The University of Dayton this fall launches a new business analytics major to meet growing industry demand.

“Companies have access to more data than ever before, but making sense of it can be difficult,” said School of Business Administration Dean Trevor Collier. “This degree equips students with the business and technological skills they need to leverage data to help organizations make strategic decisions.”

Students will take classes in database design, business intelligence and machine learning, and complete a capstone to address a challenge for a client. They will graduate into a field that is expected to grow faster than average in Ohio — nearly 16% between 2018 and 2028, according to the Great Lakes Benchmark Analysis.

UD has offered a minor in business analytics since 2012. Senior Troy Hyde, an accounting and management information systems double major, said the classes in the minor along with hands-on projects, such as improving wait times at a local clinic by assessing data, have given him a foundation of analytic skills he can build on throughout his career. 

“​​The business world will continue to be data driven and a business analytics minor gave me the tools necessary to analyze, transform and utilize data in a way that was applicable to both of my majors,” Hyde said. “I feel that I have a leg up on some of my peers as a result of this minor and I'm confident I can positively impact the company I work for with the skills I will be able to bring to the table.”

About 98% of UD’s undergraduate business students are employed, pursuing a graduate degree or in a full-time service program within six months of graduation, according to UD Career Services' Flyer First Destination survey. The school is AACSB accredited, the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide.

More information on the business analytics major is available on UD’s website.