Business Administration (MBA) – Business Analytics Director: Celene M.

Kalivoda, DBA
INTRODUCTION Gannon University is a student-oriented teaching university. This philosophy guides
our approach to curriculum design, teaching, and advising. We recognize and understand the
dramatic changes ongoing in the world of business. The MBA in Business Analytics program is
designed to offer students a contemporary learning experience by infusing the application of
technology and data analysis into coursework covering the functional areas of business. Students
will apply the appropriate methodologies for analyzing data in the context of a specific business
perspective in courses such as business forecasting, financial modeling, and data-driven strategic
planning. With a focus on utilization of today’s modern business tools to analyze data and make
data-driven decisions in any of the functional areas of business, graduates of the MBA in Business
Analytics will be prepared for employment across a broad spectrum of disciplines, including
marketing, supply chain management, human resources and finance. Consistent with Gannon’s
entrepreneurial spirit, the MBA in Business Analytics will also include coursework designed to
develop a student’s entrepreneurial mindset, identify, and assess business opportunities and even
finance a potential venture. Gannon University’s MBA program was founded in 1970 and our
experience as the region’s first and largest graduate school of business has taught us some
important lessons. Simply having a master’s degree, regardless of the type of degree or apparent
status of the degree-granting institution, is no assurance of success. To succeed in business,
individuals need applicable skills, an understanding of the complex business environment and an
appreciation for the value of work itself. Our network of over 1,400 MBA alumni is a proud
testament to Gannon’s ability to make success happen for its graduate students. Gannon MBA
Alumni include Presidents/ CEO’s, Vice Presidents, CFO’s, Treasurers, and Managing Partners. In
addition, over 60 have earned advanced degrees, including doctorates from some of the most
prestigious academic institutions in North America (Indiana University, University of Michigan and
University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Stanford University to name a few). More than 45
Gannon MBA’s are currently teaching in colleges and universities. Business Administration (MBA) –
Business Analytics 43 OUTCOMES OF THE MBA IN BUSINESS ANALYTICS PROGRAM Upon successful
completion of the program requirements, students will be able to: • Analyze data and apply
managerial skills to identify business problems, manage risk, or identify and create new business
opportunities and propose data-driven recommendations or solutions • Display competence with
oral, written and graphical communications, appropriate for professional business environments •
Demonstrate appropriate leadership skills while recognizing and assessing moral and ethical
components and complexity of challenges faced by global businesses • Translate and communicate
results of business analytic projects into action that meets a desired outcome ACCREDITATION The
Master of Business Administration program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business
Schools and Programs (ACBSP), a global accreditation body for business schools. STEM CERTIFIED
The Gannon University MBA in Business Analytics is a STEM Designated Degree Program. This
designation makes it possible for international graduates to remain in the United States for an
additional 24 months after graduation and receive training through work experience. ADMISSION
REQUIREMENTS For all students: • A Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline from an accredited college
or university • A cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher. • If your undergraduate GPA is less
than a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, there are two options: – Take the GMAT and achieve a score of 1050 using
the formula: 200 x (undergraduate GPA) + GMAT score. – GMAT requirement may be waived based
on professional experience following the Program Director’s review of application • A completed
application for admission • Official transcripts from all prior institutions • TOEFL scores if English is
not a first language NOTE: For Global Students applying from India: Business and Business related 3-
year degrees with relevant GPA and other requirements from “NAAC” grade B or higher accredited
universities in India, subject to taking prerequisite courses as needed, are considered for Admission
to the MBA in Business Analytics. CURRICULUM The Gannon MBA in Business Analytics is a
professional degree program. Our students have varied academic and professional backgrounds. For
MBA candidates whose undergraduate degree is in a field other than Business and/or those who
have not obtained the prerequisite competencies required for the core courses, Gannon has
partnered with Peregrine Academic Services for students to take Academic Leveling Courses (ALC).
