Certificate in Business Data & Analytics

Understanding the Managerial Implications of Using Big Data and Analytics As data and the use of data continues to change the business landscape, now is the time to position yourself and your organization to be more competitive by putting the vast amount of information to work. Effectively managing data requires the ability to harness the immense volume of data and the quick influx of new information available, accurately determine the quality of the data collected, and understand how the data should be applied to the business process.

With all the buzz surrounding “big data,” the real excitement lies in the opportunity to better leverage the vast amount of data and information that a company has access to, and in understanding which tools and techniques are best for the organization. The Certificate in Business Data and Analytics (CBDA) Program is taught by thought leaders and experts in the area of business information systems from the top-ranked Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine, and provides participants with the knowledge and tools needed to take full advantage of the information and resources available to make their organizations more competitive.

Program Highlights

• World-class Merage School faculty who are thought leaders and experts in business information systems
• Full two-day program with two interactive modules per day
• Program-specific Educational Container website enhances the learning experience
• An orientation dinner plus five full days of instruction (one full day scheduled approximately once per month)
• Valuable networking opportunities throughout the program
• Approximately 70 hours of learning with forty hours of interactive classroom instruction and facilitation

Program Content

Competing with Analytics

• Overview of Big Data: What is Big Data and why do we care?
• Key learnings and best practices from successful firms
• Identifying opportunities to leverage Big Data and overcome common challenges

Data Mining Methods

• Overview of dashboards
• Data pre-processing; testing and training data
• Explore Weka and its capabilities (open source software) hands on learning
• Predictive analytics: classification using decision trees

Web, Mobile, and Social Analytics

• Social analytics: customer sentiments, engagement, and conversion
• Clickstream and search engine analytics
• A/B testing and experimentations

From Methods to Application

• Understanding the process of data analysis
• The differentiation between statistical applications and techniques
• Understanding which data analytics tool is right for your organization

"Dedicated Program Website" - Interactive Resource

Students engage materials and each other through a web-based Educational Container that enhances the learning experience before, during, and after each module. Pre-readings, extended reference libraries, videos, and additional materials are available around the clock to students. Interactions with peers, faculty, executive practitioners, and program staff are enhanced by chat, blog and posting capabilities. During the program, students maximize the value of their learning through interactive dialogue and group activities. After the program has ended, students have ongoing access to the full multimedia reference library, enhancing their ability to apply their learning in the service of enterprise initiatives as well as their own career development.

Pre-Work (2-4 hours)

• Introductory video
• Learning objectives
• Pre-module assignments
• Online quiz

Interactive Classroom Learning (4 hours)

• Academic faculty and executive practitioners co-design an co-teach module
• Recorded sessions for review
• Resources to enable transfer of learning to the workplace

Post-Work

• Reference Library
• Topical and timely articles
• Optional online chats and discussions
• Lifetime access to most current program videos and materials