Business Analytics Certificate

The certificate has been created to help students tailor their education to their professional goals and recruiting firms' market expectations. In brief, the certificate signals your knowledge of business analytics fundamentals to external stakeholders like firms, during recruiting efforts.

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This certificate can be shared digitally on Linkedin and is issued on a blockchain, so anyone can verify it is issued from the Gies College of Business. Take a look at a real certificate below. Click on the image to see the verifiable credential.

What are some rules/criteria for being eligible for this certificate?

1. Completion of this certificate is an optional part of the GIES undergraduate programs.

2. No priority for class registration will be given for courses required in the certificate.

3. The certificate will not be displayed on the degree transcript nor on the student academic record.

4. Students with a single major must earn at least 3 hours of course credit distinct from credit earned for their major or minor. This requirement is not enforced for double majors.

5. Credit/No Credit courses cannot be applied to the certificate.

6. Students need to attain a grade of B+ (3.3 GPA) or higher in each of the courses

7. The application form can be submitted any time after the student meets the requirements. However, the certificates will be issued twice a semester. Once in the beginning and once at the end. Valid requests submitted by the end of business on the Friday in the second week of the semester will have certificates issued by end of business on the Friday of the fourth week of the semester. Requests submitted by the end of the semester before reading day will be issued before the final grades are posted.

What are courses you can take for obtaining the certificate?

Foundational Core (at least 1 of the following)

BADM 210 Business Analytics I (3 credit hours)

BADM 211 Business Analytics II (3 credit hours)

CS/STAT 107 Data Science Discovery (3 credit hours)

Modeling and Methods (at least 2 of the following)

BADM 352 Database Design and Management (3 credit hours)

BADM 356 Data Science & Analytics (3 credit hours)

BADM 374 Management Decision Models (3 credit hours)

BADM 453 Business Intelligence (3 credit hours)

Application Domain (at least 1 of the following)

ACCY 302 Decision Making for Accounting

BADM 336 Supply Chain Modeling (3 credit hours)

BADM 351 Social Media Strategy/Analytics (3 credit hours)

BADM 379 Business Process Improvement (3 credit hours)

FIN 490 Applied Financial Statement Analysis (3 credit hours)

Note: Other courses in business areas including marketing, accounting, finance will be introduced into the options above after department approval. This will happen over time and usually takes a semester for approvals. Some courses above might have restrictions by major or pre-requisites. These pre-requisites are unlikely to be waived for the purpose of obtaining this certificate.

FAQs

Does the business analytics certificate count towards a degree? Are the courses at a graduate level or undergraduate level?

The BAC is issued based on a sequence or group of courses that provides students opportunities to develop business analytics expertise. The goal of the certificate is to contribute to a student's ability to meet standards of competence within business analytics. The certificate is not a degree program, and students do not earn credit towards a specific undergraduate or graduate degree. The prerequisite courses for this certificate are all undergraduate courses.

By completing the certificate, can I earn credit towards a particular undergraduate or graduate degree?

No, students who complete the requirements for this certificate cannot transfer credit toward a degree. Noncredit certificates, such as this, provide professional education but do not carry credit toward an undergraduate or graduate degree.

What is the difference between a certificate and a certification?

Certificate programs such as the business analytics certificate offered by Gies provide professional training in relevant topics for the field. Certifications are awarded by governmental and professional agencies, and often need to be renewed to be kept active.

Do I have to apply to a specific program to begin taking the certificate courses?

Students do not need to apply to a program to begin taking courses. Certain courses, however, are restricted in entry to specific majors. So, students have to find options within each course category (Part A, B and C) that apply to their specific major, to fulfill the certificate requirements.

Is there a start date for the certificate programs?

There is no specific start date for the business analytics certificate program. Students can apply for receiving the certificate at any point in their Gies programs when they have fulfilled the course requirements. Students should keep in mind that all courses aren't offered each semester. So, it is important to plan ahead to complete the necessary requirements.

Is there a course substitution policy?

Even though there are analytics courses offered around the campus in various departments/colleges, those courses cannot be used to substitute for the courses in this certificate sequence. This is a strict rule. Please do not request substitutions.

Will I develop any programming or tool proficiency by taking the business analytics certificate course sequence?

Yes, certain courses in this sequence (BADM 210, BADM 211, CS/STAT 107, BADM 352, BADM 356, BADM 453) are designed to give you proficiency in tools/programming like Excel, Tableau, Python, and R. It is still up to the student to make the most of these opportunities and go beyond what is taught in the courses to develop high proficiency levels in these tools/programming languages.

Do I need programming language knowledge as a pre-requisite?

No, there is no programming knowledge assumed prior to taking the courses listed in the certificate. However, it is always helpful to develop proficiency in one or more languages such as Python, and R to help prepare yourself for data-driven career opportunities and for self-development.

When can I register for these courses, any exceptions?

There is no specific standing – junior/senior specifically for this certificate. The eligibility criteria for each of these courses are independently determined and must be met by the student for successful course registration. Most students would be able to register for these courses in the junior and senior years when their college core and major pre-requisites are met.

Is it possible to waive any restrictions noted above for the certificate pre-requisite courses?

No exceptions are permitted.

How long (how many semesters) will it take to complete the certificate pre-requisite courses? Are there any tests or requirements besides completing the courses?

There are no other criteria other than those explicitly stated in the beginning of this Frequently asked questions (FAQ) document. Depending on the course schedules and registration enrollment criteria, there are essentially 3/4 courses that students need to plan for. Administrators and course instructors are not going to make the certificate a priority during the enrollment period. Students enroll in these courses similar to any other courses they enroll for in the college. Some of these courses in sections B and C may have restrictions on the major, or some perquisites.

Please submit other questions pertaining to the certificate to bacertificate@business.illinois.edu