An ALC is a course that provides a summary or overview of key concepts related to competencies
required as foundational knowledge for entry into the program. As a program prerequisite, the ALC
sequence ensures students have demonstrated an appropriate level of competency in order to
maximize success with the MBA core coursework. For the Gannon University MBA program, the
ALCs will be completed by all students holding a Bachelor’s degree in a non-business field. The
curriculum contains 30 credits of required courses. The ALCs are not credit bearing courses. The
following competencies, obtainable through ALCs if not part of the students’ undergraduate degree
requirements, must be met before starting the MBA in Business Analytics core curriculum: •
Foundations of Accounting • Foundations of Quantitative Research Techniques and Statistics •
Foundations of Marketing • Foundations of Business Integration and Strategic Management •
Foundations of Business Finance • Foundations of Microeconomics Any students who do not wish to
take Peregrine ALCs but need foundational knowledge before starting the core curriculum for the
MBA in Business Analytics can obtain the requisite competencies by enrolling in undergraduate
coursework as outlined below. Students must pass each requirement with a grade of B or better to
meet the foundational requirements. Note: Credits earned via these courses do NOT count towards
the 30 total credit hours required to earn the MBA in Business Analytics degree. • Foundations of
Accounting…must take BCOR 214 and BCOR 215* • Foundations of Quantitative Research
Techniques and Statistics… must take MATH 115 and BCOR 220 • Foundations of Marketing…must
take BCOR 240 • Foundations of Business Integration and Strategic Management… must take BCOR
250 • Foundations of Business Finance…must take BCOR 311 • Foundations of Microeconomics…
must take BCOR 111 Note: *If students pursue the undergraduate coursework option to fulfill the
competency requirements to enter the MBA program, they will need permission from the Program
Director to waive specific prerequisites. 44 Gannon MBA in Business Analytics Core Courses (30
credits total, semester courses are traditionally offered are indicated) GMBA 615: Technological
Environment of Business – Fall and Spring GMBA 625: Data Driven Strategic Planning and Decision-
Making – Fall and Spring GMBA 635: Financial Management and Modeling – Fall and Spring GMBA
645: Strategic Global Marketing and Analytics – Spring GMBA 655: Socially Responsible Leadership –
Fall and Summer GMBA 665: Operations and Supply Chain Analytics – Spring GMBA 675: Managing
Organizational Behavior and Dynamics – Spring and Summer GMBA 685: Organizational
Communication and Data Visualization Fall GMBA 695: Entrepreneurship in a Technological
Environment – Fall GMBA 725: Integrated Business Strategy and Analytics – Fall and Spring (Course
must be taken during the student’s last semester in the MBA in Business Analytics Program)
STANDARD MBA GRADING SCALE Numerical Grade Letter Grade Grade Points (per credit hour) 97+
A+ 4.0 93-96.99 A 4.0 90-92.99 A- 3.7 87-89.99 B+ 3.3 83-86.99 B 3.0 80-82.99 B- 2.7 77-79.99 C+ 2.3
70-76.99 C 2.0 Below 70 F 0 4+1 MBA IN BUSINESS ANALYTICS DEGREE PROGRAM The 4+1 MBA in
Business Analytics Degree Program is designed to allow outstanding undergraduate students the
opportunity to earn both an undergraduate degree and an MBA within a five year period. Students
from any major may apply and should do so before they begin their junior year. Working with both
the undergraduate advisor and the MBA Business Analytics Program Director, the student will
customize a schedule in which they will take graduate courses during their junior or senior year.
Students who successfully complete these courses may apply to continue into the MBA-Business
Analytics program to complete the remaining credits. Applicants to the program must have a 3.0
undergraduate GPA. Retention in the program requires that the student maintain a minimum of a
3.0 GPA for their undergraduate studies. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS International students who do
not wish to take Peregrine ALCs but need foundational knowledge before starting the core
curriculum for the MBA in Business Analytics can obtain the requisite competencies by enrolling in
undergraduate coursework. See section above “Curriculum” for the undergraduate course
equivalents for the ALC’s required in the program. As noted, students must pass each requirement
with a grade of B or better and credits earned via these undergraduate courses do NOT count
towards the 30 total credit hours required to earn the MBA in Business Analytics degree.
