Business Analytics Concentration

Catalog Year: 2023-2024

Banner Code: BU-BS-BUS-BUSA-KOR

The School of Business is ranked in the top 10 percent of the nation’s undergraduate business schools and offers a Bachelor of Science in Business with innovative concentrations. The School of Business also offers several options for a minor for business and non-business majors, as well as an undergraduate certificate program in accounting. The School of Business programs are designed to prepare graduates for work in a rapidly changing and competitive marketplace with local, regional, and global companies. With Mason’s location in Northern Virginia and proximity to Washington, D.C., combined with the assistance of the School of Business’s own Career Services staff and Student Success and Academic Services staff, students are also afforded exceptional opportunities to gain practical experience and global engagement opportunities to complement their academic coursework. Students admitted spring 2020 and later will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Business degree.

Honors in the Concentration Overview

The School of Business Honors Program provides highly motivated business students with an enriched academic experience integrating curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular development.  Admission to the Honors Program is by invitation only.

Admission Requirements

• Minimum 3.0 cumulative Mason GPA

• A- or higher on first attempt at the core course for the concentrations

  • ACCT: A- or higher in ACCT 303 Accounting for Decision Making

  • BUSA: A- or higher in MIS 303 Introduction to Business Information Systems (Mason Core)

  • FNAN: A- or higher in FNAN 303 Financial Management

  • FPWM: A- or higher in FNAN 303 Financial Management

  • MGMT: A- or higher in MGMT 303 Principles of Management

  • MIS: A- or higher in MIS 303 Introduction to Business Information Systems (Mason Core)

  • MKTG: A- or higher in MKTG 303 Principles of Marketing

  • OSCM: A- or higher in OSCM 303 Operations Management

• Submission of a personal statement/essay
• Two recommendations from faculty within the School of Business

Curricular Requirements

• 3.0 cumulative Mason GPA
• 3.5 GPA in the concentration or  95^th percentile GPA within the concentration
• B- or higher on first attempt at every concentration course

Co-Curricular Requirements

Students must complete ONE of the following to satisfy the co-curricular requirements for graduating with honors:

1. Honors section of BUS 498 Capstone Course: Advanced Business Models (Mason Core)
2. A concentration-specific honors course (See list below)
3. Completion of an honors project with faculty approval (the honors project as approved should be separate from work in other courses)

Extra-Curricular Requirements

Attendance at a minimum of two honors events, as determined by the Honors Faculty Coordinator.

Requirements for Students to Obtain the Honors Designation

Honors students must meet all curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular requirements mentioned above at the time of graduation.

Degree Requirements

Total credits: 120

School of Business students pursuing a BS degree must complete a minimum of 120 credits, including the Mason Core requirements, business foundations, business core and concentration requirements. In addition, the following requirements must be met:

• A minimum of 45 credits at the 300- or 400-level.
• A minimum of 30 credits of School of Business core, capstone, and concentration courses at Mason.
• At least 9 credits required for the specific concentration and BUS 498 Capstone Course: Advanced Business Models (Mason Core) taken at Mason.
• A grade of C or higher earned in the business foundations, business core and concentration requirements.

Students should carefully follow prerequisites for School of Business courses. Students will be removed from a course if they enroll without having fulfilled the prerequisites.

Mason Core Requirements

Some Mason Core requirements may already be fulfilled by concentration requirements listed below. Students are strongly encouraged to consult their advisors to ensure they fulfill all remaining Mason Core requirements.

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The School of Business natural science requirement must be fulfilled by completing one 4-credit laboratory science and one 3 credit non-lab science.
 

Note: Remaining Mason Core requirements are fulfilled with concentration course work.

Business Foundations

Those who do not successfully complete these courses within three attempts will be terminated from the School of Business and will not be eligible to receive a degree from the School of Business. Students terminated from the School of Business are prohibited from enrolling in any School of Business course.  For more information about this, see AP.5.2.4 Termination from the Major.

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BUS 210 or MATH 108 , MATH 113 satisfies the Mason Core Quantitative Reasoning requirement. To earn a business degree, students must complete MATH 108 and BUS 210.

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BUS 200 satisfies Mason Core Global Understanding requirement, and BUS 100 satisfies the Mason Core Social and Behavioral Sciences requirement.

Business Core

Those who do not successfully complete these courses within three attempts will be terminated from the School of Business and will not be eligible to receive a degree from the School of Business. Students terminated from the School of Business are prohibited from enrolling in any School of Business course.  For more information about this, see AP.5.2.4 Termination from the Major.

General Electives

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General electives may be selected from any University or School of Business course, except courses designated for the Business Minor (MBUS). Credits awarded as Associate Degree Elective Credit (ADEC) as part of a student's transfer evaluation are also excluded from general electives.

