Students who take online courses in business analytics may gain competitive edge

Students who take online courses in business analytics may gain competitive edge

Students and working adults may be more likely to succeed in a competitive job market if they learn business analytics at campus-based or online universities, such as Fordham University.

The business school has announced it will partner with IBM to develop a new curriculum that is based on the fundamentals of business analytics.

According to a recent study from IBM, a total of 83 percent of respondents felt that an understanding of business analytics - the ability to find patterns in large amounts of data and draw conclusions about them - was a primary factor in their ability to remain competitive in the job market.

As a result, the school and the software company are in the process of developing a course of study that will help students gain these skills and land jobs in growing sectors, including energy and utilities, healthcare, education, transportation and public service.

Fordham decided to adopt the program to give students "marketable skills for a coming wave of jobs…where analytics can be applied to everyday challenges," said W. Raghupathi, a professor of information at the university's School of Business.

Students and professionals may consider enrolling in similar classroom-based or online degree programs that can help them launch careers in emerging industries.