INTERNSHIPS Gannon MBA students may, with permission of the MBA Program Director, accept
placements in fields that are related to their academic studies. Students may take a 1 or 3 credit
internship with the permission of the MBA Program Director, provided the experience adds to the
student’s knowledge and ability in their chosen field of study. COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
FOUNDATIONAL COURSES - ACADEMIC LEVELING COURSES Below competencies, met through the
Peregrine Academic Level Courses or through undergraduate coursework, are prerequisites for all
GMBA courses in the MBA in Business Analytics. All competencies must be met before students can
begin coursework. See Peregrine Academic Services Website for Descriptions of the Academic
Leveling Course Modules (non-credit bearing) below: Foundations of Accounting Foundations of
Quantitative Research Techniques and Statistics Foundations of Marketing Foundations of Business
Integration and Strategic Management Foundations of Business Finance Foundations of
Microeconomics CORE COURSES GMBA 615 Technological Environment of Business 3 credits;
Prerequisite: None In this course, students will learn how to identify external variables and
technological factors that influence business performance and operations. Students will explore the
transformational needs of the business’s operating strategy in response to technological changes,
with the intent of harnessing change for the firm’s growth. The course will also involve the analysis
and development of robust business models sensitive to fluctuations in the environment. Case
studies relating to successful and bankrupt companies, whose status was directly influenced by
changes in the technological environment will be analyzed. Business Administration (MBA) –
Business Analytics 45 GMBA 625 Data Driven Strategic Planning and Decision-Making 3 credits;
Prerequisite: None Businesses face shifts in regulation, customer expectations and technology,
requiring professionals to adapt quickly and effectively to remain competitive. This course examines
the technologies, information, and analytics that are important for effective management and
control of modern firms. With a focus on dynamic decision making and optimization approaches for
complex decisions as well as strategies for data driven decision making, you’ll learn to look at
company data from a deeper perspective and use the data to make decisions that will strengthen
your competitive position in the marketplace. GMBA 635 Financial Management and Modeling 3
credits Prerequisites: GMBA 615 and GMBA 625 This course applies analytical techniques and
modeling to the study of corporate finance and capital markets. The course emphasizes the cost of
capital, forecasting, capital budgeting, sources of short and long term capital, corporate
distributions, and working capital management. Students will be immersed in real-life financial data
analytics through the use of data mining and associated tools, such as SAP/SAS and Microsoft Excel.
In addition, students’ analytical skills will be honed using techniques such as scenario and sensitivity
analysis, optimization and regression. GMBA 645 Strategic Global Marketing and Analytics 3 credits
Prerequisites: GMBA 615 and GMBA 625 This course exposes students to analytical tools, models
and processes applied by business practitioners to develop data-driven decisions in today’s complex
and dynamic marketing environment. Students will synthesize data from various sources such as
marketing research, social media, CRM processes and ERP solutions using data mining and web
scraping as well as primary and secondary data-gathering methods. Students will develop insights
from the data utilizing statistical techniques as well as sentiment and qualitative data analysis. They
will apply their insights to assess consumer and business-purchasing behaviors in order to generate
strategic marketing plans through intelligence-grounded decisions. This knowledge will be applied in
real-world situations in the development of situation analyses, segmentation, value-proposition
development, positioning, targeting, branding, promotional planning and development of key
performance indicators for control and improvement processing. GMBA 655 Socially Responsible
Leadership 3 credits Prerequisites or Concurrently with GMBA 615 and GMBA 625 This course
exposes students to the fundamental concepts of business ethics within the context of leadership
theories and thought. The course examines the dynamic and complex technological environment of
business and considers the need for leaders to effectively manage ethically challenging situations
while balancing the needs and expectations of multiple corporate stakeholders. Topics that will be
examined include effective leadership behavior, leading change and innovation, participative
leadership and empowerment, leadership traits and skills, contingency theories and adaptive
leadership, dyadic relations and followers, charismatic and transformational leadership, ethical,
servant, spiritual, and authentic leadership, and cross-cultural leadership and diversity. GMBA 665
Operations and Supply Chain Analytics 3 credits Prerequisites: GMBA 615 and GMBA 625 This course
