UCF Business Analytics Programs: A Comprehensive Overview

The University of Central Florida (UCF) offers a range of business analytics programs designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in today's data-driven world. From undergraduate to graduate levels, these programs provide comprehensive training in data analysis, interpretation, and application within a business context. This article provides an in-depth look at the various business analytics programs available at UCF, their unique features, and the career opportunities they unlock.

The Growing Demand for Business Analytics Professionals

Data Scientist has been ranked as the #1 career by Glassdoor in multiple years, reflecting the increasing demand for professionals who can analyze and interpret complex data. By 2020, the number of Data Science and Analytics job listings was projected to grow significantly, highlighting the importance of business analytics skills in the modern workforce. Florida is one of the top states for high employment levels in management occupations, with a median annual wage for management occupations being substantial. This surge in demand makes a business analytics degree a valuable asset for those seeking rewarding and impactful careers.

Undergraduate Programs in Business Analytics

BSBA in Business Analytics

The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) degree in Business Analytics is a new degree offered through the Department of Economics. It provides students with the foundational education required to work in this fast-growing field of business. The curriculum integrates computer science, statistics, and economics to provide a holistic understanding of data analysis and its application in business strategy.

Core Components

Business analytics is a relatively new sub-field of data science that is informed by computer science (specifically, algorithmics, databases and programming), but also numerical methods from applied mathematics, as well as techniques from statistics and econometrics. Business analytics is informed by theories from economics. That is, virtually every discipline in business uses basic principles from economics. At the heart of any business analytics program is substantial training in economics.

The BSBA in Business Analytics distinguishes itself from other data science degrees through its emphasis on economic theory. Business analytics students receive substantial training in economic theory and then use computer science and statistical methods to formulate business strategy. In order for business analysts to be effective, they must understand the raw materials of data science in their field, namely, accounting and financial data. In fact, understanding accounting and financial data distinguishes business analytics from other fields of data science, such a bioinformatics.

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Economic Theory: A strong foundation in economic principles is at the core of the program. Particularly important are models of incomplete information, for example, the models of moral hazard, where economic actors take hidden actions in their own self-interests, and adverse selection, where unobserved differences among economic actors known only privately to each result in their taking different actions. Also important are models of equilibrium strategic behavior, such as those derived in the theory of noncooperative games of incomplete information, which allow the equilibrium features of models of moral hazard and adverse selection to be investigated. Perhaps the best known and most successful applications of equilibrium strategic behavior in the presence of adverse selection involve models of auctions. Auctions have garnered billions and billions of dollars for such firms as eBay and Google and have also been important in determining which firms have access to the radio spectra that make using cellphones and WiFi so convenient. Methods of business analytics also rely heavily on tools from econometrics as well as those from mathematical economics.
Computer Science and Statistics: Students learn to apply computer science and statistical methods to real-world business problems.
Accounting and Financial Data: Understanding accounting and financial data is a key differentiator, setting business analytics apart from other data science fields.

For this reason, students who select the Business Analytics BSBA degree will take the same common, primary, and secondary core classes as all other BSBA majors in the College of Business. For the 27 credit hours (9 courses) that are unique to the Business Analytics BSBA degree, 7 of the 9 courses are existing economics courses that emphasize the economic theories and skills that will make the students competitive in the field of business analytics.

Admission and Progression Requirements

Admittance into the College of Business after completion of the admission requirements. Admission to UCF does not equate to admission to the College of Business (CoB). After receiving admission to UCF, students must qualify to be admitted to CoB and therefore all students enter the University as a ‘pre’ business major. This applies regardless of the specific business major a student intends to pursue.

Degree Requirements Students who change degree programs and select this major must adopt the most current catalog. Students wanting to major in Business Analytics must meet admission requirements for the major. Any student receiving a business degree must complete a minimum of 30 of the 61 upper level business credit hours for their degree program in the UCF College of Business Administration. Additionally, 12 of the 30 credit hours completed at UCF must be from the department or school in which the student majors. For students seeking a double major within the College of Business, a maximum of 6 hours of Required Courses for the Major or Restricted Electives may count towards another business major. A maximum of 6 hours of Core Requirements or Restricted Electives may count towards another degree program or minor. Students in the Economics major must maintain a 2.0 or higher cumulative Grade Point Average in all major courses taken at UCF and a 2.0 or higher cumulative GPA in all College of Business courses taken at UCF. Failure to maintain the required GPAs will result in the student being placed on Lack of Progress in the major and/or College. If a student on Lack of Progress fails to achieve the minimum required GPA in the subsequent term of enrollment, the student will be dismissed from the Economics major and/or College of Business. Students dismissed from their major are not eligible to declare a minor in the major they were dismissed from. Students who change their major while on Lack of Progress in the Major and take courses in a subsequent term of enrollment are not permitted to return to the major or minor for which they were placed on Lack of Progress. A student who is dismissed may seek consideration for re-admittance into the College or major by submitting an academic appeal through the College indicating the reasons for academic difficulties and positive plans for achieving the required GPA. Readmission is not automatic or guaranteed and as an exception to College policy is rarely granted. Students must earn a "B" or higher in QMB 3003 and QMB 3200 (or a "C" or higher in the equivalent calculus and statistics courses). In addition, only grades of "C" or higher transfer into the program and students must earn a minimum of "C" or higher in all business courses. This includes all courses under requirements Common Program Prerequisites (CPP), Core Requirements: Advanced Level (Primary Core, Secondary Core and Required Courses), and Capstone Requirements below. Students enrolled in UCF’s Honors Undergraduate Thesis (HUT) program who complete ECO 4903H (3 units) and ECO 4970H (3 units), and then successfully defend their thesis can substitute ECO 4970H for one restricted elective course in the major.

