Learn Business Analytics:
The Best Courses and Resources
Business analytics is an integral part of a business’ success. Business owners analyze market trends, customer experiences, and employee performance through analytics. The results help organizations improve efficiency, identify business problems, and cut costs.
Learning business analytics enables you to work in any industry. Business and management analysts are in demand. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts an 11% job growth for management analysts between 2019 and 2029.
Taking business analytics courses online is an excellent way to start a career as a business or management analyst. Read our guide to the best courses and resources to learn business analytics.
What Is Business Analytics?
Business analytics is the process of analyzing data to make informed business decisions. It is a subset of business intelligence that uses statistical methods such as data mining and data visualization. There are four types of business analytics.
Descriptive Analytics
Employs data aggregation and data mining to understand past and present trends and patterns.
Predictive Analytics
Uses statistics to predict future trends and outcomes. It relies on machine learning techniques and statistical models.
Diagnostic Analytics
Uses past and present data to determine which factors are influencing current trends.
Prescriptive Analytics
Tests various trends and techniques to determine which will yield a better outcome.
What Jobs Use Business Analytics Skills?
Business analytics skills are used in various different job roles. These skills can be used to increase sales, improve productivity, and employ unique marketing strategies.
Below are some of the top jobs that rely on business analytics skills.
Data Scientist
A data scientist’s primary role is to analyze, process, model, and interpret data. Data scientists use analytics methodologies such as data mining and predictive modeling. Their skills largely cross over with business analytics.
Market Research Analyst
Market research analysts rely heavily on business analytics skills. They use these skills to monitor and predict marketing and sales trends. Market research analysts also gather consumer and competitor data through data mining, text mining, and sequence identification. These are all components of business analytics.
Business Data Analyst
Learning business analytics is vital for business data analysts. These analysts sift through piles of data to monitor trends and patterns that help organizations make accurate business decisions. They use methodologies such as data visualization to perform descriptive, diagnostic, prescriptive, and predictive analytics.
Business Intelligence Analyst
Business intelligence analysts review data that helps prepare crucial analytical reports. Business owners will use these reports to monitor trends that affect the company’s operations. Business analytics skills help these professionals find recurring and unusual patterns through data visualization.
Project Manager
Project management and business analytics go hand in hand. Project managers use business analytics to predict and improve the project’s outcome.
Steps to Learn Business Analytics
Learning business analytics takes time and commitment. There are various learning paths that will give you the skills you need to pursue a career in the field.
Below is a step-by-step guide to learning business analytics.
1
Get a Bachelor’s Degree
The best way to learn business analytics is by enrolling in a university degree program. You will learn fundamental business analytics techniques, such as data mining, sequence identification, data aggregation, optimization, and data visualization.
Business analytics degrees tend to cover topics such as coding, data modeling, data management, statistics, and financial markets. You will also need to complete a capstone project based on specific business models. After completing your bachelor’s degree you can even pursue a master’s or doctorate to improve your career opportunities further.
2
Take an Online Course
Online courses can be the easiest and fastest way to learn business analytics. If spending four years in university is not right for you, you can learn the same skills remotely through online learning.
Most massive open online courses (MOOCs), such as Udemy and Coursera, offer a wide variety of free and paid courses. These providers give you the opportunity to tailor your learning experience and learn from any location.
3
Learn Business Analytics Tools
Analytics tools are essential in helping analysts perform their duties and prepare detailed reports. These tools will help you gather, analyze, and present data. Having advanced knowledge of the various business analytics tools will make you far more employable.
Popular analytical tools include Python, Tableau, R, Apache Spark, KNIME, Excel, and SAS. Find online courses and practice materials to develop your technical skills.
4
Learn Machine Learning
Machine learning is essential for business analytics. You will use machine learning techniques for predictive modeling, data visualization, and optimization. You can learn machine learning through online courses, video tutorials, books, and other resources.
You can also enroll in a coding boot camp that focuses on programming and machine learning. Some popular boot camps include Codesmith, Flatiron School, and Springboard.
5
Get Hands-on Experience
Learning doesn’t end once you complete your training. You then need to learn how to put your skills to use by engaging in real-world business analytics projects.
Find opportunities within your organization, pursue an entry-level job, or gain voluntary experience to hone your skills. Whether you’re gathering customer feedback or researching current marketing trends, hands-on practice enhances your business analytics skills.
The Best Courses to Learn
Business Analytics
Online business analytics courses offer flexibility for you to learn in your own time. You can also attend bootcamps and vocational schools that offer courses related to business analytics. These institutions focus on specific skills and provide immersive learning to help students acquire several skills quickly.
Below are ten of the best online and in-person business analytics courses.
Level: Beginner
Duration: One year
Cost: $2,475
Outcome: MicroMasters certificate
This course was nominated for the 2020 edX prize. It is one of Georgia Tech’s best online business analytics courses. At the end of the course, you’ll receive a MicroMasters certificate to add to your resume when applying for a higher degree program or job.
