STEM Designation
The MSBA is a graduate degree program with a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) designation. Due to the demand of graduates with expertise in STEM fields, the Department of Homeland Security permits international students graduating from STEM programs to apply for a 24 month extension of their initial year of Optional Practical Training (OPT). For more detailed information, please visit the ISSO webpage.
MSBA Curriculum
11 Courses
31 Credits
Program Length:
Full-time in as few as 9 months
Part-time in as few as 21 months
Required Course (1 credit)
Must be taken in the first semester of the program.
| ISOM-700 | Preparing for Your Professional Future | 1 |
Business Analytics Core Courses (18 credits)
If waived, ISOM-801 must be substituted with ISOM elective.
| ISOM-631 | Data Analytics with SAS Base | 3 |
| ISOM-801 | Solving Business Problems Using Advanced Excel | 3 |
| ISOM-821 | Data Management and Modeling | 3 |
| ISOM-825 | Enterprise Data Management | 3 |
| ISOM-827 | Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence | 3 |
| ISOM-835 | Predictive Analytics | 3 |
Capstone Course (3 credits)
Should be taken as late in the program as possible.
| ISOM-837 | From Data Mining to Business Insights | 3 |
Required Electives (9 credits)
Students must complete nine (9) credits of electives, 800-level or higher (exception 600- and 700-level MBA courses and 700-level HLTH, P. AD, and ISOM courses), within the Sawyer Business School and from the approved MSBA electives lists.
If a concentration is declared, electives must be in one concentration area. The schedule of when courses within a concentration are offered vary by semester. Concentrations include: accounting analytics, data science, finance analytics, fintech, healthcare management, marketing analytics, or public and nonprofit management.
Students who declare a concentration must submit an SBS Graduate Program Concentration Request Form. Students are encouraged to meet with their advisor before they declare a concentration.
The concentration appears on the transcript, not the diploma.
Electives:
| ACCT-801 | Graduate Financial Accounting II | 3 |
| ACCT-806 | Fraud Examination | 3 |
| ACCT-807 | Forensic & Investigative Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT-824 | Big Data and Financial Statement Analytics | 3 |
| ACCT-865 | Accounting Information Systems | 3 |
| FIN-810 | Investment Analysis | 3 |
| FIN-816 | Risk Management in Banking and Finance | 3 |
| FIN-818 | Financial Econometrics | 3 |
| FIN-830 | Introduction to FinTech | 3 |
| FIN-841 | Financial Forecasting | 3 |
| FIN-882 | Applied Risk Management | 3 |
| FIN-890 | Data Analytics & Credit Risk | 3 |
| HLTH-705 | Health Systems I: Healthcare in the U.S. | 3 |
| HLTH-720 | Health Systems II: Economics, Law, and Policy | 3 |
| HLTH-730 | Healthcare Operations Management and Performance Improvement | 3 |
| HLTH-805 | Big Data Strategies for Health and Healthcare | 3 |
| HLTH-807 | Innovation: The Future of Healthcare | 3 |
| HLTH-810 | Quality, Patient Safety, and Patient Experience | 3 |
| HLTHIB-870 | Global Travel Seminar: Comparative Analysis of the Healthcare Systems in England and United States | 3 |
| ISOM-730 | Python for Business Analytics | 3 |
| ISOM-829 | Advanced Data Management Leveraging ETL Tools | 3 |
| ISOM-839 | Prescriptive Analytics: Modeling & Optimization | 3 |
| ISOM-840 | Security and Privacy | 3 |
| ISOM-845 | Business Intelligence, Data Visualization, and Storytelling | 3 |
| ISOM-851 | Supply Chain Management | 3 |
| ISOM-861 | Project Management: Gaining Competitive Advantage | 3 |
| ISOM-910 | Directed Individual Study | 3 |
| ISOM-920 | ISOM Internship | 0-3 |
| MBA-615 | Economics | 1.5 |
| MBA-651 | Financial Management for Business Decisions | 1.5 |
| MBA-730 | Innovative Thinking | 3 |
| MBA-740 | Immerse- Travel Seminar | 3 |
| MBA-920 | MBA Student Business Clinic | 3 |
| MGOB-845 | People Analytics | 3 |
| MGT-860 | Leading Teams | 3 |
| MKT-810 | Marketing Research for Managers | 3 |
| MKT-815 | Marketing Foundations and Strategy | 3 |
| MKT-818 | Global Product Innovation | 3 |
| MKT-845 | Advanced Digital Analytics | 3 |
| MKT-860 | Qualitative Methods and Customer Insights | 3 |
| MKT-869 | Machine Learning for Marketing With Python | 3 |
| MKT-870 | Advanced Marketing Analytics With R | 3 |
| MKT-877 | Neuromarketing: an Experiential Perspective | 3 |
| P.AD-711 | Foundations of Public Service and Administration | 3 |
