Have you ever looked at an MBA program, read the core coursework descriptions and wanted more selective topics to learn about?
The online Master of Business Administration (MBA) program from Northern Kentucky University (NKU) lets students tailor their degrees to disciplines of choice, allowing them to pursue a more personally relevant and focused career path.
For example, the versatility and flexibility of the additional data analytics and finance-specialized coursework in the MBA program help business professionals pursue data-driven roles in the finance industry.
Data Analytics Courses
Data analytics is the process of gathering, organizing, “cleaning” and analyzing data to find patterns. Business insights — such as making decisions, solving problems, addressing challenges and reacting to market changes and disruptions — come from drawing conclusions based on these patterns. If you choose the Data Analytics focus, then you’ll take the following courses:
- Business Intelligence Development. IBM defines business intelligence (BI) as “software that ingests business data and presents it in user-friendly views such as reports, dashboards, charts and graphs.” In this course, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about the design and development of BI systems, develop and implement dimensional models in an enterprise system, and gain hands-on BI systems knowledge from labs and applied projects.
- Business Analytics. The four types of business analytics are descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive, each of which is becoming more complicated. With the help of data-driven insights from business analytics professionals, organizations can develop strategies to boost efficiency and effectiveness.
It has become increasingly important for businesses, especially finance, to analyze their data accurately and quickly to remain competitive. In this course, you’ll experience business analytics through hands-on labs and a group project. You’ll encounter the business analytics process, including problem modeling, tools and techniques for analysis, and effectively communicating insights.
- Data Visualization and Analytics. Simply put, data visualization presents data in a format easily shared and understood, such as through visualization or graphics. In this course, you’ll examine core concepts and strategies for the “design, analysis and visualization of organizational data for business planning and decision-making purposes.” You’ll also complete applied projects using analytical and visualization tools.
Finance Courses
Financial professionals can work in many fields as investment bankers, financial analysts, financial software developers and more. If you choose the Finance focus, then you’ll take the following courses:
- Corporate Finance. Corporate Finance is “a subfield of finance that deals with how corporations address funding sources, capital structuring, accounting, and investment decisions.” Corporate finance activities include capital investments, capital financing and short-term liquidity. This course teaches professionals about capital budgeting, dividend analysis, capital structure, risk/return analysis, valuation issues, basic financial forecasting, institutional structures for finance and more.
- Investments and Security Analysis. Investment and security analysis is an essential part of a solid portfolio management strategy, according to Investopedia. This course introduces the modern theory and practice of investing. Students also learn about risk and rate of return, portfolio theory, valuation of financial claims, portfolio formation and revision and portfolio performance monitoring.
- International Finance. International finance is “the study of monetary interactions between two or more countries.” This course explores globalization’s impact on capital budgeting, dividend analysis, capital structure, risk/return analysis, costs of capital, institutional structures for finance and more.
Pursue a Focused Career Path With an MBA
Financial industries are relying more and more on new technologies and digitalization. To adapt and stay relevant during changing times, finance professionals should equip themselves with top data analytics, finance and business skills.
Students who graduate with an MBA focusing on data analytics and finance may pursue roles such as quantitative analysts, data scientists, controllers or business analysts.
Learn more about NKU’s online MBA program.