Capstone

Students must have 90 graded credits and successfully complete all Business Core courses and BUS 310 Business Analytics II to be eligible to enroll in BUS 498 Capstone Course: Advanced Business Models (Mason Core).

Concentration in Accounting (ACCT)

The concentration in Accounting prepares students for professional careers in the private and public sectors. The Accounting concentration is designed to produce accounting professionals who can both generate and apply financial information to solve business problems. Our students learn principles of business and accounting as well as the specific skills and specialized technical knowledge necessary for success in the dynamic field of accounting. Our program emphasizes ethics, critical thinking, written and verbal communication, and effective use and understanding of technology. Our graduates are employed by the assurance, tax advisory, and consulting groups of the top accounting firms as well as Fortune 100 companies. Our proximity to the nation's capital provides unique opportunities for our graduates to work in government and in the federal practices of public accounting firms. The Accounting concentration program is separately accredited by AACSB International. Students interested in CPA certification can apply to the MSA degree to meet the 150 hour requirement for CPA certification in most states. The MSA allows students to meet the 150 hour requirement for CPA certification in most states in only nine months.

Also available for eligible students, the Accelerated Advanced Accounting Pathway (A++) is a pathway that provides the ability to complete a bachelor and master’s degree in accounting in four years. For more information, please meet with an academic advisor in the School of Business.

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Students who anticipate taking the CPA, CMA, CIA or other professional exam should consult the applicable regulations and meet with their advisor. State regulations regarding professional examinations may dictate course selections.

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Students in the Accelerated Master's program and select high performing undergraduates may take graduate courses for undergraduate credit. Enrollment in a graduate level course is not guaranteed. Please contact an academic advisor for additional information.

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Satisfies Writing Intensive requirement

Second Concentration in Accounting

Concentration in Business Analytics (BUSA)

Business Analytics encompasses a wide array of methodologies and techniques, from collection, organization, reporting and mining of data to extraction of useful and actionable information for the decision makers. As the field matures, more organizations are turning to business analytics as part of their core function to assist decision making and strategy development. Business Analytics is grounded in an understanding of business and uses knowledge and skills related to analytic tools to identify business questions that can be answered by data, identify appropriate data to answer the questions, evaluate the quality of the data, analyze the data, form conclusions, and meaningfully communicate those conclusions to relevant parties. Business analysts will work in practice with data scientists with backgrounds in engineering, math, or computer science whose expertise in data analytics is centered on data architecture or developing data analysis tools.

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Satisfies Writing Intensive requirement

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Students in the Accelerated Master's program and select high performing undergraduates may take graduate courses for undergraduate credit. Enrollment in a graduate level course is not guaranteed. Please contact an academic advisor for additional information.

 

Second Concentration in Business Analytics

Students declaring a second concentration in Business Analytics must complete the four required courses and two elective courses for the concentration (listed above). 

Concentration in Finance (FNAN)

The concentration in Finance prepares students for professional careers by providing a solid foundation in the principles necessary to make operating decisions for an organization and in financial market analysis. We educate our finance students to understand, evaluate, and manage risk. In addition, students learn to conduct and effectively present financial analysis and research valuing complex projects, assets, securities, and firms. Students in the finance concentration explore the relationships among investors, firms, financial institutions, markets, and regulators. Students with a concentration in Finance have a unique opportunity to compete globally, as well as regionally, for unique and diverse job opportunities, including government (U.S. Treasury and the Board of Governors), large financial corporations (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac), international organizations (World Bank and IMF), and other careers related to Finance.

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Completion of FNAN 303 with a grade of B- or higher is a required prerequisite for FNAN 311, FNAN 321, FNAN 341,FNAN 401 and FNAN 440

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 With the exception of FNAN 300 and FNAN 303

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Students in the Accelerated Master's program and select high performing undergraduates may take graduate courses for undergraduate credit. Enrollment in a graduate level course is not guaranteed.

Please contact an academic advisor or the Program Manager for additional information.

Second Concentration in Finance

Students declaring a second concentration in Finance must complete the four required courses and two elective courses for the concentration (listed above).

Concentration in Financial Planning and Wealth Management (FPWM)

Consumers increasingly seek professional advice on managing their finances from professionals with wide-ranging knowledge from taxes and estate planning to insurance and retirement planning to portfolio management. In a recent article title, Forbes described Financial Planning as “One of the Fastest Growing Careers” and noted that the field “is in Desperate Need of Young Talent.” The article went on to explain that the field is expected to grow at a 32% rate over the next decade according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics while the average growth rate for all occupations is 14%.” (Touryalai, 2012). The field of financial planning includes several certifications including the Certified Financial Planner certification (CFP) through the CFP Board and Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) certification through the AICPA. The national CFP Board and regional FPA leadership have reached out to Mason to work with us to develop a CFP-registered program in Financial Planning due to the significant need in our region for graduates with this specialization.

