Business Analytics

Learn how to transform large and complex data sets into valuable information and make data-driven business decisions with the BCIT Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics. The demand for business analytics professionals is increasing dramatically, as companies struggle to manage, interpret, and leverage the vast amounts of data available to them.

The Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics provides you with the applied business analytics skills instrumental for success in this fast-growing field. You will acquire strategic knowledge and hands-on experience to allow you to harness data and improve productivity and decision making within your organization and enhance strategic, tactical, and operational planning.

About the program

Business analytics and BCIT are an unbeatable combination. Employers value BCIT’s applied, job-ready approach to education and training. It’s the BCIT advantage that sets our graduates apart from the pack.

• One year to complete: Five graduate level courses completed over 12 months.
• Blended course delivery: In the classroom one evening a week in the Vancouver campus, and the balance of the week’s work completed online.
• Cohort program: You will work through the whole program with your cohort, sharing your experience and expertise, and building a professional network that will last long after you have graduated.
• Business analytics capstone project: Students assume the role of the business analytics professional in a hands-on industry project.
• Industry instructors: You will learn from knowledgeable and skilled instructors – industry professionals who bring to the program their real-world experience in the application of business analytics.

Learn more about program goals and how this program prepares you for a career in business analytics on the Program Details page.

Who should apply for the Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics?

The Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics is right for you if:

• You are ready to launch your career in business analytics and capitalize on growing job opportunities in this emerging area.
• You are looking to differentiate yourself by developing your capacity as an analytics specialist.
• You are seeking to deepen your understanding of business analytics to create competitive advantage for your organization.
• You want to expand your skillset and augment your already well-established career in marketing, HR, finance and a variety of other professions.
• You hold a 4-year undergraduate degree, in any field, with at least a few years of business experience.

If this sounds like you, apply today on the Entrance Requirements page, where you will also learn more about entrance requirements and “Bring Your Own Device” computer requirements for this program. Demand for seats in this program is high, so apply early.

If you are a looking for an applied information technology program – to learn to administer data analytics systems, and to use IT methods and tools to model and mine data – consider the Certificate in Applied Data Analytics.

What grads can do

Business analytics professionals work in a broad range of positions, from tactical personnel to managers with strategic responsibility, and throughout all types of businesses and sectors. Analytics knowledge and skills are in demand across key business functions – including sales and marketing, finance and accounting, human resources, IT services and support, production and operations, customer service, and research and development.

Learn more about career opportunities awaiting you on the Graduating and Jobs page.

If the Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics is for you, please begin the application process early to increase opportunities for acceptance. This program is highly sought after and meeting the basic requirements is not a guarantee of entry.

Please review the 2021/22 schedule [PDF]  or 2022/23 schedule [PDF] carefully before applying to the program. Ensure that you are able to attend all classes and complete the online component each week, for the particular intake that you are applying to.

Note: Only under extenuating circumstances, with the approval of the program head and on a space-available basis, will students be able to resume their studies with another cohort if they are unable to complete the program with the intake that they are accepted into.

Drawing on BCIT’s applied approach to teaching and learning, the courses in this program incorporate a blend of case study, problem-based learning, collaborative team-based learning, and individual project assignments. In the last course – the Business Analytics Capstone Project – you will participate in all the steps of a real-world analytics assignment, as well as develop your project management skills.

Please view the 2020/2021 schedule or the 2021/22 schedule [PDF].

Program goals

Upon successful completion of the Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics, you will be able to:

• Articulate the scope and purpose of business analytics to guide decision making in global business environments
• Apply business analytics appropriately within the scope of different organizational requirements
• Select appropriate databases and data sources to meet business requirements
• Guide the development of datasets within the framework of data governance and ethical business standards
• Generate key metrics and indicators based on an analysis of available data
• Create business analytics reports to assess data quality
• Utilize data quality methodologies in context to effectively create business insights
• Present data appropriately to varying audiences using a range of data visualization products and techniques
• Advocate using a variety of communications media for organizational strategies based on data insights
• Select and apply appropriate statistical and analytical methodologies to address a variety of business needs
• Effectively identify a business need, perform appropriate research and analysis, and package the results in industry standard reporting formats
• Identify and develop data-based decision systems within an ethical and legal framework

If you are a looking for an applied information technology program – to learn to administer data analytics systems, and to use IT methods and tools to model and mine data – consider the Certificate in Applied Data Analytics.

