Are you a quant jock with a bit of a poet in you? Learn about UCLA Anderson’s new MS in Business Analytics!

Harvard Business Review declared in 2012 that being a data scientist is the “sexiest job of the 21st century.” Glassdoor last year claimed it’s the “best job of the year.” And in a February Business Insider article, Dr. Andrew Chamberlain, Glassdoor’s chief economist said, “It’s one of the hottest and fastest growing jobs we’re seeing right now.”

Enter UCLA Anderson’s MS in Business Analytics and its newly appointed executive director, Paul Brandano. Paul earned his MBA from UCLA Anderson in Management and Marketing in 2006. After earning his MBA he worked for IBM becoming a Business Analytics Software Specialist before returning to Anderson to serve as the Executive Director for Marketing of Management Field Study Programs. This month, he became the Executive Director of Anderson’s new Masters of Science in Business Analytics – and that’s the program we’re going to discuss today. Welcome, Paul!

Can you give us an overview – what is the MS in Business Analytics at Anderson? [1:50]

Business Analytics has been part of our MBA program for a long time – in every one of our programs, quantitative analysis is a component (marketing, finance, operations, etc). But when you look at the world today, the data is growing, and the demand for an increasingly complex set of analytics is increasing with it. The tools for analysis also grow, and you get a very complex environment.

When I was at IBM, I saw there was often a gap in the marketplace between the people in IT who understood the technologies, and the managers who were looking for that real-time feedback. We see an opportunity to create a liaison – a person with an MS and the analytical training and skills to understand new technologies, with real business communication as a foundation.

What does the program consist of? [3:50]

It’s a 13-month MS program. We wanted it technically oriented. Students start with a five-week intensive course (off-site, asynchronous). This is focused on making sure you have the skills to be successful – you take four courses in that first five weeks to acquire a strong business/technical foundation.

Then there are two full (10 week) quarters of courses, followed by a summer internship, then a final fall quarter on campus before going on to your first job.

Courses include: fundamentals of business; data management; prescriptive modeling; and an industry seminar each quarter (including case studies).

What are the options for the industry seminar? [6:36]

We’re initially focusing on internet, entertainment, and healthcare. These are areas where big data technologies are being applied each day, and where data scientists are in high demand.

We also have many centers on campus focused on these (and other) key industry areas.

If you look at Anderson as a school, we differentiate on that practical/experiential learning component – every student will have done something in the real world, working for a real company.

Business Analytics is a mushrooming field. What’s distinctive about UCLA’s program? [8:50]

We specifically put it in the business school.