Online Certificate in Business Data Analytics

Business analytics is the practice of using methodically collected data to drive decisions about business and in business applications. The goal of the course is to introduce students to the current approaches, tools, and techniques involved in this practice. Because many topics and concepts in business analytics are best learned through hands-on work, time will be spent obtaining, processing, analyzing and visualizing data that pertain to different business cases. Students will use R, arguably the most popular analytical software used by data scientists. During this course, students will learn to use R, as well as gain and help improve business insight through data-driven analytics.

Outcomes: Explain the key factors differentiating business intelligence from business analytics. Frame a problem in a business analytics context to drive insightful decisions and gain the competitive edge.

This course uses database systems as the focus for studying concepts of data modeling and data manipulation. Procedures for creating, managing, sorting, and processing data are discussed. Concepts of relational database methods are discussed, as well as the issues that arise in managing information in a database and using it to support business processes. Topics such as ER Modeling, Relational Modeling, Database Normalization, and SQL will be covered in detail.

Outcome: Understanding the development and use of business database systems.

Data Mining involves the search for patterns in large quantities of data. The fundamental techniques used in data mining include, but are not limited to, clustering, decision trees, neural networks, and association analysis. 

Outcome:  The student will be able to build models using an industry-standard package and interpret the results.

The components and design issues related to data warehouses and business intelligence techniques for extracting meaningful information from data warehouses are emphasized. Various tools will be used to demonstrate design, implementation, and utilization issues. 

Outcome: students will learn how data warehouses are used to help managers successfully gather, analyze, understand and act on information stored in data warehouses.

The amount of data that our world generates is growing at a torrid pace. Sifting through & making sense of these humongous mountains of data is crucial to ensuring business growth, success and to making scientific discoveries & advancements. Data visualization plays an important role in this process. In this course, students will learn a variety of data visualization methods while getting in-depth training with Tableau, a premier data visualization tool.

Outcome: Students will be able to process & visualize large amounts of data in order to enable efficient & effective analysis using industry standard software.

This accelerated online certificate begins in May 2023.

Application Requirements

1. A Completed Application Form →
2. Official Transcripts
3. Professional Resume
4. Letter of Recommendation
   Letters of recommendation are optional. No more than one letter should be submitted.
   For applicants who may feel that one or more parts of their application are weak, letters of recommendation are strongly encouraged. If you wish to submit a letter, include your recommender's email address as part as your online application form and we will send them a personalized link to upload the letter.
5. Statement of Purpose
   The Statement of Purpose is optional.
   For applicants who believe one or more parts of their application is weak, a personal statement is highly recommended. The statement should provide context for area(s) of weakness, accomplishments to date, and how Loyola's Quinlan School of Business graduate degree program will prepare you to achieve your career goals. Limit personal essay to 2-3 pages, double-space.

Language Test Requirements

An official TOEFL, IELTS or PTE score report is required for international applicants whose native language is not English. Copies and faxes are not accepted as official documents; we must receive test scores directly from the testing service. The minimum acceptable total score on the Internet-Based Test (IBT) of the TOEFL exam is 90. The minimum acceptable total score on the IELTS exam is 6.5. The minimum acceptable score on the PTE exam is 61.

This requirement is waived for those who have completed a four-year U.S. bachelor's degree program or those who are citizens of or have completed a bachelor's degree at a recognized institution at which the language of instruction is English in these countries: Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand.

Transcript Eval

If you have non-U.S. educational credentials, you are required to submit your official education credentials (e.g., transcripts, mark sheets, degree certificates, graduation diplomas) and evaluation fee directly to any NACES member companies including:

• Educational Credential Evaluators, INC. (ECE)
  Phone: (414) 289-3400
• Educational Perspectives
  Phone: (312) 421-9300
• World Education Services, Inc.(WES)
  Phone: (212) 966-6311

Please request a course-by-course evaluation report and have the official report sent to:

Graduate & Professional Enrollment Management
Loyola University Chicago
820 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1200
Chicago, IL 60611

Please direct any questions about required credentials to the evaluation company you have selected and not to Loyola University Chicago.