Master of Science in Business Analytics

www.desales.edu/msba

610.282.1100, ext. 1226

Dr. Karen E. Kent, Dr. Brennan Pursell, Co-Directors
610.282.1100, ext. 2827 and 1226
msba@desales.edu

Joseph Zukauskas
Assistant Director

Barbara Markwalter
Assistant Director

Jennifer Vorhis
Program Administrator

Mission Statement

The mission of the DeSales University MSBA program is to provide a transformative educational experience within the Catholic Salesian tradition. We develop knowledgeable, ethical professionals who will experience socially useful and dynamic, rewarding careers. The DeSales MSBA prepares students from a wide range of backgrounds for positions as business analysts, data analysts, and data scientists in corporations, government agencies, healthcare organizations, and not-for-profit entities.

Distinguishing characteristics of the DeSales MSBA:

Quality instruction from teacher-practitioners
Development of applied software and programming skills
Orientation for ethics and values
Customized advising and career support
Strong core curriculum, which links theory to practice

Learning Outcomes

Students upon graduation should be able to:

Explain how descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics and their associated methods can improve decisions throughout an organization’s value chain
Define business problems, and gather requirements, plan, organize, and execute the iterative processes necessary to solve them
Consolidate and prepare datasets for analysis and develop informative, relevant visualizations
Apply appropriate statistical and algorithmic calculations, tools, and tests in dataset analysis
Communicate business-relevant results effectively and tell persuasive data analytics stories in both written and spoken formats
Manage and govern datasets throughout the analytical process while considering legal, ethical, and social impacts for the organization

Admission Requirements

Requirements for admission to the MSBA program are

A Bachelor’s degree from a college or university accredited by one of the six regional accrediting bodies (Middle States, New England, North Central, Northwest, Southern, and Western Association of Schools and Colleges) or its equivalent from a foreign institution
Acceptable level of academic quality in undergraduate work. Normally, this is defined as having achieved an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0, or an acceptable score on the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). Candidates with a GPA below 3.0 may still be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Computer literacy and familiarity with basic, business-oriented software

All admission decisions and admission related matters must be approved by the MSBA Program Directors. Applicants will be notified at the earliest possible date about their admission status.

Prerequisite Foundation Courses

Applicants who have not successfully completed undergraduate course equivalents outlined in the following sections of this catalog must do so by any of the following options:

Completion of the equivalent undergraduate courses identified in the Undergraduate Foundation Courses section of this catalog.
Undergraduate level CLEP examination, which is described in the University’s Undergraduate Catalog.
Completion of equivalent graduate courses described in the Graduate Level Foundation Courses section of this catalog.

If possible, prerequisite foundation course requirements should be satisfied before pursuing graduate level core, concentration, or elective courses so as to ensure adequate academic background, which is assumed in these advanced courses.

Prior academic course work to satisfy the undergraduate foundation course requirements should normally have been completed within the seven years preceding the date of acceptance into the program, with course grades of “C” or better. Each course should be the equivalent of at least three credit hours of academic work. In special circumstances, the MSBA Program Director may waive this requirement.

Undergraduate Foundation Courses

Undergraduate Foundation Courses are listed:

Principles of Macroeconomics
Principles of Microeconomics
Principles of Management
Quantitative Business Analysis/ Statistical Methods
Principles of Marketing

Graduate Level Foundation Courses

As an alternative to completing the undergraduate foundation course requirements, students may elect to complete the corresponding graduate level foundation course(s) from the list below:

FD 501  Essentials of Economics
FD 502  Management and Marketing Principles
FD 506  Managerial Statistics

These courses facilitate accelerated coverage of prerequisite subject matter. The pace is rapid and significant preparation outside of class is expected.

Qualified candidates may take FD 505 Foundations of Business. The foundation course is offered in an accelerated 12-week session covering 5 modules: management, marketing, macroeconomics, microeconomics, and accounting. The course requires a substantial amount of independent study.

Completion of any of the above listed courses does not reduce or substitute the MSBA graduation requirements. Grades earned in these courses will not be computed in the graduate GPA. Information about the equivalency between undergraduate foundation courses and graduate level foundation courses is available through the MSBA office.

