Jim Hebert reported that there was a shortage in the quantitative skills for not only his company, but many major employers, such as Microsoft, which led to a need in a program to acquire such business skills. Specifically, this included data analytics, advanced statistical sciences for marketing, and operational and economic disciplines.
This MSBA program was developed in response to the need for employees who can analyze and interpret vast amounts of data and clearly communicate the results to business leaders for more effective decision-making. Content in this program is designed around fundamental business analytics requirements. Students will be expected to be able to propose proper courses of action based on analysis. Students will also be given the opportunity to concentrate in data analytics, marketing, and financial economics. Graduates will be knowledgeable regarding business practices, language, and strategies. The 45 credit program is for those who have an interest in identifying complex business problems in terms of analytical models, obtaining solutions that achieve stated objectives, and translating the results obtained into recommendations for effective courses of action. The program was created for recent graduates, as well as those looking to enhance their career opportunities or change direction in their established careers.
This program is the first of its kind in the Northwest. Dr. Carlos De Mello e Souza will be the program director. This program addition at the Albers School of Business and Economics reflects the current change in innovations occurring at business schools.
Seattle Universities MBA program, which began in the early 1970s, is continually ranked among the best business programs in the country, with the program currently ranked second in the Northwest among graduate business programs by the U.S. News & World Report. More recently, the Costco scholarship program and College Success Foundation, which were created by one of the four founders of Costco, the late Robert Price, have provided over $600 million dollars, as of 2014, to hundreds of students at Seattle University and the University of Washington, with many students receiving this funding attending the Albers School of Business at Seattle University.
