University of Arkansas

Walton College

The Sam M. Walton College of Business

Master of Applied Business Analytics

Employers face a vast shortage of deep analytical talent, as well as managers qualified to make data-informed decisions.

Move beyond conventional methods of data discovery. Summarize and present data in ways that can be understood and acted upon.

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The need to effectively analyze data is growing at an amazing rate. At the same time, businesses are finding that they lack enough skilled professionals to fill those roles.

Industry analysts predict that the United States will soon face a vast shortage of people with deep analytical skills as well as the managers and analysts qualified to make decisions based on that data.

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Two Program Options

Walton offers a full-time degree program and a part-time program for working professionals.

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Courses and Schedule

What coursework is required for this degree?

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Just the Facts

How Much? How Long?
Who can enroll?

How Do I Enroll?

Admission to Walton College masters programs is selective. Enrollment in each program is limited. 

Enterprise Systems

Enterprise Systems at Walton College are comprised of five major hubs and support systems, along with access to large, real-world datasets.

  • IBM z15 Mainframe Server
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2016
  • Teradata Intelliflex Database Server
  • SAP Enterprise Resource Planning Software
  • Statistical Software – SAS VIYA, SAS Enterprise Guide & SAS Enterprise Miner

Enterprise systems platforms integrate business processes and align IT to support business strategy.

 

Flexible Course Schedule

Graduating with a Masters Degree

Full-Time Schedule

Students who choose the full-time program option finish their degree in one year.

Completing a Masters Degree

Part-Time Schedule

Working professionals can complete the part-time schedule in less than two years.

Program Courses

30 credit hours for the Master of Applied Business Analytics

The Department of Information Systems and the Graduate School of Business have structured this program to meet the needs of working professionals as well as traditional full-time students. Do you have questions about your schedule options? Contact us.

Just the Facts: Master of Applied Business Analytics

Program Length

1 - 2 Years

The full-time program can be completed in one year. The "professional" part-time program can be completed in less than two years.

Start Date

Program Specific

The full-time program begins in mid-May. The part-time program begins in the Fall Semester.

Admissions Info

Do I Qualify to Enroll?

Complete your undergraduate degree and meet additional requirements. View Requirements

Entrance Test

GMAT or GRE

Students may be eligible for a GMAT/GRE test waiver with a 3.2 undergraduate GPA or 3 years of professional work experience. Please review our master's admissions policies.

Application Deadline

 

Professional, Part-Time
Early Decision: April 1
Final Deadline: July 1

Full-Time
Deadline: November 1

Total Program Cost

 

Professional, Part-Time
View Cost Breakdown

Full-Time
View Cost Breakdown


Class Profile

Current Students

View a listing of current Master of Applied Business Analytics Students.

S.T.E.M. Program Designation

STEM Designation

This graduate degree is a STEM designated program.

4+1 Degree Option

The 4+1 option for the Master of Applied Business Analytics program will allow well-prepared undergraduate students to begin graduate courses during the last year of their undergraduate studies.

WHO: Walton students with a 3.2 undergraduate GPA.

WHAT: Early consideration for a graduate program and possible dual credit between an undergraduate and graduate degree.

WHEN: Apply by February 15 in spring semester of your second-to-last undergraduate year.

WHY: Save time and potentially money!

How can I apply for the 4+1 degree option?

Students interested in the 4+1 option for the Master of Applied Business Analytics program will require additional guidance and advising.

Speak to an Advisor



Career Outlook

Prospective employers indicate a strong demand for graduates with a working knowledge of applied business analytics. Job titles associated with the knowledge and skills obtained from the program include:

  • Business Analyst
  • Data Scientist
  • Management Analyst
  • Data Analyst
  • Operations Analyst

Expected salaries for a data analysts are in the range of $56,000 to $95,000. Per payscale.com, an average salary for business analyst position requiring a master's degree is $77,000, rising with experience. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, median pay in 2022 for a management analyst is $95,290 per year. Salaries vary based on location, education and experience.

