Certificate in Business Analytics

Program Overview

The Certificate in Business Analytics is an intensive online program designed for business professionals and graduate students who want to transform terabytes of data into useful and timely business intelligence. Increase your impact at work and unlock new opportunities by developing your analytics skills.

Across a broad range of industries and roles, the ability to analyze data and communicate analytic insights is in high demand. Whether your career path is in marketing, operations, finance, strategy, international business or human resources, in the Business Analytics Certificate program you will learn how to use analytics to gain insights and make data-driven business decisions.  

This four-course (12 unit) program is taught by SJSU College of Business faculty.  The program consists of two required courses and two electives.* 

The program is designed with a flexible schedule ideal for working professionals. Each course, with the exception of the optional elective course BUS 260 Managerial Decision Analysis, is delivered asynchronously online, over an eight-week period. Courses can be taken in any order. Students can begin the certificate in fall or spring semester and complete it in less than one calendar year. **The optional elective BUS 260 Managerial Decision Analysis meets in the evenings and weekends and includes a mix of online and in-person classes.

To complete the certificate, students must earn a minimum GPA of 3.0 on the program as a whole. Only three units of "C" and 0 units of less than "C" coursework can be applied toward a certificate. Only three units of an entire program can be repeated (and can be repeated a single time only). If a course is repeated, both grades will be used in the computation of program GPA.

For students interested in pursuing an MBA from the Lucas Graduate School of Business, SJSU allows a transfer of up to 12 units for courses completed in the certificate or eligible graduate courses taken at another institution.

The completion of the certificate or any of its individual courses does not guarantee admission to the MBA program or eligibility to enroll in graduate courses outside of the certificate.

*Students who began work on the certificate prior to Fall 2022 may count BUS 235B and BUS 235D towards their certificate and are not subject to the requirement to take BUS 235E.

Admissions Requirements

• What are the admission requirements? 

  • This program is 100% online and can be completed from wherever you are located. SJSU will not issue an I-20 to secure an F-1 visa to enter the US for this program. This is not a STEM program.

    Educated Within the United States

    4 year bachelor's degree from a US institution
    A GPA of 3.0 or better with an absolute minimum overall GPA of 2.5.
    There is no conditional admission to the certificate program.

    Educated Outside the United States
    

    If you earned a degree from a higher education institution outside the United States, you must take an English language proficiency exam. You must hold the equivalent of a US bachelor's degree from a recognized institution if you earned your degree outside the US. 

    The Online Certificate in Business Analytics requires a minimum score of:

    TOEFL (internet-based): 80
    IELTS: 7.0
    Pearson’s Test of English (PTE): 68

    Visit the English Language Proficiency page waiver information  

• Does the certificate have prerequisites?

  • To enroll in the Business Analytics certificate, you must have completed a college-level statistics course with a grade of B (3.0) or better at an accredited college or university within five years prior to enrolling in our program. 

    If you have not yet met the statistics requirement, we recommend: 

    Straighterline or local community colleges (refer to the articulation page and search for BUS 90 equivalencies)

• How much does the certificate cost? 

  • Tuition is $2,805 per 3-unit course or $11,220 for the complete certificate. 

    The above costs do not include books, supplies, etc. Tuition fees are subject to change.

Registration Information

• What are the registration steps?

  • Current SJSU MBA students register as you normally would via MySJSU.

    If you are not an SJSU student, please follow the pre-enrollment instructions below.

    Pre-Enrollment Instructions

    1. Submit the pre-screening form, as early as possible.
    2. We will evaluate your form and notify you of the results.

    If you are notified that you are eligible, please continue following the registration instructions (below). You only need to complete the pre-screening process once, but will be required to submit the registration form each semester you wish to take a course.

• What are the registration instructions?

  • Educated within the United States

    Once approved, and you are okay with taking classes though Special Session Open Univeristy, please complete this form [pdf] and email to catherine.dougherty@sjsu.edu.
    
    You will be notified by email when you are officially registered in the course. We will provide your SJSU ID number, as well as the due date for the tuition fee, approximately 21 days from the date of registration.  View methods of payment.

    If you need to be a matriculated SJSU student, rather than taking classes through Open University, please follow the instructions and deadlines below for those educated outside the United States.

    Educated Outside the United States

    If you were educated outside the US, you must apply for the Business Analytics Certificate through Cal State Apply. The application to begin courses in fall semester must be submitted by June 1, and the application to begin courses in spring semester must be submitted by November 1. After your application is approved, you will receive instructions for registration.

• What are the upcoming courses?

  • Spring 2024
    Course: BUS 235A Introduction to Business Analytics
    Instructor:  Mahboubeh Madadi

    Date: November 22 - March 16
    Class Number:  29363
    Units: 3
    Cost*: $2,805

    Course: BUS 260 Managerial Decision Analysis
    Instructor: Kezban Yagci Sokat

    Date: November 22 - March 11 (this is a hybrid/synchronous course, please see MBA schedule for more details of dates/times and locations)
    Class Number:  29370
    Units: 3
    Cost*: $2,805

    Course: BUS 235E Data Visualization Management
    Instructor: Michael Klein

    Date: March 8 - May 13
    Class Number: 29354
    Units: 3
    Cost*: $2805

• Who should I contact with questions? 

  • Catherine Dougherty
    Program Coordinator 
    Email: catherine.dougherty@sjsu.edu

    Dr. Mahboubeh Madadi
    Program Director
    Email: mahboubeh.madadi@sjsu.edu

• What can I do with this certificate? 

  • Business analytics skills are in big demand by all industries. Here are a few jobs that benefit from our program:

    Market Research Analysts
    Business Analysts
    Corporate Managers
    Small Business Owners
    Sales Managers
    Financial Analysts
    Operations Managers
    Non-Profit Managers
    Billing Managers
    Customer Service Managers
    Web Behavior Analysts
    Database Managers

    In short, if you would like to develop business analytics skills, you will find employment at all levels of management – from entry-level database managers to any number of upper management jobs that involve tactical and strategic decision-making.

    The Bay Area is home to an abundance of industries and companies in need of business analytics skills, so earning this certificate at SJSU will serve you well. However, because our program is offered online, you don’t have to live in the Bay Area to participate. The program is open to everyone, anywhere.