Pre-Business Major: All students enter the University as a ‘pre’ business major, regardless of their intended business major.
College of Business Admission: After admission to UCF, students must qualify for admission to the College of Business (CoB).
GPA Requirements: Students must maintain a minimum GPA in major and College of Business courses.
Course Grades: A minimum grade is required for certain courses.

Graduate Programs in Business Analytics

Master of Science in Data Analytics (MSDA)

The Master of Science in Data Analytics program at the University of Central Florida prepares students with the technical skills needed to manipulate, manage, and interpret data. There is an increasing need to turn large and complex amounts of data into knowledge to drive business decisions.

AI Track

The AI track in the Master of Science in Data Analytics (MSDA) program at UCF is a new and innovative track that will equip you with the technical skills of artificial intelligence and data analytics. You will learn the fundamentals and applications of data science, machine learning, deep learning, and artificial intelligence from experts in the field. You will also have the opportunity to work on real-world problems and projects in collaboration with industry partners. The AI track is a 30-credit hour program that offers a comprehensive and rigorous curriculum, a variety of elective courses, an applied and integrated capstone project, and a supportive and collaborative learning environment.

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Curriculum Highlights

Data Mining Tools: Includes supervised data mining tools including boosting trees, SV machine, regression, and neural network will be covered.
Data Visualization: Principles and techniques for interactive data visualization that are useful for analyzing, presenting and exploring information are covered. The emphasis will be on algorithmic aspects of developing interactive visualization.
Emerging Technologies: The emerging science of complex networks and their applications. The course introduces students to parallel computing across the hardware-software stack.
Unsupervised Learning: Unsupervised learning methods such as cluster analysis, association analysis and newly developed tools will be covered.
Text Mining: Extracting knowledge from unstructured text collections. Document indexing, similarity and summarization, clustering, classification, named entity recognition and relation extraction, text stream processing.
Data Preparation: Variable selections, missing value imputation, text, time series, and new data preparation method will be covered.

Admission Requirements

The requirements for admission include an undergraduate degree, official TOEFL scores, a resume, letters of recommendation (encouraged but not required) and the demonstration of understanding in fundamental concepts. The program’s director, assisted by the program’s faculty, will evaluate student applications. Face-to-face or telephone interviews may be conducted for admission. Applicants must have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a GPA of 3.0 or better. GRE not required. At the recommendation of the program director, registering in the statistics Bridge Course, the Computer Science Bridge Course or both.

Application: Applicants must apply online.
Transcripts: Submit transcripts from all universities attended. Applicants applying to this program who have attended a college/university outside the United States must provide a course-by-course credential evaluation with GPA calculation.
English Language Proficiency: Test of English as a Foreign Language (Proof of English Language Fluency) is required for international students.
GPA: Applicants must have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a GPA of 3.0 or better.
GRE: GRE not required.

International Student Opportunities

International Students are eligible for paid internships via the UCF Office of Experiential Learning as well as for Optional Practical Training (OPT) status after graduation (Curriculum Practical Training - CPT). UCF Global Pathway Programs (offered On-Campus and Online) are designed to support international students with a first year experience opportunity to take undergraduate courses with the option to include immersive English-language learning, as well as transfer students who are seeking assistance with academic and cultural transition. Our personalized university experience provides coursework tailored to students based on their area of study and priority access to academic courses with dedicated sections. with academic tutoring, career and personal support from trained advisors, and cultural events. We offer three unique programs designed to cater to our student’s individual skill sets and help them reach their fullest potential.

Master of Management

The Master of Management offers several options. Applicants must choose a track in this program. Application deadlines vary by track. For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions section of the Graduate Catalog.

Certificate Programs

Certificate Admission Requirements None Certificate Requirements No course grade lower than a C will be accepted for the certificate requirements, and the average GPA for the four courses must be 3.0 or higher. The College of Business does not permit any course used towards a certificate or those used to meet admission requirements for the certificate to be taken on an elective S/U grading basis.

Additional Opportunities

Internships

All internships are now housed within the Office of Professional Development. Complete GEB 3006 Career Development and Financial Planning.

Networking

Build and utilize a personal network of contacts.
Talk to professionals in the industry to learn more about claims, underwriting, and risk management.

Career Paths and Skills

An undergraduate degree in business analytics can lead to many career opportunities.

Prepare to work independently and to be self-motivated.
Learn to communicate effectively with a wide range of people.
Prepare to start in entry-level management trainee positions.
Earn a Ph.D.
Obtain teacher certification for public school positions.
For actuary science, take additional courses in statistics and mathematics. Plan to take a series of actuarial exams to gain licensure from either the Society of Actuaries or the Casualty Actuarial Society. The type of insurance you deal with will determine which path to pursue.

Faculty Expertise

Our faculty have experience at some of the largest corporations and agencies in the country. Mike Platt is an Assistant Professor - Educator in the Department of Operations, Business Analytics, and Information Systems in the Carl H. Lindner College of Business at the University Of Cincinnati. He is also a graduate of the Lindner College of Business where he received his M.S. in Quantitative Analysis, and he holds a B.S. degree in Mathematics from the University of Cincinnati. Office: 3459 Carl H. Joseph S. Stern Professor of Business Analytics, Department of OBAISBuilding: Carl H. Building: Carl H.

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