The Curriculum

Students who choose the Elon M.S. in Business Analytics program are able to complete the required course work at their own pace. Students can finish the 33 hours of graduate credit in one year by attending on a full-time schedule. Those who attend on a part-time schedule may take up to two or three years. The program is very flexible, allowing you choose your own timetable according to your particular needs and circumstances.

Accounting and Finance Preparation

The M.S. in Business Analytics program requires that all students demonstrate adequate preparation in accounting and finance prior to enrolling in the core M.S. in Business Analytics accounting and finance courses. Satisfaction of this requirement can be demonstrated in one of two ways:

One could be evidence of prior undergraduate coursework in accounting and/or finance. To be acceptable, such coursework should have been completed within five years of entering the M.S. in Business Analytics program. Students with prior coursework must also pass qualifying exams in accounting or finance.

Students also can successfully complete foundation classes, usually taken at the undergraduate level, in accounting and/or finance. Such foundation classes can be taken at Elon as ACC 500 and FIN 500 or at some other approved institution. Approval to take the course elsewhere must be granted by the M.S. in Business Analytics program.

Graduate Courses

Core Courses: 18 sh

MSBA 6250	Economic Policy and the Global Environment	3 sh
MSBA 7150	Accounting for Managerial Decisions	3 sh
MSBA 6270	Marketing Management	3 sh
MSBA 7170	Financial Management	3 sh
MSBA 6230	Management and Organizational Behavior	3 sh

Organizational Systems: 3 sh

Students select from one of the following two courses:

MSBA 6410	Advanced Operations and Supply Chain	3 sh
MSBA 6450	Project Management	3 sh

Organizational Analytics: 15 sh

MSBA 6430	Analytics I-Quantitative Methods	3 sh
MSBA 6610	Analytics II: Spreadsheet Decision Making	3 sh
MSBA 6620	Analytics III: Business Data Mining	3 sh
MSBA 6630	Programming Basics	3 sh
MSBA 6640	Special Topics: Data Visualization	3 sh

Class Schedule and Course Load

All core business classes, as well as courses in the Organizational Analytics and Corporate Communications concentrations, are taught in the evenings.

Each class meets one evening per week for 10 weeks (fall, winter, spring). Students may enroll in up to four courses per semester.

Two 5-week semesters are also offered each summer. During the two summer semesters, classes are scheduled for Monday and Thursday evenings. Core courses and some concentration classes will be available in the summer.