Business Analytics - MSc
Analytical skills, data analysis and cloud computing all feature within LinkedIn’s top 10 skills companies need most in 2023. Rapid development of the Internet and digital technologies has fuelled the demand to harness the power of the huge volume of available data now at an organisation’s disposal. Employers need people who can manage and make sense of data, providing insight and recommendations to improve future business performance.
Month of entry
- September, January
Mode of study
- Full time, Part time
Location
Subject area
- Business and Management, Computer Science, Mathematics
Fees for 2025/26 academic year
- UK - Full time £12,700 per year. Part time £7,000 per year.
International - £22,700 per year.
Duration of study
- 1 year / up to 20 months with entrepreneurship or placement pathway. 2 years part-time / up to 24 to 36 months depending on pathway.
Why study Business Analytics at Keele University?
Course summary
Combining leading expertise from across both Keele Business School and the School of Computer Science and Mathematics, our course will deepen your understanding of the technical and commercial implications of data-driven solutions.
Business analysts guide businesses to improve their decisions, processes, products and services through data analysis – bridging the gap between IT and business to improve organisational performance, create efficiencies and add value to the business. Grounded in theory and practice, our MSc focuses on developing your understanding of business, management, data analytics and data science within a global context.
With unique access to the combined expertise across Keele Business School and the School of Computer Science and Mathematics, you’ll gain a deeper insight into how businesses run their operations within today’s challenging economy. At the same time developing the technical skills and knowhow to identify, manage and analyse the most appropriate data sources to evaluate their performance.
Referring to real-life business examples and, where possible, working to solve actual client problems, you’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of the operational, human and environmental factors that influence performance within a business context, as well as the different quantitative and qualitative research approaches you can use to analyse these. We’ll look at the options for collecting data from various sources to support analytics programs, how to construct and quality assure datasets, the process of perform different forms of analysis and effective ways to summarise and present information in a way that senior management can understand.
You’ll graduate with a blended technical and commercial toolset that enables you to not only analyse organisations from different perspectives – strategically, functionally and operationally – but also come up with solutions that are technologically feasible and financially and functionally viable.
Designed to provide a rapid immersion into the field of business analytics, this programme is suitable for almost anyone who is required to evaluate business performance, or aspects of it – whether you work in a for-profit business, government or non-profit.
The programme also includes options that allow you to tailor the content to more closely suit your own backgrounds and interests. For example, if you have existing computing skills you can choose to study more advanced topics on the mathematical theories behind AI and data science. You are also given a choice of modules that allow you to specialise within a specific area of business such as marketing, finance, human resource management and sustainability.
What you'll learn
This exciting master’s course responds to the increasing demand for business analysts who can transform data into insights that drive business value through use of data analytics, data visualisation and data modelling techniques and technologies. This requires a balance of IT, business management, communication, strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
To give you a strong foundation in business and management, you will study two compulsory taught modules, which cover financial and non-financial performance management techniques in business scenarios and best practices in operations, procurement, supply and logistics management. You’ll study three core modules focused on data analytics and data science, with the option to study systems design and programming or, if you already have programming experience, Mathematics for AI and Data Science.
The course focuses on providing you with mixture of business understanding, technical knowledge and communication skills. You’ll broaden your understanding of different types of organisations and factors that influence business performance, together with methods used to analyse these for decision making. You’ll consider how managers use information and how data science can be applied to improve an organisation’s processes, operations and outputs.
Depending on your interests or career aspirations, you can tailor your studies through your choice of two optional modules, one of which depends on your final project pathway choice.
Other courses you may be interested in:
Innovative Postgraduate Courses at Keele Business School
Course structure
Teaching takes place over the first two semesters. There are no formal group classes during Semester 3, but you consult with supervisors and access the University’s learning and teaching facilities and support services. During Semester 3 you will have the opportunity to chose from one of four pathways, a postgraduate consultancy project, work placement, entrepreneurship pathway or research dissertation, see full details below.
Modules
The module details given below are indicative, they are intended to provide you with an idea of the range of subjects that are taught to our current students. The modules that will be available for you to study in future years are prone to change as we regularly review our teaching to ensure that it is up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods, as well as student voice. The information presented is therefore not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules available in any given year.
Business Analytics Module Structure
Semester 1
Core modules
- ACC-40006 Performance Management
- CSC-40044 System Design & Programming
- CSC-40072 Mathematics for AI and Data Science
- MAN-40110 International Operations and Supply
Research workshops
A series of workshops is run across the academic year on a bi-weekly basis, providing additional support as part of a structured programme designed to explore links between the computing and business aspects of the course. Intended to develop the research and applied skills required for your dissertation/consultancy/placement/entrepreneurship project and subsequent employment These workshops will introduce research concepts and provide a series of guest lectures covering different areas of business e.g. HRM, Marketing, Accounting etc. Challenges related to these different areas of business will be set to help develop applied analytics skills. The ultimate aim of these workshops is to develop the research and applied skills required for the final semester and subsequent employment.
