Everything I learned in my Masters in Business Analytics

Arika Reddy
30 Mar 202212:48
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRIn this video, Erica shares her experience with the Master's in Business Analytics program at Duke University, highlighting the balance between business and technical courses. She discusses the variety of classes she took, including business fundamentals, communication, critical thinking, and specific strategy track courses. Erica emphasizes the practical applications and the value of the skills she acquired, providing insight into the program's comprehensive curriculum.

Takeaways
  • πŸŽ“ Erica's Master's in Business Analytics at Duke University was a 10-month program with a focus on balancing business and technical aspects.
  • 🏫 The MQM Business Analytics program at Duke University offers a Strategy track for students interested in consulting and technical consulting roles.
  • πŸ“ˆ Business Fundamentals course provided a comprehensive overview of accounting, marketing, strategy, finance, and economics for students without a business background.
  • πŸ’¬ Business Communication courses helped students develop presentation skills and effectively communicate findings based on market and industry research.
  • 🀝 Critical Thinking, Communication, and Collaboration course emphasized the importance of asking good questions, effective communication, and working in diverse groups.
  • 🏒 Navigating Organizations course involved debates and case studies to understand power dynamics and relationship management within organizations.
  • πŸ“Š Applied Probability and Statistics course introduced students to statistical concepts, R programming, and basic regression analysis.
  • πŸ” Data Infrastructure course, focused on SQL, provided an in-depth understanding of database queries and window functions.
  • πŸ€– Data Science for Business covered both supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques, giving students a conceptual understanding of different modeling techniques.
  • 🎯 Decision Analytics and Modeling involved learning optimization techniques and using Monte Carlo simulations to make decisions with multiple inputs and uncertainties.
  • πŸ“Š Data Visualization course, largely based on Tableau, taught students why it's widely used and how to build and improve dashboards.
  • πŸ” Strategy track courses combined business and technical elements, preparing students for careers in consulting and data-driven decision-making.
Q & A
  • What was the main focus of Erica's Master's program?

    -Erica's Master's program focused on Business Analytics, specifically within the Strategy track at Duke University. The program aimed to balance both business and technical aspects, providing a comprehensive understanding of the business world and technical skills.

  • How long did Erica's Master's program last?

    -Erica's Master's program at Duke University lasted for 10 months.

  • What were some of the business courses Erica took during her Master's?

    -Erica took several business courses including Business Fundamentals, Business Communication I and II, Critical Thinking, Communication and Collaboration, Navigating Organizations, and Strategic Management.

  • What technical skills did Erica acquire in her technical courses?

    -In her technical courses, Erica learned about Applied Probability and Statistics, Data Infrastructure (SQL), Data Science for Business (supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques), Decision Analytics and Modeling, and Data Visualization (Tableau).

  • How did Erica's background in psychology help her in her Master's program?

    -Erica's psychology background helped her in courses like Critical Thinking, Communication and Collaboration, as she had already learned concepts like the wisdom of the crowd, which is the idea that the average of many people's answers is often better than the answer of one specialist.

  • What is the significance of the Business Communication courses Erica took?

    -The Business Communication courses were significant for Erica as they developed her ability to present and communicate effectively in front of an audience, structure her slides impactfully, and deliver speeches based on market or industry research.

  • Why did Erica choose Duke University for her Master's?

    -Erica chose Duke University because she felt that their MQM Business Analytics program did a great job in balancing the business and technical parts of the curriculum, providing a wide exposure to both worlds which was essential for her learning goals.

  • What was Erica's experience with the Data Infrastructure (SQL) course?

    -Erica found the Data Infrastructure course, which was essentially an SQL course, to be one of the best courses she took at Duke. It provided a comprehensive understanding of SQL, including writing basic statements and understanding window functions.

  • How did the strategy track courses contribute to Erica's current career?

    -The strategy track courses contributed to Erica's current career by providing her with a mix of business and technical knowledge tailored to consulting and technical consulting roles. These courses helped her understand and analyze organizations to improve their performance, which is relevant to her current job in people analytics.

  • What was Erica's overall impression of her Master's program?

    -Erica's overall impression of her Master's program was positive. She found value in the courses she took, appreciated the balance between business and technical education, and felt that the program effectively prepared her for her current role in people analytics.

  • Which course did Erica find particularly interesting and why?

    -Erica found the Navigating Organizations course particularly interesting because it involved debates and role-playing based on different cases, allowing her to use her psychology background and engage in active discussions and problem-solving.

Outlines
00:00
πŸ“š Introduction to Erica's Master's in Business Analytics

Erica introduces her channel and the video's purpose, which is to discuss the courses she took during her Master's in Business Analytics. She provides context about her 10-month program at Duke University's MQM Business Analytics, emphasizing the balance between business and technical aspects. She outlines the structure of the video, mentioning business courses, technical courses, and track-specific courses.

05:02
πŸŽ“ Business Courses: Fundamentals and Communication

Erica begins by discussing the business courses she took, starting with 'Business Fundamentals,' which provided a broad overview of key business areas like accounting, marketing, and strategy. She appreciated this course for its effectiveness in summarizing essential business concepts, especially beneficial for her background in psychology. She then talks about 'Business Communication I & II,' courses that focused on presentation skills and effective communication based on market or industry research. Erica also mentions a course on 'Critical Thinking, Communication, and Collaboration,' which covered effective questioning, idea communication, and group collaboration.