| P.AD-712 | Information Based Management | 3 |
| P.AD-713 | Managing Financial Resources | 3 |
| P.AD-863 | Introduction to Performance Improvement Strategies | 3 |
| P.AD-864 | Performance Measure Capacities | 3 |
| P.AD-865 | Relating Performance to Stakeholders | 3 |
| TAX-801 | Federal Taxation of Income | 3 |
Concentrations
Accounting Analytics Concentration (9 credits)
Required Course: (3 credits)
| ACCT-801 | Graduate Financial Accounting II | 3 |
Elective Courses
Select two of the following electives: (2 courses, 6 credits)
| ACCT-806 | Fraud Examination | 3 |
| ACCT-807 | Forensic & Investigative Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT-824 | Big Data and Financial Statement Analytics | 3 |
| ACCT-865 | Accounting Information Systems | 3 |
| TAX-801 | Federal Taxation of Income | 3 |
Data Science Concentration (9 credits)
Required Courses: (9 credits)
Select three of the following: (3 courses, 9 credits)
| ISOM-730 | Python for Business Analytics | 3 |
| ISOM-829 | Advanced Data Management Leveraging ETL Tools | 3 |
| ISOM-839 | Prescriptive Analytics: Modeling & Optimization | 3 |
| FIN-841 | Financial Forecasting | 3 |
Finance Analytics Concentration (9 credits)
Required Courses: (3 credits)
| MBA-615 | Economics | 1.5 |
| MBA-651 | Financial Management for Business Decisions | 1.5 |
Elective Courses
Select two of the following electives (if MBA-615 and MBA-651 are waived, must select three): (2-3 courses, 6-9 credits)
FinTech Concentration (9 credits)
Required Courses: (6 credits)
Elective Courses
Take one from the following list of electives: (1 course, 3 credits)
| FIN-816 | Risk Management in Banking and Finance | 3 |
| FIN-841 | Financial Forecasting | 3 |
| FIN-890 | Data Analytics & Credit Risk | 3 |
| ISOM-840 | Security and Privacy | 3 |
| ISOM-845 | Business Intelligence, Data Visualization, and Storytelling | 3 |
Healthcare Management Concentration (9 credits)
Required Courses: (6 credits)
| HLTH-705 | Health Systems I: Healthcare in the U.S. | 3 |
| HLTH-805 | Big Data Strategies for Health and Healthcare | 3 |
Elective Courses
Select one of the following electives: (1 course, 3 credits)
| HLTH-720 | Health Systems II: Economics, Law, and Policy | 3 |
| HLTH-730 | Healthcare Operations Management and Performance Improvement | 3 |
| HLTH-807 | Innovation: The Future of Healthcare | 3 |
| HLTH-810 | Quality, Patient Safety, and Patient Experience | 3 |
| HLTHIB-870 | Global Travel Seminar: Comparative Analysis of the Healthcare Systems in England and United States | 3 |
Marketing Analytics Concentration (9 credits)
Required Course: (3 credits)
| MKT-815 | Marketing Foundations and Strategy | 3 |
Elective Courses
Select two of the following electives (if MKT-815 is waived, must select three): (2-3 courses, 6-9 credits)
| MKT-810 | Marketing Research for Managers | 3 |
| MKT-818 | Global Product Innovation | 3 |
| MKT-845 | Advanced Digital Analytics | 3 |
| MKT-860 | Qualitative Methods and Customer Insights | 3 |
| MKT-869 | Machine Learning for Marketing With Python | 3 |
| MKT-870 | Advanced Marketing Analytics With R | 3 |
| MKT-877 | Neuromarketing: an Experiential Perspective | 3 |
Public & Nonprofit Management Concentration (9 credits)
Required Course: (3 credits)
| P.AD-711 | Foundations of Public Service and Administration | 3 |
Elective Courses
Select two of the following electives: (2 courses, 6 credits)
| P.AD-712 | Information Based Management | 3 |
| P.AD-713 | Managing Financial Resources | 3 |
| P.AD-863 | Introduction to Performance Improvement Strategies | 3 |
| P.AD-864 | Performance Measure Capacities | 3 |
| P.AD-865 | Relating Performance to Stakeholders | 3 |
Business Analytics Learning Goals and Objectives
| Learning Goals |
Learning Objectives |
| Demonstrate ability to apply analytical reasoning skills in applying business analytics to solve business challenges (Analytical Reasoning) |
1. Identify the problem and related issues
2. Identify key assumptions
3. Generate salient alternatives
4. Examine the evidence and source of evidence
5. Identify conclusions, implications, and consequences |
| Demonstrate application of business analytics knowledge even in new and unfamiliar circumstances through conceptual understanding (Knowledge Integration) |
1. Acknowledge that the project covers different key functional areas in business
2. Display understanding across different key functional areas in business
3. Identify the methodologies appropriate to solve the problem
4. Apply and coordinate the methodologies to get the best solution for the problem
