B.S. Business Administration, Business Analytics Concentration/M.S. Finance and Investment Management Combined Program

Overview

Objective:	This combined B.S/M.S. degree program is designed to provide qualified students the opportunity to complete two degree programs in under five years. Upon successful completion of the program, a student will earn a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Business Analytics and an M.S. in Business Analytics.
Requirements:	Completion of all degree requirements for both the B.S.B.A. in Business Analytics and the M.S. Business Analytics with six credits of graduate-level courses that will count towards undergraduate Business Analytics concentration electives.

Program Prerequisites and Admission Requirements

Admission to the Cameron School of Business as a Business Analytics concentration student
Minimum GPA: 3.0
Completion of the B.S./M.S. Combined Program in Business Analytics Application Form
Completion of the Undergraduate Request to Enroll in Graduate Courses Form
Two letters of recommendation
Cover letter and resume

Rational For Proposed Plan

This program is an opportunity for students who excel in business analytics to pursue a specialized master’s program. The combined program will benefit students in several ways:

Waiver of the graduate application fee and admission to the MSBA program (pending completion of MSBA program admission requirements)
Allows six credit hours of graduate course work to satisfy six credit hours of undergraduate concentration requirements
Avoids some duplication of content between undergraduate and graduate courses

Curriculum

Students must complete all requirements for the B.S. Business Administration with a Business Analytics Concentration as well as the requirements for the M.S. in Business Analytics.

B.S. Business Administration, Business Analytics Concentration Requirements:

BAN 300 - Introduction to Business Analytics
BAN 302 - Predictive Analysis
BAN 303 - Prescriptive Analysis
MIS 315 - Management of Database Systems (Replaced by MIS 504 Database for Analytics .)
Three elective courses (from approved list, with one elective replaced by MIS 503 Programming for Analytics ).

M.S. Business Analytics Requirements

BAN 500 – Descriptive Analytics
BAN 501 – Prescriptive Analytics
BAN 502 – Predictive Analytics
MIS 503 – Programming for Analytics (Replaces one undergraduate BAN elective)
MIS 504 – Database for Analytics (Replaces MIS 315)
MIS 505 – Data Visualization
BAN 525 – Case Studies in Business Analytics
BAN 530 – Applications of Business Analytics
Two elective courses (from approved list)

Timeline

Students who successfully complete the two 500-level MSBA courses and all remaining B.S. Business Administration degree requirements are awarded the B.S. in Business Administration with a Business Analytics Concentration.
In the final semester of their B.S. program, students will apply for admission to the MSBA program. If admitted to the MSBA, the six credits earned at the 500-level will count towards the degree requirements of the M.S. Business Analytics degree.
Note: Students that receive acceptance into the combined degree program are still subject to the admission requirements for the MSBA program. Admission to the combined degree program does not guarantee admission to the MSBA program.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How many classes will students need to complete to earn the MSBA?
A: Students must complete the full 30 credits of MSBA courses, but six of those credits can be earned before they begin the program.

Q: Can students be admitted to the MSBA program upon graduation from the BSBA if they earn Cs in their 500-level electives?
A: Graduate applications will be evaluated based on our existing admissions criteria. A student who meets the criteria can be admitted to the MSBA program. Courses at the 500-level in which the student earned a grade of C will not count towards the MSBA degree requirements and must be replaced or retaken after advising by the MSBA Director.

Q: What if I have additional questions about this program?
A: Please direct questions to Dr. Stephen Hill (hills@uncw.edu), Director of the MSBA Program.