School of Continuing and Professional Studies > Academics > Undergraduate > Undergraduate Majors > Decision Analytics (BA)

Decision Analytics (BA)

The Bachelor of Arts in Decision Analytics has a strong industry orientation and provides students with the knowledge and skills they need for the jobs they hold today as well as those they might seek out tomorrow.

Decision analytics is an interdisciplinary field dedicated to the collection, analysis and communication of complex and dynamic data sets.  This degree is ideal for two groups of students: those who want to move up in their current job and those who want to move into a career in data science. See our fact sheet for more details. Questions? Email transferadmissions@depaul.edu.

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Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

  • Collect, protect and manage electronic data and information ethically.
  • Develop and execute methods of inquiry to address research problems.
  • Analyze, interpret and communicate about data to inform decision-making.
  • Pose questions that will produce useful data.
  • Work collaboratively and creatively to solve structured, semi-structured and unstructured problems through data analysis.
  • Use their own ideas and those of others to draw meaning from experiences.
  • Engage in reflective practice and lifelong learning
  • Derive data driven optimal decisions from complex problems
  • Analyze structured and unstructed data
  • Visualize patterns in complex data
  • Literacy in advanced industry leading software
  • Organize strategic use of data

The Bachelor of Arts in Decision Analytics degree from the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) is an interdisciplinary degree dedicated to the collection, analysis and communication of Big Data, a term used to reflect the challenging complexities and dynamic nature of large data sets today. Decision analysts have a keen sense of data and are able to apply critical reasoning to both qualitative and quantitative data in context. They are able to ask the right questions and formulate problems to facilitate analysis. As such, they are able to understand the organization from a systems perspective. They are comfortable learning new technologies in this dynamic field, particularly database, statistical and visualization software. They also excel in working collaboratively, dealing with ambiguity, creative problem solving, and communication skills.

Designed for working adults, the BA in Decision Analytics has a strong industry orientation that is specifically geared to provide students with the knowledge and skills they can apply in jobs they hold today and to enable them to advance in their careers.

Program Requirements Quarter Hours
College Core Requirements 78
Major and Concentration Requirements 68
Open Electives 46
Total hours required 192

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

  • Select and apply data analysis strategies to clarify situations.
  • Identify patterns and relationships in data.
  • Evaluate decisions based on logical analysis of data.
  • Investigate problems using qualitative and quantitative methods.
  • Apply ethical principles in context.
  • Apply various methods of communication in multiple settings.
  • Analyze and apply different liberal arts perspectives.

College Core Requirements

College Core Requirements (78 credit hours, 20 credit hours in residence)

Lifelong Learning (32 credit hours, 16 credit hours in residence)

Course Title Quarter Hours
LL 201REFLECTIVE LEARNING 12
LL 305ACTIVE CITIZENS: MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITY, WORKPLACE WORLD4
LL 205QUANTITATIVE REASONING4
LL 261ESSAY WRITING4
LL 270CRITICAL THINKING4
LL 290RESEARCH WRITING 14
LL 301RESEARCH METHODS 16
LL 302EXTERNSHIP 14

Liberal Learning (46 credit hours, 4 credit hours in residence)

  • Liberal Arts in Action Requirement: CCA 281, CCH 281, CCS 281 or courses with LA1 designation, 6 credits
  • CORE CURRICULUM ARTS & IDEAS, courses with the CCA, AL, PI, or RD requirement designations, or any Arts & Ideas competencies, 12 credits
  • CORE CURRICULUM HUMAN COMMUNITY, courses with the CCH, SCBI, or UP requirement designations, or any Human Community competencies, 12 credits
  • CORE CURRICULUM SCIENTIFIC WORLD, courses with the CCSW, SI, SILB, or SISK requirement designations, or any Scientific World competencies, 12 credits
  • IN 3071

Major Requirements (68 credit hours, 40 credit hours in residence)

 40 credit hours must be completed in residence in the major, 8 credit hours of which in the courses specified.

Professional Studies Core (20 credits, 8 credits in residence)

Course Title Quarter Hours
FA 199CAREER ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING 12
DCM 330PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE4
ETHICS OR SOCIAL JUSTICE, courses with the PSES requirement designation. Choose one of the following:2
DCM 317
ETHICS IN THE PROFESSIONS
DCM 318
SOCIAL JUSTICE IN THE PROFESSIONS
CREATIVITY OR INNOVATION, courses with the PSCI requirement designation. Choose one of the following:2
CCA 170
CREATIVITY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
DCM 319
CREATIVITY AND INNOVATIVE THINKING
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES, courses with the PSGP requirement designation. Choose one of the following:4
CCH 239
BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY AND OUR GLOBAL FUTURE
CCH 283
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES OF WORK & FAMILY
CCH 300
GLOBALIZATION AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
DCM 321CAPSTONE PLANNING 12
DCM 322CAPSTONE PROJECT/PORTFOLIO REVIEW 14

Decision Analytics Courses (24 credit hours)

Course Title Quarter Hours
DA 233APPLIED INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS4
IT 223DATA ANALYSIS4
IT 240INTRODUCTION TO DATABASES4
MAT 130PRECALCULUS4
DA 200DATA ANALYTICS4
DSC 323DATA ANALYSIS AND REGRESSION (FORMERLY CSC 324)4

 Concentration Requirements (24 credit hours)

Students must also complete the requirements from either the General or Computing concentrations.

​Concentrations, tracks and specializations provide focus to the major. In addition to any college core requirements, liberal studies requirements and major requirements, students are required to choose one of the following:

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