carroll School courses?Â
Everyone. All undergraduate students take three courses in the Business Analytics Department to equip them with the foundational components. This means every student is “exposed to essential programming languages in the context of statistical analysis, machine learning, and data management,” says Chod. Ewald adds that the curriculum teaches “you how to look at the nitty-gritty of the data and also how to look at the big picture of what it means and why it is important.” The courses are also finding their way into other departments, with classes like Data Analytics in Finance.
How else are students getting exposed to this field?Â
Cortés facilitates events through the career advising office, where students can ask alumni questions and inquire about opportunities. After graduation, the students find a welcoming job market, says Chod, noting that 83.5 percent of 2023 graduates with one of the department’s concentrations secured a job within a month of graduating, with an average starting salary of $90,787.