is designed to introduce students to the principles of operations and supply chain management,
their application in decision-making, and an understanding of the available technology. Students will
be introduced to frameworks and ideas that provide understanding into real-world business
challenges, utilizing methods and analytical tools for tackling the challenges both quantitative and
qualitatively. The goal of this course is for students to understand how operational decisions
influence the overall value chain in both financial and non-financial metrics. The topics covered
include logistics, transportation, inventory management, warehousing, materials management,
global supply, demand management, project management, e-commerce, finance, and network
design. GMBA 675 Managing Organizational Behavior and Dynamics 3 credits Prerequisites or
Concurrently with GMBA 615 and GMBA 625 This course provides a comprehensive analysis of
individual and group behavior effective communications in an organization. Emphasis will be on the
organizational behavior and communication concepts and research findings related to the major
challenges and opportunities managers face in the complex and ever changing technological
environment of business. Topics that will be examined include job satisfaction, organizational
commitment, motivation, conflict, trust, work teams, emotional intelligence, communication in
organizations, decision making, power, organizational culture, managing organizational change,
organizational structure and design, organizational change, and organizational innovation and
creativity. 46 GMBA 685 Organizational Communication and Data Visualization 3 credits
Prerequisites: GMBA 615 and GMBA 625 This course studies the use of analytics and technology as a
mission-critical component of an organization. Visualizations are the graphical depictions of data
that improve comprehension, communication, and decision making. Graphical methods for
specialized data types will be presented including charts, tables, graphics, effective presentations,
multimedia content, and animation. The human process of encoding visual and textual information
will be discussed in relation to selecting the appropriate method for the display of quantitative and
qualitative data under various circumstances within and outside the organization and practiced to
gain proficiency in oral, written and digital communication. GMBA 695 Entrepreneurship in a
Technological Environment 3 credits Prerequisites: GMBA 615 and GMBA 625 Today, business
professionals must be aware and responsive to the way that technology both changes existing
organizations and enables the development of new ones. This course will explore the fundamentals
of entrepreneurship following a strategic path from ideation, validation, market selection,
intellectual property, funding, launch and profitability. The impact and implications of technology
will be examined; specifically, data that entrepreneurs will want/ need and how technology impacts
entrepreneurial decisions. Upon completion, students will have a greater understanding of how
technology, product and business development are linked together in order to create successful
business opportunities in a global business ecosystem with acquired skillsets in technologies and
data analytics used to market, advertise, increase market share and deliver products and services to
end users. GMBA 725 Integrated Business Strategic and Analytics 3 credits Course must be taken
during the student’s last semester in the MBA in Business Analytics Program This integrative course
enables students to synthesize and apply all the knowledge, skills and abilities learned in the
Business Analytics MBA Program. Students will complete a culminating project in which they will
develop and present data-driven strategic plan to improve the performance and sustainability of an
organization. The primary goal of this course is to challenge students to apply powerful quantitative
strategies and techniques to analyze business and market data to improve decision outcomes across
all the functional areas of an organization. GMBA 796 MBA Internship 1 credit Prerequisite:
Permission of the MBA Program Director. Students are placed in work roles related to their
professional interests and supervised by both a faculty member and a field coordinator. The student
applies knowledge and skills learned throughout the curriculum. The student will maintain a journal,
submit a paper reflecting on the work experience in the context of the academic experience, and
make a final presentation. Students are expected to work a minimum of 50 hours for a total of 1
credit. (50 hours per credit hour). GMBA 797 MBA Internship 3 credits Prerequisite: Permission of
the MBA Program Director. Students are placed in work roles related to their professional interests
and supervised by both a faculty member and a field coordinator. The student applies knowledge
and skills learned throughout the curriculum. The student will maintain a journal, submit a paper
reflecting on the work experience in the context of the academic experience, and make a final
presentation. Students are expected to work a minimum of 150 hours for a total of 3 credits. (50
hours per credit hour).