10:02
🀝 Navigating Organizations and Strategy

Continuing with business courses, Erica talks about 'Navigating Organizations,' a course that involved debates and case studies to understand power dynamics and relationship management within organizations. She then moves on to technical courses, starting with 'Applied Probability and Statistics,' where she learned coding in R and basic regression analysis. Erica highlights 'Data Infrastructure,' a comprehensive SQL course, and 'Data Science for Business,' covering machine learning techniques. She also discusses 'Decision Analytics and Modeling,' focusing on decision-making with multiple inputs and uncertainties, and 'Data Visualization,' primarily a Tableau course, where she built dashboards and learned practical applications.

πŸš€ Strategy Track Courses: Empirical Analysis and Operational Analysis

Erica transitions to her track-specific courses, starting with 'Empirical Economic Analysis,' which delved into establishing causal relationships and addressing regression issues. She then discusses 'Operational Analysis,' an optimization course focusing on improving organizational operations and identifying bottlenecks. Erica shares her realization that this area wasn't her interest, despite the course's quality and relevance to real-world challenges.

πŸ“ˆ Strategy and People Analytics: Comprehensive Understanding

In the final strategy track courses, Erica covers 'Strategic Management,' a business-heavy course with various analysis frameworks like SWOT and first-mover analysis. She concludes with 'People Analytics,' a course that aligns with her current role, providing a conceptual understanding of turnover, tension, and performance analysis within organizations. Erica reflects on the value she gained from these courses and how they might be relevant to viewers considering similar programs.

Mindmap
Keywords
πŸ’‘Business Analytics
Business Analytics is the use of statistical analysis, data mining, and predictive modeling to drive business decisions. In the video, Erica shares her experience with a Master's program in Business Analytics, highlighting the blend of business and technical courses that equipped her with the skills to analyze data and apply it to business strategy.
πŸ’‘Master's Program
A Master's Program refers to an advanced academic degree that typically requires one to two years of study beyond a bachelor's degree. In the context of the video, Erica is discussing her experience in a 10-month Master's in Business Analytics program at Duke University, which included a variety of courses designed to develop both business acumen and technical expertise.
πŸ’‘Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, known for its strong academic programs and research initiatives. In the video, Erica chose to attend Duke University for her Master's in Business Analytics because of its reputation for balancing business and technical education.
πŸ’‘Track Specific Courses
Track Specific Courses refer to a set of classes within an academic program that are tailored to a particular specialization or 'track.' These courses are designed to provide in-depth knowledge and skills relevant to that specific area of study. In Erica's case, her track specific courses were part of the Strategy Track, focusing on consulting and data analysis within organizations.
πŸ’‘Data Science
Data Science is an interdisciplinary field that uses scientific methods, processes, algorithms, and systems to extract knowledge and insights from structured and unstructured data. In the video, Erica's course 'Data Science for Business' introduced her to machine learning techniques, which are crucial for making data-driven decisions in business.
πŸ’‘SQL
SQL (Structured Query Language) is a domain-specific language used in programming and database management to manage and manipulate relational databases. In Erica's experience, the 'Data Infrastructure' course was an SQL course that provided her with a comprehensive understanding of writing statements, window functions, and other SQL concepts, which are essential skills for working with data.
πŸ’‘Tableau
Tableau is a data visualization software that allows users to create interactive and shareable dashboards. In the video, Erica's 'Data Visualization' course was heavily focused on using Tableau, where she learned why it is widely used in the industry and gained hands-on experience in building dashboards and improving visualizations.
πŸ’‘Critical Thinking
Critical Thinking involves analyzing and evaluating information to form judgments based on logic and evidence. In the video, Erica discusses a course that focused on critical thinking, communication, and collaboration, which aimed to develop her ability to ask good questions, communicate effectively, and work well with diverse groups.
πŸ’‘Navigating Organizations
Navigating Organizations refers to the skills and strategies required to effectively move through and manage one's career within a company or organizational structure. Erica's course on this topic involved debates and case studies, teaching students how to argue their points and build alliances within an organization.
πŸ’‘People Analytics
People Analytics is the application of data-driven analysis to understand and optimize human resources, talent management, and employee performance. Erica's final strategy course, 'People Analytics,' provided her with a conceptual understanding of this field and frameworks for analyzing turnover, tension, and performance within an organization.
πŸ’‘Operational Analysis
Operational Analysis involves the examination of an organization's operations to identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement. In the video, Erica's 'Operational Analysis' course covered topics like bottlenecks, line flow, and optimization strategies to enhance an organization's operational capabilities.
Highlights

Erica shares her experience with her Master's in Business Analytics at Duke University.

The program is divided into business, technical, and track-specific courses.

Erica chose Duke for its balance between business and technical curriculum.

Business Fundamentals course provided a broad overview of essential business areas.

Erica appreciated the Business Fundamentals course due to her non-business background.

Business Communication courses focused on presentation and public speaking skills.

Critical Thinking, Communication, and Collaboration course emphasized effective questioning and group work.

Navigating Organizations course involved debates and case studies to understand organizational power dynamics.

Applied Probability and Statistics course introduced programming and data analysis in R.

Data Infrastructure course provided a comprehensive understanding of SQL.

Data Science for Business course covered both supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques.

Decision Analytics and Modeling course explored decision-making with multiple inputs and uncertainties.

Data Visualization course, focused on Tableau, equipped students with practical skills for building dashboards.

Empirical Economic Analysis course delved into establishing causal relationships and solving statistical challenges.

Operational Analysis course aimed at improving organizational operations and performance through optimization.

Strategic Management course provided frameworks for understanding and analyzing organizations for better performance.

People Analytics course gave Erica a conceptual understanding of HR analytics within organizations.

Erica's video provides insight into the value and variety of courses in a business analytics program.

Transcripts
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