The course helps students understand fundamental methods and trends of business analytics. You will also use essential analytics tools, including Python, R, and SQL, for successful data analysis.
Level: Beginner
Duration: Six months
Cost: Varies, Financial aid available
Outcome: Certificate of Completion
This course from the University of Pennsylvania is designed to help beginners master business analytics in six months. The specialization program is made up of five courses. You can choose to just take one course if you wish.
You will have access to experienced instructors, practice quizzes, course videos, and lectures. Additionally, the instructors provide graded assignments, quizzes, and programming assignments. You can commit to a full-time curriculum or pursue a self-paced program.
Level: Beginner
Duration: Five hours per week for five months
Cost: Varies
Outcome: Certificate of Completion
Rice University collaborates with Coursera to provide various online courses. This business statistics and analysis specialization equips students with the skills to apply statistics and analytical tools to multiple business problems and applications.
It is a special program that includes five different courses to help you master business analytics skills. These courses will ensure you gain skills in Microsoft Excel, data analysis, linear regression, statistical analysis, and hypothesis testing.
Level: Beginner
Duration: 4 – 6 months
Cost: $12,259 (full-time), $6,500 (part-time)
Outcome: Diploma
Thinkful is an online bootcamp that prepares students for careers in the digital industry. You will gain general skills in analytical tools and statistical analysis to prepare you for different career paths in data analysis, including business analysis.
This course is more expensive than others but could be a good investment. The school has a flexible payment plan. It also reports course graduates receive a $17,000 pay increase within months of graduation.
Level: Mid-level
Duration: Three months
Cost: $673
Outcome: Professional certificate
This program offered by the Rochester Institute of Technology is for data analysis students and professionals seeking to develop their skills in decision making. You will learn how to use Microsoft Excel and Tableau to create data analysis plans.
You will also assess graphical representations to ensure accuracy. The course also focuses on developing the critical thinking skills that are essential in data analysis.
Level: Advanced
Duration: Self-paced
Cost: $897
Outcome: MicroMasters certificate
This course from Berkeley University focuses on creating analytics-led marketing strategies. You will learn how to apply analytics tools and techniques to drive your company’s marketing return on investment.
You’ll learn topics including trend analysis, advanced programming languages, and sales performance. The course is self paced. You’ll receive a shareable MicroMasters certificate on completion.
Level: Beginners
Duration: Six months
Cost: $11,280
Outcome: Certificate of completion
Machine learning is essential in business analytics. Springboard is an exceptional bootcamp that provides intensive machine learning courses. You’ll learn every aspect of machine learning and its application from experienced mentors.
Springboard offers job guarantees to students upon graduation. So if you know you want to focus on a machine learning career path, this course is an excellent choice.
Level: Beginner
Duration: 20 hours 20 mins
Cost: $95
Outcome: Certificate of Completion
If you’re new to the world of business analytics, this course is a relatively inexpensive way to learn the basics. Aimed at beginners, it teaches the fundamentals of analytical tools, data visualization, metric data presentations, and data analysis.
You will learn how to discover new trends, market conditions, and competitor standing using fundamental patterns. This course is very detailed and covers a broad range of topics in business analytics.
Level: Advanced
Duration: 15 hours 16 mins
Cost: $140
Outcome: Certificate of Completion
This Udemy course is for experienced professionals who want to learn QlikView from a top-rated instructor. QlikView is a business analytics platform used to analyze static data.
It it taught using real-world sample data, projects, quizzes, and videos. You’ll learn how to use QlikView for business analytics, how to code scripts, and data modeling.
Level: Beginner
Duration: 4 hours 17 mins
Cost: $95
Outcome: Certificate of Completion
As well as teaching you how to use Google Analytics to improve web performance, this course also covers the basics of business analytics.
Through 39 short lectures, it teaches you how to set up e-commerce and event tracking, and how to measure your performance against your goals. The course also covers locating sources that provide the highest-quality traffic and business insights.
Best Business Analytics Resources
As well as taking online courses in business analytics, there is also a range of business analytics resources available to help you gain knowledge. They include eBooks, blogs, videos, and certification programs. Below are a couple of recommended business analytics resources to get you started.
This platform provides regular news and content on business intelligence and analytics. Aimed at data analysts, business analysts, data scientists, and statisticians, it’s a great way to stay up to date with current trends and find business analytics resources.
This webcast from Arcadia Data covers how to transform and filter real-time data using KSQL. The video also highlights why Apache Kafka is famous for real-time event monitoring and decision making. You will also learn how analytics and data visualization facilitate business practices.
Why Learn Business Analytics?
Learning business analytics is a great investment for anyone looking to delve into a career that requires analytical skills. Organizations rely on these skills to observe trends, improve performance, and offer better customer service.
This means that the job prospects for people with these skills are bright, and jobs tend to pay well. For example, data scientists earn an average wage of $96,596, according to Payscale. So if you want the freedom to work in any industry while making a lucrative salary, learning business analytics through an online course is a great idea.