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Completion of FNAN 303 Financial Management with a grade of B- or higher is a required prerequisite for FNAN 311 ,  FNAN 341 , FNAN 390 Introduction to Financial Planning and Wealth Management,  and FNAN 492 Internship in Finance or ACCT 492 Internship in Accounting. Completion of  FNAN 303 Financial Management with a grade of B- or higher is a required prerequisite for ACCT 408 Taxes Insurance and Risk Management

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Satisfies Writing Intensive requirement

Second concentration in Financial Planning and Wealth Management

Concentration in Management

The concentration in Management prepares students to take leadership, management, and entrepreneurial roles in the public and private sectors. Students learn such skills as strategic thinking, motivating and managing nationally and internationally diverse work forces, building and leading team efforts, negotiating successfully, and instituting planned change in organizations.

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 With the exception of MGMT 303 and MGMT 313

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Satisfies Writing Intensive requirement

Students with a concentration in management may focus their careers in several areas. In selecting five elective courses, students may want to consider a likely career path. Recommended courses for three possible careers are provided below.

Second concentration in Management (MGMT)

Students declaring a second concentration in Management must complete the two required courses and four elective courses for the concentration (listed above).

Concentration in Management Information Systems (MIS)

The concentration in Management Information Systems encompasses analysis, design, implementation, and management of information systems, to support business processes and decision making in all functional areas of an organization. The curriculum highlights not only the fundamental building blocks of information systems, but also the interaction of technology, people and business processes. MIS students learn about designing, building, maintaining, and securing information systems to meet organizational goals. They also acquire skills to use data and information through business analytics to support better managerial decision making in areas such as marketing, accounting and finance. MIS graduates are capable of translating business needs into technology-based solutions, and new technological advances into business capabilities.  The MIS concentration prepares students for diverse technology based careers including Business Analyst, System Analyst, Security Analyst,  Data Analyst, IT Project Management, IT Quality Management, Cloud Management,  IS Audit and Control, Government Contracting, and Consulting.

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Satisfies Writing Intensive requirement

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It is strongly recommended that students planning a concentration in Management Information Systems take MIS 350 as part of their program.

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Students in the Accelerated Master's program and select high performing undergraduates may take graduate courses for undergraduate credit. Enrollment in a graduate level course is not guaranteed. Please contact an academic advisor for additional information.

Second Concentration in Management Information Systems

Students declaring a second concentration in Management Information Systems must complete the three required courses and three elective courses for the concentration (listed above). At least 2 of the electives must be MIS courses.

Concentration in Marketing (MKTG)

The concentration in Marketing prepares students for a broad range of global and domestic career options in corporations, small businesses, government, and nonprofits. A Marketing concentration provides students with a solid foundation in marketing management for understanding the needs of the customer, the value organizations create for their customers, and opportunities and threats in the global marketplace. Students learn marketing concepts and practices related to consumer behavior, marketing research and analytics, and marketing planning and strategy (product development, pricing, distribution, and advertising and promotions). Our graduates work in such diverse fields as advertising and marketing communications, product and brand management, customer relationship management, new product/service development, new market and business development, sales, retail management, marketing research and analytics, and digital and social media marketing. 

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Satisfies the Writing Intensive requirement

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 With the exception of MKTG 303

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Research and scholarship intensive course. 

Second Concentration in Marketing

Students declaring a second concentration in Marketing must complete the three required courses and three elective courses for the concentration (listed above).

Concentration in Operations and Supply Chain Management (OSCM)

Operations and Supply Chain Management (OSCM) is the business function devoted to the management of resources and processes used by a firm to produce goods or services. Students with an OSCM concentration learn how to perform strategic and tactical planning, enabling them to efficiently and effectively manage the activities involved in transforming organizational resources into customer value. OSCM students acquire modeling, business analytics, and information technology skills for addressing a range of business problems. OSCM knowledge and skills are applicable to every business, spanning services, manufacturing, consulting, public sector (including government contracting), and not- for- ­profit organizations. The OSCM concentration is designed to prepare students for a career in the areas of: Supply Chain Management, Government Contracting (including procurement, logistics, and distribution), Project Management, Quality Management, Socially Responsible Operations, Product and Services Design, Process Analysis and Design, and, Planning and Control of Operations.

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Satisfies Writing Intensive requirement

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Students in the Accelerated Master's program and select high performing undergraduates may take graduate courses for undergraduate credit. Enrollment in a graduate level course is not guaranteed. Please contact an academic advisor for additional information.

Second Concentration in Operations and Supply Chain Management

Students declaring a second concentration in Operations and Supply Chain Management must complete the three required courses and three elective courses for the concentration (listed above). At least 2 of the electives must be OSCM courses.