Skills, Tools, Certifications

  • STEM designated degree
  • Graduate Certificate - Enterprise Systems Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics
  • State-of-the-Art Software access – SAS, Tableau, SQL, Python, Power BI, etc.
  • Data analytics and problem solving using real, “large-scale,” datasets
  • Use of “industrial strength” systems – IBM, MS, Teradata, SAP, SAS, …
  • Comprehensive multi-semester practicum for real-world business problems.

Jobs and Salaries

$95,290

National median pay for management analysts in 2022.

987,600

Number of people employed as management analysts in the United States in 2022.

+95,700

Projected numeric change in the number of employed management analysts from 2022 to 2032. (+10% change.)

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor

Industry Survey: Employer Feedback

Executives and managers from the multiple organizations wrote letters of support for offering the Master of Applied Business Analytics degree. These include: Arkansas BlueCross BlueShield, Teradata, Dillard’s Inc., Tyson Foods Inc., Wal-Mart, and J.B. Hunt Transport Inc.

"Data driven decision-making permeates throughout our company. Consequently, analytics has become very important in many roles, from operational to strategic decisions."

A respondent from BlueCross Blue Shield

"Analytics has become a critical role within companies to make informed and advanced decisions to improve and transform their business. This disciplinary focus exemplifies courses and subject matter for training necessary to produce qualified professionals toward advanced skills in analytics."

A respondent Dillard’s, Inc.

"Over the last few years the use of data to make decisions in our organization has had great success with a great ROI. This program would be crucial in getting more people in the organization the skills to use data more effectively."

A respondent from J.B. Hunt

Career Development

Close ties with our corporate partners facilitate recruiting and networking opportunities, internships, and careers.

Students can participate in corporate internships, career counseling, and take advantage of all the opportunities Walton Career Connections has to offer.

Career Connections

 

Courses and Program Schedule

Students may choose from a variety of elective analytics courses focusing on business applications or a deeper dive into statistical theory. The program culminates with a multi-semester practicum experience where students work with industry data to complete an analytics project from beginning to end.

Full-Time Program Schedule

Summer I

ERP Fundamentals An introduction to enterprise resource planning systems. Students should gain an understanding of the scope of these integrated systems that reach across organizational boundaries and can change how a company does business. Implementation issues are covered, including the importance of change management.
Business or Statistics Elective

Fall

Data Analytics Fundamentals Fundamental knowledge and skills in several major areas of business data analytics. Emphasis on the management and use of data in modern organizations, intermediate & advanced spreadsheet topics; relational databases & SQL; and programming (such as Python).
Decision Support and Analytics Analysis of the highest level of information support for the manager-user. A study of systems providing analytics-based information derived from databases within and/or external to the organization and used to support management in the decision making. Application of tools in business analytics, problem solving, and decision making.
Business or Statistics Elective “Developing Domain Expertise”

Spring

Data Management Systems Investigation and application of advanced database concepts include database administration, database technology, and selection and acquisition of database management systems. Data modeling and system development in a database environment.
Seminar in Business Intelligence and Knowledge Management Business intelligence focuses on assessing and creating information and knowledge from internal and external sources to support business decision making process. In this seminar, data mining and information retrieval techniques will be used to extract useful knowledge from data, which could be used for business intelligence, and knowledge management.
Practicum “Proposing a Solution/Preparing the Data This course is designed to introduce and engage the student in the practice, application, and problem solving in the business environment. Hands-on application of a business problem. Students will gain experience working on, making decisions about, and developing solutions for business applications. Topics include but not limited to analytics, data, and information technology.
Business or Statistics Elective “Developing Domain Expertise”

Summer II

Practicum “Proposing a Solution/Preparing the Data This course is designed to introduce and engage the student in the practice, application, and problem solving in the business environment. Hands-on application of a business problem. Students will gain experience working on, making decisions about, and developing solutions for business applications. Topics include but not limited to analytics, data, and information technology.


