Business Analytics (BANA)
BComm Concentrations
Business Analytics (BANA) is about the use of advanced software tools and technologies for data analysis and data-driven decision-making in businesses.
A concentration in BANA develops a new type of student for today’s data economy. BANA graduates are well equipped with analytical thinking, quantitative problem-solving, and computer-oriented techniques including machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyze data and create insights for fact-based decision-making. In today's world, businesses, consumers, and societies create massive amounts of data by design, and as a by-product of their activities. Businesses in every industry are harnessing the power of data to support operations, decision-making, planning, and risk management. The Haskayne School of Business Bachelor of Commerce concentration in Business Analytics provides students with the opportunity to learn how to:
- organize, store, process, and manage available business data;
- extract information from large data sets to understand the key performance measures of a business and generate insights for future trends;
- transform data into fact-based management to derive better decisions in various business functions such as operations, finance, marketing, accounting, and human resources.
Students choosing this concentration will be required to take four core courses:
- Business Technology Management 331
- Business Technology Management 431
- Operations Management 415
- Operations Management 419
Students declaring a concentration must take a required six courses. Please refer to the University of Calgary Calendar for a description of these courses and their prerequisites.
A person working with data analytics is often referred to as an analyst.
The responsibilities of a data analyst can include:
- An overall understanding of business
- Gather business/project requirements
- Investigate goals and issues
- Analyze and model needs
- Document and present findings
Beyond the technical skills, successful data analysts are also strong communicators, decision makers, and investigators with the ability to identify options for solving specific problems.
BANA graduates can work in mid- to large-sized enterprises in all sectors as well as in consulting companies as Business Analytics professionals. The leading sectors that are continuously recruiting Business Analytics professionals are Management Consulting, Finance, Internet-Based Businesses, Logistics, Oil and Gas, Retail, and Telecommunications.
Some of the relevant job titles of positions in different businesses and sectors are
- Business Analyst
- Business Intelligence Analyst
- Risk Analytics
- Data Scientist
- Data and Business Insights Analyst
- Director of Data and Analytics
- Business Modelling and Decision Analytics
- Data Mining and Analysis
- Analytics and Insights Analyst
- Financial Analyst
- Marketing Analytics
Year Two
- OPMA 317
- BTMA 317
- MGST 391
Year Three
- BTMA 331 - Fall
- OPMA 415 - Fall
- OPMA 419 - Winter
Year Four
- BTMA 431 - Fall
- Two of: BTMA 333, BTMA 455, BTMA 459, BTMA 465, BTMA 467, BTMA 531
- OPMA 401, OPMA 407, OPMA 409, OPMA 411, OPMA 421, CPSC 319
Note: Course sequencing is recommended, not mandatory.
Business Technology Club (BT Club)
Academic, social, and networking events are the focus of BT Club.
- Raymond Patterson, Professor, Area Chair, BTMA | (403) 220-4276
- Osman Alp, Associate Professor, Area Chair, OSCM | (403) 220-3477