Services Delivered:

The Challenge:

Create a marketing and content strategy to promote William & Mary’s newest degree program – the Master of Science in Business Analytics – and fill all seats in the cohort by the upcoming application deadline. The project required keen awareness of William & Mary’s long history of academic success while also developing a strategy that would position the college as a future-forward institution of learning.

Deliverables:

Editorials & Advertorials:

A NEW MASTER’S AT MASON

MSBA program addresses the need for big data talent

by Tryna Fitzpatrick (published in the Spring 2016 edition, By & Large, W&M Alumni Magazine)

In August 2016, the doors will open to William & Mary’s first new graduate program in 15 years — the Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA). Business analytics is a critically urgent field in today’s marketplace: “big data” is a driving factor of innovation and productivity. Each day we produce 2.5 quintillion bytes of data, and in just a few years, data production will increase by 4,300 percent. Due to this skyrocketing growth, the Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks data analytics as one of the fastest-growing career fields for the next decade. A shortage of as many as 1.5 million data professionals is predicted by the year 2018.

Recognizing this talent gap, the faculty at the Raymond A. Mason School of Business developed an innovative 10-month Master of Science in Business Analytics program, tailored to the big-data challenges facing business organizations.

“Graduates of our program have the deep analytical skills required of data scientists, but also business knowledge and communication skills which are essential to deploying analytics effectively,” says Jim Bradley, faculty director for the MSBA program.

The program will focus on four skill areas: business acumen, applied mathematics, computing technologies and communicating with impact. Coursework will include optimization, neural networks, machine learning, artificial intelligence and data visualization.

The Mason School is now accepting MSBA applications for fall 2016. Prospective students who are interested in improving their quantitative skills should visit W&M’s MSBA website and call 757.221-1763 to speak with Brian Nigg, associate director of the MSBA program.

Meeting the Big Demand for Big Talent

by Tryna Fitzpatrick (published in the Spring 2016 edition, By & Large, W&M Alumni Magazine)

The exponential increase of information produced by the growth of computer technology has changed the way we live and work. In fact, it has been noted that we produce 2.5 quintillion bytes of data each day, making “big data” one of the driving factors of innovation and productivity in the modern marketplace. In just a few years, data production will increase by 4300%, leaving businesses scrambling to hire analytic talent who can manipulate and understand complex business processes in order to help them gain a competitive advantage. As a result, the Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks data analytics as one of the fastest growing career fields of the next decade. Due to this skyrocketing growth, there is estimated to be a shortage of as many as 1.5 million data professionals by the year 2018.   

William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business is addressing this need with its first new residential-based graduate degree program in 15 years – a Master of Science in Business Analytics. Launching in August 2016, it will tackle the demand for big data professionals by providing comprehensive coverage of analytic methodologies with a focus on four skill areas: business acumen, applied mathematics, computing technologies and communicating with impact. The curriculum will include coursework in optimization, statistics, machine learning, artificial intelligence and data visualization, just to name a few.  

In just 10 months, students will be prepared to analyze data, interpret and communicate results, and serve as creative thinkers and problems solvers, qualifying them for high-earning job offers in this cutting-edge field. With opportunities in a variety of industries, from manufacturing to healthcare, finance, and marketing, graduates of the program will be highly sought after and able to begin their careers with lucrative salaries. 

Web Content:

Why W&M MSBA?

 William & Mary Website

Combining advanced analytic methodologies within the context of business management, the Mason School’s Master of Science in Business Analytics is a full-time, accelerated program that can be completed in just two semesters. Graduates will gain a competitive advantage in a high-growth field that is backed by William and Mary’s 300 year history of success. 

Specialized Program of Study 

Fast track your career with a top-earning niche. The MSBA was designed to meet the growing need for data science professionals, giving graduates the skills necessary to help organizations harness and understand the power of information. You will emerge with the analytic expertise to solve complex problems from multiple perspectives, making you the strategic asset companies want to hire.  

The Big Data Revolution 

The demand is clear. Job openings in the field have increased 136% in recent years, yet business leaders with analytic skills are in short supply.  It is estimated that, by 2018, there will be a shortage of up to 1.5 million data professionals. To meet this demand, our program teaches four key areas of business analytics: business acumen, applied mathematics, computing technologies and communicating with impact. Job placement is very high {HYPERLINK}, offering excellent ROI for our graduates. 

Top Ranked Faculty  

The Mason School’s business faculty is ranked 4th in the nation by The Princeton Review and gets an A+ from Businessweek. Plus, our full-time MBA classes are intentionally small compared to other business schools, so you’ll have one-on-one access to these leading business thinkers. 

Dedicated Career Management 

As you’re building your analytic tool-kit, the program will also help leverage your new skill set to land the most optimal job.  We will provide dedicated career management professionals who will can provide assistance in resume writing, interview coaching and networking so you can maximize your job offers and reach your career goals. 

Careers in Big Data 

From understanding customer buying patterns, to fraud detection, to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing campaigns, business analytics has become a crucial tool for improving corporate profitability. As a result, the exponential growth of big data has changed the way we work and who we hire.  

To gain a competitive advantage in this dynamic career field, MBA students are discovering the importance of finding their niche in the marketplace. William and Mary’s MSBA program, offered through Mason’s Operations and Information Systems Management (OISM) area, meets this demand by offering coursework in: 

Data visualization  

Data optimization 

Algorithms 

Database management 

Machine learning and artificial intelligence  

Probability and statistics 

The MBA in Business Analytics is designed to provide a deep-dive into analytic methodologies within the context of business applications. Our students will learn the work skills needed to capitalize on the corporate demand for this talent.  The job outlook for our graduates is extremely positive and will only improve as more companies look for employees with these unique skill-sets. 

Dedicated Career Management 

As you’re building your analytic tool-kit, the program will also help leverage your new skill set to land the most optimal job. We will provide dedicated career management professionals who can provide assistance in resume writing, interview coaching and networking so you can maximize your job offers and reach your career goals. 

Overview 

According to IBM, every day, we create 2.5 quintillion bytes of data — so much that 90% of the data in the world today has been created in the last two years alone. This data, also referred to as “Big Data”, comes from everywhere: sensors used to gather climate information, social media interactions, digital pictures and videos, e-commerce transactions, and cell phone GPS signals to name a few. It is predicted that by 2020, there will be a 4300% increase in annual data generation.  

Our program will prepare you to meet this market demand by teaching you how to analyze unstructured data, conduct data mining on big data sets, and to discover relationships among different variables in big data sets. You will learn how to gather and structure the large volumes of data that companies typically collect about their businesses, identify the key data fields that effectively predict the behavior of customers, and effectively communicate the information to your management and provide insight to inform their strategic decision making. 

The curriculum is highly progressive and structured with business context taught first, followed by a comprehensive examination of analytic applications and culminating with a capstone project where real business problems are analyzed and solved. Techniques learned can lead to high-earning job offers across many industries including retail, medical, financial, manufacturing. 

Ranked among the top 5 in the nation, our faculty members are uniquely experienced in real-world applications, and skilled in the techniques taught at prominent institutions, including Stanford University, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and University of Washington. And because Mason’s MSBA classes are small compared to other business schools, you will have exceptional access to and attention from these leading business thinkers. 

Collateral:

Brochure / One Sheet

Video Marketing