Semester 2
Core modules
- CSC-40054 Data Analytics and Databases
- MAN-40036 Strategy and Information Management
- MAN-40058 Creativity and Personal Development
Optional modules
You will choose one of the following modules:
- ACC-40001 International Financial Reporting
- FIN-40051 FinTech and Mobile Banking
- HRM-40044 Strategic Human Resource Management
- MAN-40018 Entrepreneurship
- MAN-40118 Contemporary Challenges in Global Business
- MAN-40124 Strategic Marketing in a Global Context
- MAN-40130 International Marketing Communications
Semester 3
Core module:
After you have completed the taught core module, Research Methods, you will also undertake a large project to further develop your knowledge in a specific area of applied business analytics such as: dissertation, management consultancy, placement project, entrepreneurship project. You will choose one of the options below:
Dissertation
The dissertation is a formal written academic project of between 15,000 and 20,000 words, making it ideal preparation for future academic research at MPhil or PhD level or for the report-writing and scrutiny expected of senior management professionals. Taking inspiration from your own interests, and with support throughout from a supervisor with relevant expertise, you’ll choose a topic to research in the field of business analysis. For example, you might explore how new analysis techniques could improve aspects of performance, assess the impact of new data collection technologies e.g. IoT on operations and decision-making or critically evaluate how digitalisation impacts business models and organisational structures.
Consultancy project
During June and September, you will spend 8 to 12 weeks undertaking a management research project on behalf of an organisation (chosen by Keele Business School). You’ll put into practice what you’ve learned, developing and applying your skills to solve a business problem, issue or focus on a specific project. As part of the eventual assessment, you’ll present your findings to the host organisation, exactly as you would do within the workplace. For example, you might choose to critically evaluate the value of implementing a new technology or analyse the impact of the changes to an information system.
Please note that participation in the Consultancy Project is only available after a comprehensive selection process. Please view our terms and conditions to find out more.
Entrepreneurship project
An excellent opportunity if you have an idea for a new business venture, this module will provide you with the time, space and expertise to develop it. For between eight weeks to 12 months, you’ll be given the option of a base within the University’s incubator and have access to workshops and guidance from a network of entrepreneurs and business advisers. During this time, you’ll complete a portfolio of evidence on your idea and present this to an external stakeholder. Places are limited, and you will be required to undertake an interview prior to acceptance on this module.
Please note: The Entrepreneurship pathway is available to UK Students only
Placement project
In an increasingly competitive job market, employers are looking to recruit employees who have high-level knowledge, skills and workplace experience. With support from the Faculty Placement Officer, you will gain first-hand professional experience on a suitable, paid work placement for between eight weeks to 12 months. During your placement, you will be required to complete an extended project on behalf of the organisation. As part of the eventual assessment, you’ll present your findings to the host organisation, exactly as you would do within the workplace. Your placement can be based anywhere in the UK giving you the opportunity to work with local, national and international organisations.
Students who require a visa to study in the UK may be able to add in a work placement depending upon the programme. The ability to add a work placement is dependent upon the UK Immigration rules at the time of the request. It may be that for some programmes students will not have the option to request a placement period to be added to their programme before they arrive in the UK and would need to apply for a new visa. There is no guarantee that a placement will be provided and that students who have a visa are subject to a number of restrictions on the type of work, including placements they can undertake.
PRME Champions
Keele Business School (KBS) has been selected for the 2024-2025 cohort of PRME Champions. Consisting of 47 businesses and management schools from around the world, The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) is an initiative of the United Nations Global Compact, focused on raising the bar for sustainable business education. More information about PRME Champions can be found here.
Entry requirements
Pre-Master's in Business
The Keele University International College offer a one semester Pre-Master's in Business programme for international students who do not meet the traditional entry requirements for a postgraduate business degree at Keele University.
Please visit the Keele University International College for more information on how to apply, entry requirements and course details.
Entry requirements
The following section details our typical entry requirements for this course for a range of UK and international qualifications. If you don't see your qualifications listed, please contact us to find out if we can accept your qualifications.
Typical offer
Please ensure that you read the full entry requirements by selecting your qualifications from the dropdown menu below. This will include any subject specific, GCSE/Level 2 Maths, and English language requirements you may need.