Computer Literacy

The University expects all incoming students to be “computer-literate,” which is defined as being familiar with and capable of using Microsoft Office Suite, and Internet Search Engines. Applicants lacking this background should acquire it by completing relevant coursework at the University or by some approved alternative.

Academic Schedule

The academic year of the MSBA program consists of four main sessions, along with mini-sessions:

Summer (6 weeks) early July - mid August
Fall (12 weeks) late Aug. - late November, (8 weeks) early September - early November
Winter (12 weeks) early January - late March, (8 weeks) mid-January - early March
Spring (12 weeks) early April - late June, (6 weeks) mid-May - late June

The Academic Calendar can be found at www.desales.edu.

During the 12-week sessions, courses meet once a week in a variety of delivery formats (on-site, online, hybrid, or FLEX) from 6:00 - 9:30 p.m. During the 6-week summer session, courses meet in a variety of delivery formats (on-site, online, hybrid, or FLEX) twice a week from 6:00 - 9:30 p.m.

One-credit courses are offered throughout the year.

Student Status

A full-time student is one who carries at least six (6) credits in a given term.

A half-time student is one who carries at least three (3) credits in a given term.

International Student Status

In addition to the criteria described in the Academic Regulations section, an international student (F-1 visa) needs to

maintain full-time student status (2 courses per 12-week session),
carry at least one classroom-based course in each session, and
take no more than one distance-education course in each session.

Student Categories

Applicants may be admitted to the MSBA program in one of the following categories:

Regular Student Category
A student in this category must have met all admission and foundation course requirements.

Provisional Student Category
A student in this category needs to fulfill foundation and/or specified grade requirements as set forth by the MSBA Directors. The student will be eligible for regular student status when all requirements have been met.

Special Student Category
A qualified applicant who has not formally applied to the program may be permitted by the directors to enroll as a special student in a maximum of two MSBA courses. The applicant must satisfy all admission requirements before enrolling in any additional MSBA courses.

Auditing Student Category
The MSBA program directors may permit qualified applicants to audit selected courses. Such applicants must complete the MSBA application form and pay tuition for any courses to be audited. Audited courses may not be counted toward graduation requirements.

Application Procedure

Application is completed online and is accepted on a rolling basis. Interested students are encouraged to discuss their background with an advisor before submitting their formal application for admission.

Formal action on a prospective student’s application for admission cannot be taken until all of the following have been received:

A completed application form.
Two professional references.
Official transcripts of all prior undergraduate and graduate coursework.
Current resume and/or LinkedIn profile URL.
A personal essay in which the applicant outlines objectives, capabilities, and motivation for pursuing graduate study.
If required, GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test) scores.
For international students only, TOEFL scores, with a minimum score of 90 is expected for admission. In addition, a WES or similar evaluation is needed to determine undergraduate degree equivalency and GPA
A non-refundable application fee (can be waived if candidate attends an MSBA information session).

When all the application items are received, the MSBA Program Directors will review a candidate’s application packet for approval.

Completed application items should be submitted at least one month in advance of the date on which the applicant plans to begin graduate coursework.

Transfer Policy

Regular students may transfer a maximum of nine graduate credits into the MSBA program. Transfer credits are acceptable for courses completed with a minimum grade of “B” at an accredited institution within ten years of acceptance into the program, must be compatible with the MSBA curriculum, and must be approved by the program directors. Additional transfer credits must be approved by the dean of graduate education upon the recommendation of the program directors. In order to transfer graduate credits into the MSBA program, students must submit an official transcript, course description and course syllabus for each transferred course.

Registration

Once admitted into the MSBA program, students will receive an e-mail containing login instructions for the MyDSU portal. The student will use this portal to access WebAdvisor, Blackboard Learn, and the library resources. WebAdvisor is the web-based platform used to register for class. Students may register for class as soon as each session schedule is posted in WebAdvisor.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fees are available at www.desales.edu/msba.

