Harvard Launches Online Business Analytics Program

Harvard Business School (HBS) is launching an online business analytics program for MBAs as employer demand for leaders who can crunch data to make better decisions skyrockets. 

Digital technology is pervasive in many organizations, leading to an explosion in the volume of data being generated. HBS believes that executives must be able to effectively leverage data analytics to improve an organisation’s operating model. 

While there has long been a dearth of data scientists, there has been recent explosion in interest in graduates who are skilled in the art of business analytics, in industries such as finance, healthcare and technology. According to PwC, the management consultancy firm, there are more than 800,000 job posts for data-driven decision makers, such as chief information officers and financial managers. 

The Harvard Business Analytics Program is designed for business leaders, including MBA graduates, seeking to learn new ways to analyze, interpret and take advantage of increasingly complex data across industries. Participants study online and develop core skills in the fundamentals of analytics, software design, architecture and data science. 

The program comes as more business schools create business analytics courses to satisfy intensifying recruiter demand for data-savvy talent. Last year, MIT Sloan launched a master of business analytics degree priced at US$75,000.

Harvard’s business and engineering schools will work with 2U, a digital education platform, to deliver online classes in a seminar-style setting. Students will also participate in two on-campus learning experiences at the HBS campus in Boston.