Lehigh’s College of Business at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania recently announced a new concentration in Business Analytics for its full-time one-year MBA program (1-MBA), classified as a STEM-designated degree.

The Business Analytics concentration is the first concentration offered in the 1-MBA program. It is a 15-credit program, specifically designed to give students exposure to business data collection, storage & retrieval and predictive models.

Students also get exposure to the applications for improved decision-making in today’s modern, data-rich organizations, the school said.

New Business Analytics Concentration of Lehigh One Year MBA & STEM Designation I Benefits & Program Details

Lehigh 1-MBA facilitates students’ growth as future business leaders, says Dean

Georgette Chapman Phillips, Kevin L. and Lisa A. Clayton Dean at Lehigh University College of Business, says that the rapid advancement in information technology has created a data-rich environment for organizations in all sectors.

“How to collect data, how to evaluate data collection methods and sources and how to use the data to gain business insights and improve decision-making are the challenges faced by today’s intuitive managers.  At Lehigh Business, we prepare our students to take on such challenges and grow as future business leaders,” she says.

The Value of Lehigh 1-MBA with Business Analytics Concentration

Kevin J. Ezzell, Program Director, 1-MBA, says, “The value of the MBA with a Business Analytics concentration is that our students want the full-time MBA experience, but view the two-year full-time MBA as out of reach financially.  In addition, many do not want to be out of the workforce for two or more years.

“Business analytics is an area where new jobs are being created, as well as data skills, are being required in more and more existing employment positions.  At a recent MBA conference that I attended, Burning Glass Technologies, a data analytics company in the United States, reported that in 2012 there were 270,140 annual job postings in the United States that required data skills.  In 2018 this number increased to 861,409 positions requesting data skills (GMAC 2019 Annual Conference Keynote, Denver, CO).

“This shows this skill set is in high demand.  When you look at the demand along with the prospect of a one-year MBA combined with the 24-month STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension to the standard 12-month OPT period, the concentration provides a unique opportunity for MBA students at Lehigh University,” he points out.

“In addition, our geographic proximity to major metropolitan areas (90 minutes to New York City|60 minutes to Philadelphia) is a significant draw for MBA students,” he says.

Lehigh 1-MBA’s STEM designation beneficial for domestic, international students

The addition of a one-year MBA with STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) designation is beneficial to both domestic and international students, according to the school officials.

For international students, having a STEM-designated degree allows for an additional 24 months of Optional Practical Training (OPT) for STEM-related employment.

“The existing 1-MBA curriculum has a rigorous core curriculum, so adding the business analytics concentration builds on our strong foundation, while also positioning our students for further success in their employment endeavours,” says Oliver Yao, associate dean for graduate programs at the College of Business.

The application deadlines for the next cohort are April 19, 2020, for international applicants and May 15, 2020, for domestic US applicants.

Lehigh 1-MBA Business Analytics Program Details

The Business Analytics Concentration in 1-MBA is a 15-credits, 13-month program that runs from July to August. During the spring semester, the students will be able to select three courses. Among the courses on offer are Advanced Topics in Business Analytics, Data Analytics for Accountants, Econometric Software and Market Research & Analysis

Similarly, in the summer semester, apart from the required course of Data Management for Managers, they will be able to choose from Advanced Topics in Financial Analysis and Modelling as also other approved Business Analytics summer courses.

The Optional Practical Training allows eligible F-1 students to work in their field of study in the United States for up to 12 months after completion.  F-1 students with a degree in a STEM field (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics) may be eligible for a 24-month extension of their 12-month OPT.

1-MBA Business Analytics students will be able to participate in May graduation, the MBA degree would be conferred with an August diploma for employment purposes.

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