Business Intelligence Certificate

 

The Business Intelligence (BI) Graduate Certificate Program at Kennesaw State University can be pursued as a standalone certificate program or concurrently with the evening MBA program and the MSIS program. This program will introduce students to a set of methodologies, processes, and technologies that transform data into useful insights that inform business decisions. Specifically, it will equip students with a wide variety of tools that enable them to

  • Examine structured and unstructured data
  • Collect data from internal systems and external sources
  • Prepare data for analysis
  • Develop and run queries against that data
  • Create reports, dashboards, and data visualizations
  • Simulate real-world systems
  • Evaluate what-if scenarios and determine appropriate improvement strategies.

Then, through various applications, the students learn how to present the analytics to corporate decision-makers and operational managers for the development of tactical, operational, and strategic plans.

    • Improve decision making
    • Optimize internal processes
    • Increase operational efficiency
    • Identify market trends
    • Drive new revenue sources
    • Gain competitive advantages over rivals
    • Identify business problems that need to be addressed
    • MSIS, MBA, or the MBA-MSIS dual students who are working towards more senior Business Intelligence positions but lack the certification, degree, or related experience from their current job.
    • Less experienced professionals who want to advance their ability to develop data-driven solutions.
    • Entrepreneurs and small business owners who desire to learn data-driven business analysis and strategic decision-making processes and skills.
    • Business undergrad seniors, as well as, undergraduate seniors from STEM programs who desire to be BI analysts.
    • Ranked among the best business schools in the nation.
    • Ph.D. faculty who are researchers and maintain close ties to the world of business.
    • Provide the student with hands-on experience solving business problems.
    • Strong emphasis on applications in business through directed projects and case-based teaching methodology.
    • These courses cater primarily to the needs and requirements of managerial decision-making skills.
    • Emphasis on skillsets expected in the market:  Business Intelligence, Innovation/Emerging Technologies, Information Security, Business Analysis, etc. 
    • Analyst: Analyst jobs in business intelligence involve examining and analyzing data sets.
    • Project Manager (PM): PMs lead key tasks for an organization and oversee all other members of the team. A BI project manager is likely to finalize reports and make recommendations based on results.
    • Director of Business Intelligence: The director researches data solutions, trains staff members on how to use BI tools and handles personnel decisions for the department.
    • CEO or CFO: The BI background prepares C-Suite personnel to make key budget and operations decisions.
    • BI Developer: The developers look to provide solutions for improved data management and data integration. Business intelligence developers operate with specialized software and understand the top software solutions for big data purposes.
    • Consultant: The business intelligence consultant analyzes different facets (expenditures, employee retention, revenue, etc.) of the organization and make recommendations.
      • Government offices are often in need of both BI analysts and consultants.
    • Research: Researchers collect and study data in a controlled environment. Researchers identify more efficient ways to mine and analyze data sets. Researchers are hired with a Master's degree in BI or a Master's degree with a specialization in BI but may choose to advance their careers with a doctoral degree.

  • Start Date: Summer and Fall of each year

    Application Deadline: April 1 (Summer) and July 1 (Fall)

    Tentative Schedule:

    Semester Course
    Fall ECON 7710 and ECON 7750
    Spring ECON 7730 and IS 7935
    Summer ECON 7710 and ECON 7770

    Certificate Duration: 1 year

    Approximate Cost: $7,300

 

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