Master of Business Administration, Data Science

Program Overview

The MBA in Data Science will allow students to improve their business skills across a wide variety of disciplines while providing a deep examination of the growing field of data science.

Data science is an interdisciplinary field that uses scientific tools, processes, algorithms, and systems to extract knowledge and insights from data in various forms, both structured and unstructured. It combines mathematics, statistics, data analysis, machine learning, and computer science, focused on discovering patterns in large data sets and using that knowledge to make predictions and decisions. The data science major in the MBA provides a four-course (12 hours) concentration in this growing field.  All courses in the major are delivered in an 8-week, online learning format.

Successful completion of the Data Science courses will provide the student with an industry-endorsed certificate in that discipline.

Career Options

1. Data Scientist
2. Machine Learning Engineer
3. Applications Architect
4. Enterprise Architect
5. Data Engineer

Program Summary

• 36 credit hours
  • 24 core MBA course hours
  • 12 data science concentration hours

Program Length

• Part-time students (6 credit hours per semester)
• Full-time students (9 credit hours per semester)
• Accelerated students (12 credit hours per semester)

Program Delivery

• Three semesters (Fall, Spring, Summer) per year, divided into two 8-week terms.
• Four week break in December.
• All courses available online, and most core-courses available face-to-face in Lakeland.

Entrance Requirements

Students are accepted into the MBA program based on evidence of their aptitude and motivation for graduate business education at Southeastern University, as well as their understanding of basic business principles and functions.

Below are the minimum basic requirements; however, admission acceptance is considered given the applicant’s entire application package:

• A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above.  Applicants with a lower GPA may be considered if they prove proficiency in the foundational courses (outlined below).
• A sample writing assignment addressing the prompt: Why I want to pursue an MBA at Southeastern University. The essay should address how the MBA will help the student in his or her career and how he or she can integrate Christian faith into his or her professional life.  The paper should include the student’s full name and be 300-600 words in length.
• Two recommendations: an academic or professional recommendation, and a personal or character recommendation, submitted by those providing references.
• Once you begin the program, there are a few obligations to meet: a pretest to determine your current incoming business knowledge, a tutorial and a test to clarify the definition and consequences of plagiarism, and an APA formatting online tutorial.

 

 

Provisional Admission to the MBA in Data Science

Should an applicant be admitted provisionally with a GPA below 3.0, he or she is required to earn a B- or better as prescribed by the MBA Program Director in their first two courses to transfer from provisional to full acceptance status.

Other Policies

Students are recommended to have access to a computer that is NOT a Mac, a surface, or a table for two of the core MBA courses: MBA Principles, and Problem Solving and Decision Making.

Satisfactory Progress

BUSI 5003 is a pre-requisite for most other courses in each track and must be completed with a B- or higher before continuing beyond the first semester.  Unless provisional requirements bar concurrent courses, students may take other courses concurrent with BUSI 5003 in their first semester.

The minimum grade requirement for all MBA courses is a C-.  Students can have no more than two courses in the C- range and are required to complete the degree program with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher upon graduation.

Total Program Hours – 36 Credit Hours

It is the responsibility of the student to read, review and fulfil the requirements and total hours of this degree audit for their applicable degree.