Refund Amount for 12 Week Classes (Please check with advisor for 8 week and 6 week policy)

Drops during the add/drop period: 100% of tuition refunded.

Withdrawal after the 1st class after the close of the add drop period: 80% of tuition refunded.

Withdrawal after the 2nd class after the close of the add drop period: 65% of tuition refunded

Withdrawal after the 3rd class after the close of the add drop period: 50% of tuition refunded

Withdrawal after the 4th class after the close of the add drop period: 25% of tuition refunded

Withdrawal after the 5th class after the close of the add drop period: No refund

MSBA Probation Regulation

A student may be placed on probation at any time after completion of 12 credits if their GPA falls below a 3.0. Program foundation courses are excluded from GPA calculations. The student will remain on probation until the GPA improves and the student reaches a 3.0, or for one year, whichever comes first. If after one year the student’s GPA remains below a 3.0, but substantial progress has been made, an appeal can be submitted to the director of the program, asking for an extended time to improve the GPA. An additional two sessions may be approved. Carrying a GPA of less than a 3.0 after this process will result in dismissal from the MSBA program.

Graduation Requirements

The MSBA degree will be awarded to candidates who have satisfied the following requirements

Satisfactory completion of the required 10 graduate level courses (30* credit hours) with a GPA of at least 3.0, and no more than two grades below the “B-” level. The required 10 graduate level courses are described in the Program Structure section.
Achievement of a minimum grade of “B” in the required capstone course, BA 510 Business Analytics Capstone
Fulfillment of all financial obligations to the University

No special written or oral examination or special research project report is necessary to meet the minimum graduation requirements. Similarly, there is no thesis requirement.

Course Waiver

The directors may waive BA 501 for those DeSales undergraduates who earned an A grade in MG 226.

Attendance

Consistent attendance is essential and expected to participate in, contribute to, and profit from classroom discussions and other activities. Possible absences should be discussed with the instructor and missed work must be made up for the successful completion of the course.

Technology Requirements for Online/Hybrid Learning

Students will need a laptop (PC or Mac) or access to a desktop computer in order to receive the best compatibility and functionality when taken courses at DeSales University. Tablets and mobile phones can be used as supplemental technology but will not have the same capabilities as a full computer.

Requirements for PC
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 or higher
Browser: Microsoft Edge (version 20 or higher), Google Chrome (version 69 or higher), or Mozilla Firefox (version 69 or higher)
Pop-Up blocking should be disabled in all browsers

Requirements for Mac
Operating System: Macintosh OS 10.13 (High Sierra) or higher
Browser: Safari (version 19 or higher), Google Chrome (version 69or higher), or Mozilla Firefox (version 69 or higher)
Pop-Up blocking disabled

Hardware
Specific courses require different hardware. It is the student’s responsibility to find out what hardware is needed to participate in the course. Common hardware includes:

Computer speakers or headset: Many courses include videos or audio lectures which require use of speakers or headset.
Microphone or headset with microphone: A microphone may be required if your course includes live audio chat over the Internet. You can purchase a computer headset with microphone at most office supply or electronics stores. A USB headset works best with Mac.
Webcam: A camera is required for videoconferencing, secure online testing, and presentation assignments. Cameras that come integrated with laptops work well. External cameras can be purchased online or at office supply and electronics stores.

Software
Specific courses require different software. It is the student’s responsibility to find out what software is needed to participate in the course. MS Word is usually the standard for word processing but any program that will save files as PDF will work. Adobe Acrobat Reader or some other program that reads PDF files is also often a requirement.

E-mail
Students enrolled in distance education or online courses are required to use their DeSales University e-mail. Please view the DeSales University e-mail policy.

Graduate Certificate Programs

Graduate Certificate Programs are ideal for students who seek to expand their current qualifications, are considering a reentry into higher education, or who want to jumpstart their Master’s degree by completing coursework that applies towards the MSBA degree. We offer two that are “stackable.”

Software Solutions
Data Modeling

After completion of both certificates, a student need only complete one more functional elective course and the BA510 Business Analytics Capstone in order to complete the MSBA.