Please select your country from the drop-down list below for the full entry requirement information
UK
2:2 degree in any subject
or
demonstrated relevant professional qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Bangladesh
60% in a 4-year degree or 3-year degree with a 2-year Master's in any subject from a public university or CGPA 2.8 in a 4-year degree or 3-year degree with a 2-year Master's in any subject from a private university
or
demonstrated relevant professional qualifications or experience
We don’t accept degrees from certain universities, please see our Bangladesh Country Page for more information
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Canada
70% or C or a GPA of 2.5 in a degree (Ordinary or Honours) in any subject
or
demonstrated relevant professional qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
China
70% in a degree in any subject or 65% in a degree in any subject from a '211' university
or
demonstrated relevant professional qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Ghana
Second class degree in any subject
or
demonstrated relevant professional qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
India
55% or CGPA 6/10 in any degree of three years or longer
or
demonstrated relevant professional qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Kenya
Second class degree in any subject
or
demonstrated relevant professional qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Nepal
60% / 2.4 in a 4-year Bachelor's degree in any subject
or
65% / CGPA 2.8 in a 3-year Bachelor's degree in any subject
or
demonstrated relevant professional qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Nigeria
Second class degree in any subject
or
demonstrated relevant professional qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Pakistan
We accept a range of qualifications from Pakistan. Please visit our Pakistan Country Page for more information
or we will consider demonstrated relevant professional qualifications or experience
You will also need an English language qualification (see below)
South Africa
Second class division 2 / 60% in a Bachelor's degree with Honours in any subject
or
Second class division 1 / 70% in an Ordinary Bachelor's degree in any subject
or
demonstrated relevant professional qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Sri Lanka
55% in a Special Bachelor's degree in any subject
or
demonstrated relevant professional qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Uganda
Second class degree in any subject
or
demonstrated relevant professional qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Zimbabwe
Second class degree in any subject
or
demonstrated relevant professional qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Pre-Master's in Business
The Keele University International College offer a one semester Pre-Master's in Business programme for international students who do not meet the traditional entry requirements for a postgraduate business degree at Keele University.
Please visit the Keele University International College for more information on how to apply, entry requirements and course details.
English language requirements
All of our courses require an English language qualification or test. For most students, this requirement can be met with a 4 or C in GCSE English. Please see our English Language guidance pages for further details, including English language test information for international students. For those students who require an English language test, this course requires a test from Group B.
References
Normally, you will need to provide at least one academic reference to support your application unless you have been out of study longer than two years. If it has been more than two years since you last studied on a degree-level programme, you will normally need to provide an employment reference instead. For more information about Academic References, please see our Postgraduate how to apply web pages.
Personal Statement/Statement of Purpose
Please see our Postgraduate how to apply web pages for guidance on what to include in your personal statement.
Recognition of Prior Learning
The Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a process which enables applicants to receive recognition and formal credit for learning acquired in the past through formal study or work and life experiences.
RPL can also be requested for admission onto the start of a programme in lieu of the admission requirements. For more information, see our Recognition of Prior Learning web pages.
Professional qualifications and work experience
The majority of our courses will consider relevant work experience and/or professional qualifications at the appropriate level, as an alternative to an undergraduate degree for entry. The work experience should be for a sustained period and at a suitable level, based within a relevant sector to your chosen course.
Admissions staff will review your work experience and/or professional qualifications during the assessment of your application to ensure suitability in terms of relevancy, level and appropriate learning outcomes.
General information
The entry grades outlined in this section indicate the typical offer which would be made to candidates, along with any subject specific requirements. This is for general information only. Keele University reserves the right to vary offer conditions depending upon a candidate's application.
Funding
Please note, if your course offers a January start date, the January 2025 start date falls in the 2024/25 academic year. Please see the January 2025 fees for the relevant fees for starting this course in January 2025
Planning your funding
It's important to plan carefully for your funding before you start your course. Please be aware that not all postgraduate courses and not all students are eligible for the UK government postgraduate loans and, in some cases, you would be expected to source alternative funding yourself. If you need support researching your funding options, please contact our Financial Support Team.
Scholarships
We are committed to rewarding excellence and potential. Please visit our scholarships and bursaries webpage for more information.
For continuing students, fees will increase annually by RPIX, with a maximum cap of 5% per year.
Your career
Business analytics is an exciting career choice and one that is increasingly in demand. Across all types of industries, organisations are generating huge volumes of data which has heightened the need for professionals who know how to interpret and analyse it. The role of business analyst, in conjunction with other data science jobs, is becoming central to business strategy here in the UK and internationally as businesses strive to maintain competitiveness in a demanding global market.
