Oakland University's new business analytics minor meets industry demand

The new Business Analytics minor now available at Oakland University will help students prepare for careers in a rapidly growing business segment.

More than 90,000 job postings for business intelligence/analytics professionals are listed on Indeed.com, while business analytics occupies two spots on Computerworld’s 2015 list of 10 hottest IT skills.

“It’s hard to find people who can do math, statistics, spreadsheets, databases, computer programming – it’s a lot of skills,” Dr. Mark Isken, associate professor, who is overseeing the business analytics program.

These specialized problem solvers use any business intelligence they can, pair it with statistical analysis, data visualization, math models, data mining, scientific computing, among other tools and methods, and use the results to help businesses make better decisions.

“The program will pair well with any major and industry,” Dr. Isken adds.

The minor is open to any Oakland University undergraduate student.