Area of Emphasis in Business Analytics - Terry College of Business

Regardless of which Terry major you are pursuing, fluency in the skills associated with quantitative analysis is a necessity in today’s business world given the prevalence of data-driven decision-making. The Area of Emphasis (AoE) in Business Analytics helps students build these high-value skills, sending a clear signal to top employers that you are ready to translate complex data into business solutions.

Contact your Academic Advisor for more information on the Area of Emphasis in Business Analytics.

Curriculum

The curriculum for the Business Analytics AoE consists of 12 credit hours, including a sequence of courses designed to provide students with the quantitative skills needed to inform strategic business decisions, progressing from core statistical inference to advanced multivariate regression, culminating in data science, machine learning, and causal inference. In addition, students learn critical programming languages for conducting data analyses.

Analytics

(9 hours)

The analytics component contains three statistic/econometrics courses of three hours each.

BUSN 3000 and BUSN 4000 are already required of Terry BBA students. BUSN 5000 is an additional requirement.

BUSN 3000: Applied Statistics and Data Analysis for Business (3 hours)
BUSN 4000: Predictive Modeling and Optimization (3 hours)
BUSN 5000: Introduction to Data Science for Business and Economics (3 hours)

Programming

(3 hours — Select two of the following courses)

BUSN 3020E: Structured Query Language (SQL) Skills for Business Analytics (1.5 hours)
BUSN 3030E: Python Programming Skills for Business Analytics I (1.5 hours)*
BUSN 4030E: Python Programming Skills for Business Analytics II (1.5 hours)***
BUSN 3040E: R Programming Skills for Business Analytics I (1.5 hours)**
BUSN 4040E: R Programming Skills for Business Analytics II (1.5 hours)***

* BUSN 3030E is a prerequisite or co-requisite for BUSN 4030E
** BUSN 3040E is a prerequisite or co-requisite for BUSN 4040E
*** BUSN 4030E and BUSN 4040E are not regularly offered

Grade Requirements

BUSN 4000 and 5000 must be taken at the University of Georgia. Students must earn an average grade of 3.0 across these two courses. Passing marks (S or C or higher) must be earned in all other courses.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I add the Business Analytics area of emphasis to my major?

Log into Athena, select Student → Student & Registration → My Programs → Major

If you cannot add the emphasis, please email your academic advisor, terrybba@uga.edu or reghelp@uga.edu for assistance.

I’m an International Business co-major. Can I complete the Business Analytics area of emphasis?

Yes.

I’m already required to take BUSN 3000 and BUSN 4000 as part of my regular major requirements, but how will the other courses be used to satisfy my degree requirements?

All BBA majors are required to complete a minimum of 12 hours of Upper Division General Electives (UDGE). BUSN 5000 will count as 3 of those 12 hours, while the combination of at least two of the 1.5-hour BUSN programming language courses can count as another 3 hours of UDGE. These courses can also count as free electives for any students needing to reach the minimum 120-hour mark for graduation.

What are the prerequisites or co-requisites for the programming language courses?

There are no prerequisites for BUSN 3020E (SQL), BUSN 3030E (Python 1), or BUSN 3040E (R 1). However, BUSN 3030E is a prerequisite/co-requisite for BUSN 4030E (Python 2), while BUSN 3040E is a prerequisite/co-requisite for BUSN 4040E (R 2). This leads to the following possible course combinations and sequences, all of which would satisfy the requirements for the emphasis:

• BUSN 3020E (SQL) + BUSN 3030E (Python 1)
• BUSN 3020E (SQL) + BUSN 3040E (R 1)
• BUSN 3030E (Python 1) + BUSN 3040E (R 1)
• BUSN 3030E (Python 1) + BUSN 4030E (Python 2)
• BUSN 3040E (R 1) + BUSN 4040E (R 2)

Can I take more than two programming courses?

Yes. Provided they have room in their schedule, students can take all five 1.5-hour BUSN programming language courses if they wish.

What grades do I have to earn for the courses to satisfy the emphasis?

Each of the 1.5-hour online programming courses (BUSN 3020E, BUSN 3030E, BUSN 3040E, BUSN 4030E, and BUSN 4040E) are graded pass/fail (S/U), so you merely have to pass these with a satisfactory mark.

You must earn no less than a grade of C (2.0) for BUSN 3000, BUSN 4000, and BUSN 5000. However, your average grade across BUSN 4000 and BUSN 5000 must be a B (3.0).

What grades do I have to earn in BUSN 4000 and BUSN 5000 to receive a B average?

The grade numbers for the two courses must add up to six, so that when you divide by two, the result is three, denoting the B average. For example, a B- (2.7) and B+ (3.3), would average to a 3.0.

I have completed MATH 2200/2250 and ECON 4750. Can I substitute ECON 4750 for BUSN 4000?

Yes, but you must meet the same grade requirements — minimum grade of C or better; B (3.0) average across ECON 4750 and BUSN 5000.