On this course, you’ll learn to confidently and capably use and leverage data to provide solutions to a range of operational and strategic business problems. You could pursue roles as a graduate trainee, business consultant, business analyst or data analyst, either as a consultant or in-house within a market research, analytics function or with broader management responsibility. On completion, you’ll also be ideally placed to pursue further postgraduate studies at MPhil or PhD level.
Past graduates within the Business School and School of Computer Science and Mathematics have secured positions in a variety of industries, including including Deloitte, BAE systems and EY.
Typical roles:
- Business analyst/consultant
- Business intelligence analyst/consultant
- Business manager
- Data analyst/consultant
- Marketing analyst/consultant
- Supply chain analyst/consultant
Teaching, learning and assessment
We adopt a research-led and practice-based approach to teaching, which is generally delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, small group discussions, individual supervision and computer laboratory classes.
Team building, group work, research, presentations and projects will help you develop vital business and management skills, such as leadership, organisation, strategic thinking, decision-making, problem-solving, delegation, time management, communication, presenting and reporting. Whereas sessions in the computer laboratories will sharpen your knowledge of data types and formats, how data collected, stored and collated (e.g. SQL), types of analysis and the tool available. You’ll also participate in workshop sessions within our state-of-the-art Bloomberg Suite, where you’ll manipulate and analyse real-world data.
You’ll learn from leading researchers and external practitioners, gaining industry insights through guest lectures and field trips. Previous students have had the opportunity to attend TEDX talks and access seminars, webinars and podcast as part of the on-going Keele Talks Business programme. We’ll also share our own research, as part of an informal programme of lectures and seminars organised by faculty staff.
Teaching schedule
Teaching takes place over the first two semesters. There are no formal group classes during Semester 3, but you consult with supervisors and access the University’s learning and teaching facilities and support services.
- Semester 1 runs from the end of September to the end of January, with an assessment period in January.
- Semester 2 runs from the last week of January to the middle of June, with the assessment period in June.
- Semester 3 runs from June to the end of September.
Our expertise
Teaching on this course is delivered jointly by staff from the Keele Business School and the University’s School of Computer Science and Mathematics.
KBS staff have extensive teaching, research and work experience in their fields. The School maintains a strong commitment to excellence and innovation in teaching and research. Our staff members have substantial teaching experience and are committed to continuing professional development as academic teachers. Many of our permanent lecturers have PhDs or other higher degrees or professional qualifications.
Staff within the School of Computer Science and Mathematics conduct internationally-recognised research in multidisciplinary AI and Data Analytics. The School also has several collaborative projects with industry partners, for example, a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with the global automotive company, Bentley Motors Ltd, to develop an innovative data mining processes that will allow Bentley to exploit the value hidden in the data it owns and collects.
Teaching team:
- Dr Geetika Jain (Programme Director)
- Dr Alistair Channon
- Dr Shirley Xu
- Dr Sangeeta Sangeeta
Facilities
The cross-faculty nature of this course allows you to take advantage of two sets of exceptional facilitates. The first is Keele Business School – the Denise Coates Foundation Building – a state-of-the-art facility complete with 220-seat lecture theatre, a ‘think lab’ study space, data laboratory, cafe and business lounge. Home to our accounting, business management, economics, finance, HRM, international business, management and marketing programmes, our Business School is the first to be located on a Science Park. As well as new teaching spaces, our building is unique in that it is also home to the Smart Innovation Hub, a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which includes space and support programmes for innovation-led businesses, providing opportunities for students and staff to work collaboratively with entrepreneurs and business owners, gaining invaluable networks and experience. You’ll have access to the University’s business support and study alongside innovative companies that are based in the building.
The second is the School of Computer Science and Mathematics, which has seven 24/7 computer laboratories comprising around 200 desktop PCs with all relevant hardware and software and providing both Microsoft Windows and the Linux operating system.
When studying performance management, you’ll have access to the Bloomberg Suite with all its economic, financial and business real-time data, world news, analyses and reports from the world’s biggest financial organisations.
Based in the heart of England, Keele University is easily accessible by motorway and public transport. You’ll find everything’s on your doorstep, with the most important facilities gathered together at the centre of campus.
Students can also get involved in Hack Keele, a student society for tech-minded individuals. They host lab sessions to meet up, learn and share their diverse experience, which ranges from AI to ethical hacking.
Co-located with businesses
As a Keele Business School student, you will study alongside innovative companies that are based in the Business School building, a hub for fostering networks and linking with industry.
Keele Business School is located at the heart of the Keele University Science & Innovation Park, one of the leading developments of its kind in the UK. The Park offers companies a business environment that provides an innovative research culture, combined with academic expertise and the University’s specialist resources, with a variety of opportunities for students to get involved, from internships, knowledge exchange partnerships, and student enterprise initiatives.
