Under The Radar: Seattle Albers’ Business Analytics Program Prepares Students For Data-Driven Careers

In an increasingly data-driven world, more and more businesses require their employees to understand analytics. That’s especially true in tech, and it’s especially true today.

Nathan Colaner, director of Seattle University Albers School of Business and Economics’ Master of Science in Business Analytics program, says until the last decade, there wasn’t enough data to solve business problems — so naturally there’s still a shortage of those who are able to understand it. “It’s a scramble to find and train people who have that skill set,” Colaner says.

Albers’ intimate MSBA program helps to fill the gap. By sharpening students’ quantitative skills, they’re taught to make data-informed business decisions.

‘AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU NEED EVIDENCE TO MAKE STRATEGIC DECISIONS’

This private Jesuit B-school, located in the heart of a major tech hub, enrolls only 120 students each year in its MSBA, with class sizes between 20 and 30. Here, students have the opportunity to apply conceptual and theoretical knowledge with hands-on experience — something that MSBA marketing analytics professor Jennifer Hong says “is only possible with the small class size of Albers.”

“The idea of keeping it small ensures that every student gets the care and attention that they need,” explains Hong. “The bigger the program, the more competition there is. We want to make sure that students come into this program knowing that they can successfully be placed in a career that they want.”

Hong considers analytics a key component of data-driven decision making. She says that whichever discipline of business students go into will require some level of analytical and data management skills. “Especially in this era — and in Seattle,” she says.

ROOTED IN DATA ETHICS

Colaner says that many business problems are rooted in a lack of data, which causes people to rely on guesswork and “throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.”

“In the last ten years, the amount of accessible data has exploded,” Colaner adds. “And if you can figure out how to get insights out of it, you can address business problems.”

The Albers MSBA program offers students a little bit of everything to prepare for a variety of analytics roles, according to Hong. “It teaches students how to code, develop quantitative skills, and make sense of the data they get from those skills and tools. Most importantly, it teaches them how to communicate internally with both team members and consumers,” she says.

Despite there being a prevalence of data in today’s world, Hong believes that few people actually know what to do with it. This is where Albers’ MSBA comes in. “With the flux of data, you can pretty much do anything, but that doesn’t mean that you should do anything,” she says. “At the end of the day, you need evidence to make strategic decisions. This program gives people confidence in maneuvering the data that’s out there.”

According to Hong, understanding data ethics is a key component of working with it. In fact, business ethics and law are core courses in the program. “It’s not just about the quantitative skill set that we want to nurture; it’s also about ethical guidelines,” says Hong. “With current data, there are a lot of ethical issues, such as data breaches, misuse, and dissemination of misinformation. These are some of the topics that we really tap into in our program.”

“Ethics about the socioeconomic responsibility of analytics are emphasized throughout the entire curriculum,” adds Colaner.

LOCATED IN WASHINGTON’S GROWING TECH HUB

Seattle’s downtown location helps to provide ample opportunities for students to connect with the tech community. “We’re in the center of the city, which helps us to connect with a lot of the executives and our own alumni working for tech companies,” explains Hong.

According to Colaner, the school is serious about creating opportunities for interaction with recruiters and others in tech. This happens through bringing in guest speakers to classes as well as through events like the upcoming Tech Bowl — which is a Super Bowl event sponsored by GeekWire — where Marketing faculty and the American Marketing Association student chapter meet to discuss Super Bowl ads. The program also has a mentorship component; at an annual event, students get to meet potential mentors in a “speed dating-style” environment.

Plus, the MSBA advisory board — made up of executives mainly from the tech industry — helps to create the curriculum, aid with internship placements, and connect students and faculty with the community. The school also recently extended a scholarship to tech workers who have been laid off. Now, they can earn up to $15K in scholarships through the Project Pivot program.

TEACHING TWO LANGUAGES: BUSINESS AND DATA ANALYTICS

When it comes to choosing between this program and an MBA, Hong recommends that students first ask themselves what they want to specialize in post-graduation.

She believes that the MBA program is best suited for students who want to make a career change within the business realm, whereas the MSBA program is best for those who lack skills in the quantitative realm and are looking for that specific skill set. It’s also for those who are comfortable with analyzing data but want to learn how to make sense out of it in a business context.

Students can choose to do the program in-person or online. Or, they can choose a mix of both. Both versions are typically completed in two years, but students can complete them in as little as one year and as long as four years. “We have a sharing rule,” says Colaner. “During your degree, you can take up to five classes in the other modality.”

“We need our graduates to be able to speak two languages: business and data analytics,” adds Colaner. “That’s really the value of the degree.”

LEARNING TO ‘MAKE SENSE OUT OF DATA, NOT GENERATE DATA’

While many students come into the program with little knowledge about numbers, the school is in the process of creating a prerequisite course that helps to prepare them for the rigors of the program — which the advisory board will be helping to co-create.

When it comes to entering the program, Hong advises that students keep an open mind and try not to be overwhelmed. “Don’t be frightened by numbers and jargon,” she says. “At the end of the day the whole purpose of the program is to help people learn to make sense out of data, not generate data.”

“Our mission is to educate the whole person,” she adds. “We want to mentor students to become contributors to society, not just in the organization that they work for.”

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