Professional, Part-Time Course Schedule

Fall: Year One

Data Analytics Fundamentals Fundamental knowledge and skills in several major areas of business data analytics. Emphasis on the management and use of data in modern organizations, intermediate & advanced spreadsheet topics; relational databases & SQL; and programming (such as Python).
Decision Support and Analytics Analysis of the highest level of information support for the manager-user. A study of systems providing analytics-based information derived from databases within and/or external to the organization and used to support management in the decision making. Application of tools in business analytics, problem solving, and decision making.

Spring: Year One

Data Management Systems Investigation and application of advanced database concepts include database administration, database technology, and selection and acquisition of database management systems. Data modeling and system development in a database environment.
Seminar in Business Intelligence and Knowledge Management Business intelligence focuses on assessing and creating information and knowledge from internal and external sources to support business decision making process. In this seminar, data mining and information retrieval techniques will be used to extract useful knowledge from data, which could be used for business intelligence, and knowledge management.

Summer - Year One

ERP Fundamentals An introduction to enterprise resource planning systems. Students should gain an understanding of the scope of these integrated systems that reach across organizational boundaries and can change how a company does business. Implementation issues are covered, including the importance of change management.
Business or Statistics Elective “Developing Domain Expertise”

Fall: Year Two

Practicum – “Proposing a Solution/Preparing the Data” This course is designed to introduce and engage the student in the practice, application, and problem solving in the business environment. Hands-on application of a business problem. Students will gain experience working on, making decisions about, and developing solutions for business applications. Topics include but not limited to analytics, data, and information technology.
Business or Statistics Elective “Developing Domain Expertise

Spring: Year Two

Practicum – “Solving the Problem and Telling the Story” This course is designed to introduce and engage the student in the practice, application, and problem solving in the business environment. Hands-on application of a business problem. Students will gain experience working on, making decisions about, and developing solutions for business applications. Topics include but not limited to analytics, data, and information technology.
Business or Statistics Elective “Developing Domain Expertise”

Program Overview

The Master of Applied Business Analytics degree will arm students with a solid knowledge of business analytics, data handling and management, machine learning methods, optimization, and computing.

Data skills, combined with knowledge of business application modeling and business problem solving, will enable students to identify, assess, and seize the opportunity for data-driven value creation in the private and public sectors.

Focus is given to answering questions such as:

  • How do we get and transform data for use?
  • How to we manage data?
  • What are the data telling us?
  • How can we put the data to work via modeling?

Two Degree Options

The Master of Applied Business Analytics degree is offered in both a part-time (5 semesters, 6 hours per semester) basis or a full-time (1 year, 30 credit hours) basis.

woman views analytics visualizations on screen

Part-Time Program: Designed for Working Professionals

The Walton Professional MABA is designed for working professionals. Once IS proficiency is demonstrated (Information Systems and Business Analytics Toolkit), the program can be completed by taking six hours a semester for five semesters (21 months).

Courses are taught through a blended-delivery format with both face-to-face and online components, so students are in class only one Saturday per month. We work hard to simplify the logistics of returning to school, so that you can focus on learning. Additionally, many employers offer tuition reimbursement programs, so check with your HR department to see if this great benefit is available.

Saturday Class Dates

Spring
2024
Summer
2024
Fall
2024
Spring
2025
Summer
2025 – EMBA, MSPI, SCMT
Summer
2025 – MIS, MABA
January
20
May
18
August
24
January
18
May
17
May
31
February
17
June
15
September
21
February
15
June
7
June
14
March
9
July
6
October
26
March
8
June
28
June
28
April
6
July
20
(ISYS Only)
November
9
April
5
July
26
July
26
April
27
July
27
(EMBA and MS SCMT Only)
December
7
April
26


 

* Students admitted to the professional programs in the Walton College are required to attend a multi-day orientation prior to the start of scheduled courses. Dates to be determined. Please contact gsb@walton.uark.edu for more information.

The Northwest Arkansas Community

Join a supportive and engaging community located in the vibrant business network of Northwest Arkansas with over 300 Fortune 500 companies with a presence in the region.

Business leaders and Walton alumni are closely connected to the college, not just during your studies, but throughout your career.

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