LECTURER: Hi, everyone.
welcome to information on the Masters of Business Analytics
and the Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics.
So, Business Analytics is the science of how to leverage,
present, analyse, organise and collect data
with the aim to make better organisational decisions
through the transformation of data
into organisational knowledge.
My name is Catherine Leighton, and I'm the program director for
the Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics,
and the Masters of Business Analytics
offered at UWA through the business school.
These programs are offered
through our newly established Centre
for business data analytics.
The centre is the focal point for faculty,
industry partners and students
who aim to become thought leaders in Australia
and globally in the area of
data informed decision making.
As part of the centre we have industry advisors,
guest speakers, annual conferences,
and hackathons which you as a student
are invited to participate in.
And we would really hope that
you would be part of our community
if you come to study with us.
So, growing industry.
So, in recent years,
the explosion of availability of data
and the success of technology companies
in leveraging data
has made data a critical element
for organisational decision making.
This has resulted in very high demand
for professionals with the combination of skills
for analysing large data sets,
extracting business insights,
and deriving actionable business plans.
We know that higher demands
lead to higher salaries in the field,
ranging from an average around 90 to 100
for junior Business Analytics professionals,
and 140 to 160 for seasoned professionals.
And this is according to Seek Australia.
Employers are seeking out
individuals with these unique skill sets
across multiple industries
including banking and finance,
health care, oil and gas
mining, transportation and logistics,
just to name a few.
So, just a little bit about our course.
So, we understand that
the demand for data professionals
is growing almost exponentially.
However the supply is lagging
and the industry needs qualified professionals
to meet this demand.
The Masters of Business Analytics program
grew from this need,
and was first offered
in semester one this year 2020.
We have had huge interest in our program
from both local and international students,
clearly demonstrating that
there was a gap in the market
for this sort of program.
The program provides students
with the analytical skills needed to extract meaning
from complex data sets.
The ability to converse with other technical experts
and the capacity to make meaning
out of the output.
Our program therefore provides transferable skills
that are demanded by industry.
Students will benefit from
our strong industry partnerships
with UWA Business School
and through our Centre for Business Data Analytics,
which I discussed previously.
Our business school professors
are world class leaders.
So, students will be learning from
these world thought leaders,
and all together with UWA strong reputation
and high world class ranking
will provide excellent opportunities
for our graduates.
So, what sets us apart from our competitors?
So, this slide presents
the unique aspects of our program.
So, the UWA Masters of Business Analytics
does not require any programming
or coding experience,
which I'm sure is a relief to many students.
We start from the very basics,
and our focus is on teaching both R and Python.
And we look at how to apply analytics
in a business context.
We offer both data science units
through the School of Physics, Mathematics and Computing,
and our Business Analytics
through the UWA Business School.
This is unique in that students get data science
and analytic skills with a business focus.
In our seminars, we teach real world applications
including the use of case studies with real data.
We have a capstone unit,
the business industry project,
where students work within an organisation
to help them with a data focus problem.
I'll discuss more about this on a later slide.
Lastly, we have world class facilities
and do much of our teaching face to face
in the Rosemarie Nathan Trading Room
at the UWA Business School.
This room has won global awards
for its teaching technology.
What students learn. So, this slide
gets into the specifics of our program.
Students who undertake the program
will learn how to analyse situations
where data driven decisions
will help guide business outcomes and actions.
Students will learn which analytical tools
or techniques are suited to
particular business problems.
And students will gain hands on experience
in analysing large and complex data sets.
In our seminars.
Communication is key and students will learn
how to communicate complex analytical output
in an easily understood way
that is relevant to their audience.
Lastly, students will learn how to
translate data insights into business actions,
and how to make better
data driven business decisions.
So, the course structure.
So, here is the core structure for the program.
You can see there's a lot of flexibility
with the master's program.
We have three core units.
The Fundamentals of Business Analytics,
Data Storytelling,
and then, Business Analytics Industry Project,
which is equivalent to two units.
And so you take this unit
at the end as a capstone unit.
So, the fundamentals of business analytics unit
provides the fundamental skills
needed to progress in Business Analytics.
Students learn how to use
different sophisticated analytical tools
and techniques such as
R python's data sets and Tableau,
and identify appropriate analytical methods
such as predictive modelling, simulation,
optimisation, classification, clustering
and pattern recognition for business situations.
They learn how to communicate analytical findings
in a non technical way
and translate these findings into business actions.
The data storytelling unit
provides key competences to
effectively present data and findings
to a business audience.
Students are able to identify
appropriate data visualisations
for different types of data,
gain practical experience in the use of
different sophisticated analytical tools
and techniques to visualise and analyse data
and communicate analytical findings efficiently,
effectively and in a non-technical way.
Students complete the Fundamentals of Business Analytics
and Data Storytelling units early in their degree.
Then students choose
an additional three units from Group A.
The Group A units, as you can see
are more of the business focused units.
I hear, people, Analytics is a really good unit, by the way.
I hear that the lecturer is excellent. It's me.
And students venture into five units from Group B.
The group B units tend to be
the more analytics focused units.
And you can say that there's really
a broad range of units there.
So, students can really tailor the course
to their needs and career interests.
OK. Hands on experience.
The industry project unit, which I mentioned earlier
is equivalent to two units.
And what it's designed to do is
deliver hands on experience for students
working with a real company
on a real analytics problem.
The practicum converges on
the skills of analysis,
business understanding, technology,
communication and teamwork.
At the end of the term,
student teams demonstrate
their newly acquired skills
by presenting their findings
and recommendations to industry partners
in a unique forum.
OK. So, here's a list of career opportunities
for graduates of the Masters of Business Analytics.
As data is the fabric of most businesses,
this is only a small list of the many
jobs and opportunities that are relevant
for graduates of our program.
Also, I shouldn't forget
the Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics.
The Graduate Certificate comprises four units of the Master's program.
And this is a really great way
if you don't want to commit to the Master's program.
And if you can study part time,
you can start with the graduate certificate
and then move into the Masters, if that's of interest.
So, graduate certificate
is part of that pathway in the master's program.
So, it's four units at the start of the program.
OK. So, thank you everyone.
Please contact me for more information.
If you're interested in the program, drop me an email.
Any questions, comments, concerns,
love to hear from everybody.
I'm really excited about the program
and about data analytics and careers going forward.
So, please feel free to reach out to me
if you've got any questions,
comments, concerns. Thank you.