Over the five courses, you will develop case analysis skills, practical data analytic skills, and project management skills through a number of mini-projects. You will complete a range of key assessments, such as the development of databases and case-based projects, culminating with the final capstone industry project and presentation. You will be encouraged to retain these assessments in the form of a digital portfolio that can be used to demonstrate your business analytics skills to current and future employers.

The Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics gives you the applied skills instrumental for career success in this fast-growing field and responsive to the needs of the global marketplace. The demand for skilled professionals who can effectively analyze and present big data in a way that can be understood and used to make sound business decisions is growing at an amazing rate. Industry lacks enough skilled professionals who can fill those roles. Business analytics professionals work in a broad range of occupations, from tactical personnel through to managers with strategic responsibility. These positions can be found throughout all types of businesses and professions, and across industry sectors.

Current job categories where business analytics skills are increasingly required include, but are not limited to:

• Analytics Specialist
• Brand Manager
• Business Development Manager
• Business Intelligence Analyst
• Business Analyst
• Customer Insights Analyst
• Digital Intelligence Analyst
• Enterprise Analytics Head
• Marketing Intelligence Specialist
• Quantitative Analyst

Testimonials

“BCIT Business Analytics Grad Certificate gave me the knowledge and hands on skills to be hired internationally.”
 ~ Cody levy, Programme Analyst, Visa

Ron McMillan
Ron McMillan holds a Master of Science degree in Business Intelligence and Analytics from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. His extensive industry experience includes 12 years as a data analyst consultant at TELUS and TELUS Mobility and four years of custom application development at Fluor Canada. Ron has taught Business Systems, MIS, and Business Intelligence courses at BCIT since 2004. He is keenly interested in all things data and believes that data science is integral to all aspects of business.

Nikhil Bhardwaj
Nikhil Bhardwaj is a web entrepreneur with more than 12 years of experience in software development and business consulting. His areas of expertise include business intelligence, web application design and development, and translating tech-speak into something more comprehensible. His educational qualifications include a Master of Business Administration from Nirma University and a Master of Software Systems from the University of British Columbia.

Ben Pedret
Ben Pedret is a quantitative analyst with more than 20 years of experience providing research and consulting services to private and public companies, not for-profit organizations, and government. His areas of expertise include data modeling, forecasting, risk analysis, applied statistics, and optimization. Ben is a Certified Management Consultant with a Master of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University and a PhD in Mathematics from Strathclyde University, U.K.

Lorne Hill
Lorne Hill has spent over 25 years turning data into information that drives effective decision making. He has held director level positions in marketing and IT with the likes of SaskTel, TELUS, and Teligence. Today he helps firms make the most of their customer information through customer analytics and business intelligence consulting. Lorne holds a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Saskatchewan. He has taught database marketing and customer analytics at BCIT and Simon Fraser University. He is active in the community where he is President/Board Chair of Fraserside Community Services Society and Treasurer of the Massey Theatre Society.

John Schaub
John Schaub is Senior Product Manager responsible for security and analytics at Central 1 Credit Union. Prior to joining Central 1, John was the Director of Internal Information Systems and Business Intelligence with HootSuite and has also held a variety of Analyst and Product Manager roles with other organizations. He holds a Master of Science in Information Systems, a Bachelor of Science in Physics and a diploma in Robotics. John serves on the Boards of the Vancouver Public Library and Public Library InterLINK, and volunteers with the MOSAIC Multicultural Society. John is also a founding member of Open Data BC.

Amy Goldlist
Amy Goldlist is faculty in the Operations Management department in the School of Business at BCIT. She has an MSc in Mathematics from UBC, focusing on Algebraic Number Theory, and an MDS (Masters of Data Science) also from UBC. She is a coauthor of the textbook: “Essentials of Business Statistics” with Ken Black, Timothy Edmunds and Ignacio Castillo, available via Wiley Publishing.

Sue Wong
Administrative Assistant
604-456-1155 | swong516@bcit.ca

Amy Goldlist
Program Head
604-412-7497 | amy_goldlist@bcit.ca