Analytics (MS)
Offered by the Kogod School of Business, the MS in Analytics program provides students with an opportunity to obtain knowledge and competencies to help organizations make decisions and solve problems based on data. Analytics is about extracting meaning out of data and this program trains the students to do this in order to answer specific business questions and make sound decisions. Upon completion of the program, students have the knowledge to formulate business questions that can be answered with data; identify, acquire, and prepare the necessary data for the analysis; select the most appropriate methods and tools for the analysis; develop the appropriate descriptive, predictive and prescriptive analytics models; and provide concise conclusions in response to the business question. Students who successfully complete the MS in Analytics are prepared to work as savvy analytical managers or consultants.
Admission to the Program
In addition to meeting the minimum university requirements for graduate study, applicants must have earned an undergraduate bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with a satisfactory grade point average. Applicants may also need to submit a GMAT or GRE score; please visit http://www.american.edu/kogod/admissions/ for more information. Applicants whose first language is not English must have a satisfactory score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
Degree Requirements
- 33 credit hours of approved graduate coursework, including 9 credit hours of core competency, 9 credit hours of analytics foundation, 3 credit hours of a capstone experience, and 12 credit hours of a functional specialization or functional background.
Course Requirements
Core Competency (9 credit hours)
- ITEC-610 Applied Managerial Statistics (3) 3
- ITEC-616 Management Information Systems (3) 3
- ITEC-670 Database and Big Data (3) 3
Analytics Foundation (9 credit hours)
- ITEC-620 Business Insights through Analytics (3) 3
- ITEC-621 Predictive Analytics (3) 3
- ITEC-660 Business Intelligence (3) 3
Capstone Experience (3 credit hours)
Functional Specialization or Background (12 credit hours)
From the listings below, students complete either a functional specialization or a functional background. Students without work experience in a particular functional area complete a functional specialization. Students with relevant work experience complete the functional background.
Functional Specialization
Accounting Forensics
Required
- ACCT-551 Forensic Accounting: Fraud Examination and Litigation Support (3) 3
- ACCT-677 Financial Statement Analysis (3) 3
- ACCT-680 Advanced Forensic Accounting and Fraud Investigation (3) 3
Electives
Complete 3 credit hours from the following:
- ACCT-550 Accounting Information Systems (3) 3
- ACCT-600 Ethics in Business and Accounting (3) 3
- ACCT-607 Financial Accounting (3) 3
- ACCT-649 Contemporary Assurance and Audit Services (3) 3
- ACCT-760 Advanced Auditing and Professional Practice (3) 3
- FIN-614 Financial Management (3) 3
- FIN-630 Financial Analysis of the Firm: Concepts and Applications (3) 3
Quantitative Financial Analysis I
Note: Student selection and placement into Quantitative Financial Analysis I or II is based on the student's financial analysis background and experience, with approval of the Finance Department Chair.
Required
Quantitative Financial Analysis II
Note: Student selection and placement into Quantitative Financial Analysis I or II is based on the student's financial analysis background and experience, with approval of the Finance Department Chair.
Required
IT Consulting
12 credit hours from the following:
Marketing
Required
Computational Statistics
Required
- STAT-615 Regression (3) 3
- STAT-625 Statistical Software (3) 3
- STAT-627 Statistical Machine Learning (3) 3
- 3 credit hours of approved coursework in scientific computing
Biostatistics
Required
- STAT-520 Applied Multivariate Analysis (3) 3
- STAT-521 Analysis of Categorical Data (3) 3
- STAT-615 Regression (3) 3
Electives
Complete 3 credit hours from the following:
Approved Functional Specialization
- 12 credit hours in approved functional specialization from outside of Kogod
Functional Background
Electives
Complete 12 credit hours from the following:
- Functional Specialization courses listed above
- Business Fundamentals courses from the Management (MS) curriculum
- Kogod graduate coursework as approved by Program Director or respective Department Chair
- Approved functional background from outside of Kogod
American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor's/master's programs. Advanced undergraduates admitted to a combined degree program that includes a master's degree from Kogod are eligible to take graduate-level courses and may apply up to 9 graduate credit hours earned as an undergraduate toward the requirements for both degrees. See Combined Bachelor's and Kogod School of Business Master's Programs for more information.