5. Display understanding of the implications of the solution for each functional area
6. Demonstrate overall ability to integrate knowledge from the different functional areas |
| Apply ethical principles to business analytics decision making.(Ethics) |
1. Identify conflicts of interests and pressures that could lead to unethical conduct
2. Understand what kinds of questions are helpful to ask oneself when confronting an ethical dilemma
3. Demonstrate the ability to identify and take into account the interests of different stakeholders
4. Understand how business strategies that facilitate "doing good" can be made consistent with profitability
5. Understand that what is legal may not always be ethical and that what is ethical may sometimes not be legal
6. Appreciate that ethical norms vary across different countries and cultures |
| Demonstrate effective oral communication about the entire business analytics cycle (Oral Communication) |
1. Organize the presentation effectively
2. Deliver the presentation with attention to volume, clarity, grammatical correctness and precision
3. Develop the topic
4. Communicate with the audience
5. Use communication aids effectively
6. Summarize the presentation |
| Demonstrate effective written communication about the entire business analytics cycle (Written Communication) |
1. Develop a topic with supporting details
2. Organize written communication effectively and logically
3. Use correct word choice and effective sentence structure
4. Employ normal conventions of spelling and grammar
5. Provide examples and supporting evidence
6. Communicate accurate quantitative results |
Course Substitution Policy
If waived, ISOM 801 needs to be substituted with an approved ISOM elective. To waive ISOM 801, a student must have successfully completed equivalent academic coursework at the undergraduate/graduate level in the seven (7) years prior to MSBA matriculation and earned a grade of "B" or better, and provide official transcripts (with English translations, if applicable). Students may also elect to take a proficiency exam, for a fee, to gain a waiver. Proficiency exams must be taken in the first semester and are administered on the Boston Campus.
To substitute an approved elective for another core course, a student must have successfully completed equivalent academic coursework at the graduate level in the seven (7) years prior to MSBA matriculation, “B” or better, and provide official transcripts (with English translations, if applicable).
All substitutions are evaluated upon a student's acceptance into the MSBA Program.
All MSBA students must complete a minimum of 31 graduate credits in the Sawyer Business School (10 courses and ISOM-700)
Transfer Policy
Review of any coursework taken previously from an AACSB-accredited MSBA program will be completed on a case-by-case basis. The credits cannot apply to a previously completed degree and must be substituted with an approved elective. Only courses for which an earned grade of "B" or better and taken within seven (7) years prior to enter the MSBA program will be considered.
Students Who Leave Boston Before Their Degree is Complete
Occasionally, Suffolk MSBA students must leave the Boston area having not yet completed their degree. You may be able to transfer in six credits of elective courses from an AACSB-accredited MSBA close to your new place of residence. Courses must be pre-approved by Suffolk’s assistant dean of graduate programs and have a grade of "B" or better.
Students who leave the area may also be able to complete a portion of their Suffolk MSBA on a part-time basis online.
Transfer Credits from the Moakley Center for Public Management's Certificate Program
Students who have completed a certificate program through the Suffolk University Moakley Center for Public Management may have an opportunity to reduce credit requirements to an SBS graduate degree program (MBA, MMOL, MSA, MHA, MSBA, or MSM). All course waivers and/or transfers vary by program and are reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the respective SBS Graduate Programs Office.
In order for a course to be considered, it must have an SBS graduate program course equivalent, the student must have earned a grade of B or better, and the student must have successfully completed the certificate prior to enrolling in the SBS graduate degree program.
Applicants must also meet the admission standards for the SBS graduate degree program to which they are applying.