Alyson Clyburn is the accounting director at Windstream, a communications and software company in Little Rock. At Windstream, she leads the compensation and the inventory accounting teams, which analyzes a tremendous amount of data every day.
Although living in the Little Rock area, Clyburn decided to pursue a Master of Applied Business Analytics at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville through its part-time, professional program offered by the Graduate School of Business. The program is designed for working professionals like Alyson who are ready to advance their careers.
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“Every department in every industry has been impacted by the overwhelming amount of data that is produced on a daily – even hourly – basis. The future of business is learning how to utilize the data in a meaningful way. And that’s why I chose the Professional MABA program at UARK,” Clyburn said. “I know that, with my background in accounting and finance, if I can layer on additional skillsets that focus on data-driven decision making, I can drive innovation and automation opportunities within my organization. And this program is set up to help me do just that.”
Alyson started the program in the fall of 2023 by participating in classes online and attending face-to-face classes one Saturday per month. This hybrid approach of combining online and in-person classes helps students maintain a work/life balance, critical for full-time workers.
“Since I joined this program, I have learned how to code, built my own application, and created models to predict future behavior. None of that would have been possible if it weren’t for the professors involved in this course. They understand that as a professional student, my day-to-day is filled with my own work meetings and assignments, and they have been more than happy to meet with me in the evenings or on the weekends to accommodate my schedule,” Clyburn shared. “And, as a student coming from a non-ISYS background, they have taken the time to ensure that I am fully engaged with the material and understanding the assignments. I have taken the skills from this program back to my workplace and have been able to communicate more effectively with our IT team, write my own automation code for monthly processes for my team, and feel more confident when discussing data with my leadership team.”
The business analytics program is designed to advance analytical skills for common problems within the global business world. It includes an optional international trip to study global business, furthering students understanding of data and its wide-reaching scope.
“Not only has this program provided incredible opportunities to learn the technical skills needed for data-driven decision making; it has also connected me with an amazing network of professors, my peers in this program, and experts in industry,” she added. “From class speakers to the Ireland trip to meet with business owners, this program goes out of the way to ensure that we are hearing from individuals in the business world who are interacting with these topics daily. This not only ensures we are learning the “textbook” approach, but also how these tools are used in the real world. That, to me, provides the most value.”
Often prospective students hesitate to pursue an advanced degree, because they are not sure of the requirements for the program. Clyburn initially questioned if her background as an accountant would prepare her for a business analytics degree.
“I think that it can be easy to look at a graduate-level data analytics program and say, ‘it’s not for me, I don’t have the right background, I can’t do it,’” she reflected. “The MABA program has proven that it can take anyone and teach them how to make a best decision using data – even an accountant.”
