Business Administration with a Specialization in Business Analytics (MBA) - Accelerated Online Program

Overview

The MBA Specialization in Business Analytics allows students to choose three electives from among the courses available in the Master of Science in Business Analytics program. These courses prepare managers in all contexts to solve problems which require the application of sophisticated business analytics techniques. Topics include R and Python, data  visualization, data mining, decision modeling and optimization methods, machine learning, text mining, social media analytics, health information analytics, information security analytics, spreadsheet modeling, and enterprise analytics. These courses heavily emphasize hands-on skills in data analytics, using cases and examples drawn from real-world organizations in many domains.

This program is accelerated and is 100% online. A traditional version of the program is also available. Students are not allowed to alternate enrollment in accelerated and traditional program courses.

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the graduate program in business administration, prospective candidates must first meet all requirements for graduate admission to UT Rio Grande Valley, as well as the other requirements listed below:

  1. Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or a recognized international equivalent with a minimum of 3.0 GPA in the last 60 semester hours or a minimum of 3.0 GPA in the UTRGV Pre-MBA Graduate Certificate with no C grade.  
  2. Applicants with a GPA less than 3.00 will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
  3. Official transcripts from each institution attended (must be submitted directly to UTRGV).
  4. Respond to 5 short answer questions provided on application to demonstrate writing competency and communication skills
  5. GMAT Exam with a minimum score 400 or the GRE test with minimum scores of 146 Verbal and 146 Quantitative

A waiver of the GMAT requirement will be granted to applicants who show proof of one of the following:

  • Another graduate degree (master’s or doctoral)
  • An undergraduate GPA of 3.25 in upper-division courses in the last 60 semester credit hours.
  • A waiver may be granted to those students who have more than four years of upper managerial experience in supervisory roles, control of budgets, and decision-making

Application for admission must be submitted prior to the published deadline. The application is available at www.utrgv.edu/gradapply.

Academic Standing

Three C Rule

A student who earns three C’s in the MBA Program will be placed on suspension and is ineligible to continue. The student may appeal the suspension to the MBA Committee.

"F" Rule

A student who receives a grade of F will be automatically dismissed from the MBA Program. The student may appeal the dismissal from the MBA Program to the MBA Committee

Program Requirements

Leveling Courses - 9 Hours

All students entering the MBA Program can comply with the Leveling Courses requirement by completing equivalent undergraduate coursework with a grade of B or higher. Students without the required background must complete the following courses as applicable:

ACCT 6301Accounting for Managers

3

FINA 6303Introduction to Finance

3

QUMT 6303Statistical Foundations

3

Required Courses - 27 Hours

ACCT 6320Accounting and Financial Analysis

3

ECON 6350Managerial Economics

3

FINA 6340Advanced Corporate Finance

3

INFS 6330Information Systems for Managers

3

MARK 6310Marketing Strategy

3

MGMT 6330Organizational Behavior

3

MGMT 6360Operations Management

3

MGMT 6390Strategic Management

3

QUMT 6310Business Research

3

Business Analytics Specialization - 9 Hours

Required:
INFS 6350Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing

3

Choose two from the following:

INFS 6340Health Computer Information Systems

3

INFS 6343Healthcare Analytics

3

INFS 6351Developing Customized Solutions for Business Analytics

3

INFS 6353Social Media Analytics

3

INFS 6356Data Visualization

3

INFS 6359Data Mining for Business Analytics

3

INFS 6363Enterprise Analytics

3

INFS 6391Information Security and Risk Assessment Analysis

3

QUMT 6350Machine Learning for Business Analytics

3

QUMT 6360Decision Optimization for Business Analytics

3

Total Credit Hours: 36