The College of Business and Economic Development is launching a new Master’s program in Business Analytics.
The program, which is recognized as a Master’s of Science in Business Analytics, was developed by the School of Finance and will begin its first classes in the Fall of 2026. It will be fully online and can be completed in 12 months for a full-time student.
The program is designed with flexibility in mind to allow students with other responsibilities, like a full-time job, to still be able to finish the program.
The program started with the intention of helping students learn how to make decisions based on digital data. The program emerged because of the ongoing demands for data-based decision-making by the industries. This new degree will make Southern Miss the first university in Mississippi to offer a graduate degree in business analytics.
Dr. Kimberly Goodwin, the director of the School of Finance, talks about the importance of the degree for students in this desired field.
“There is a huge need in the market right now for students who have the ability to work with large datasets and use those to solve business problems with programming, statistical analysis, AI and visualization,” Goodwin said. “This is driven by the market demand for these skills.”
The program is meant to be completed in Fall, Spring and Summer semesters for a fully enrolled student. The Fall semester includes courses on Elementary Time Series Analysis, Machine Learning, Advanced Spreadsheet Application and Economic Development Data Analysis. The Spring semester classes include Python for Data Science, Visualizing Data for decision making, Analytical Decision Making and electives between Marketing Analysis and Spatial Analysis and Modeling. The Summer semester includes classes on Regulation and Ethics and Digital Marketing and Analytics.
The program will prepare students with the analytical, technical and strategic skills required to understand data and make decisions based on it.
“It starts with a foundation in computer science, mathematics, and statistics and students will apply those tools to business problems in finance, marketing, and economic development,” Goodwin said. “The incoming students should have some knowledge on basic statistics and some math training.”
Dr. Chris Zimmer, program coordinator, is eager to prepare for the program
“We are just starting the program, and the next step is to admit students,” said Zimmer. “We are starting courses this Fall.”
The application to the program is still accepting applications for Fall 2026. Any student interested in starting their Master’s of Science in Business Analytics in Fall 2026 can apply to the program through the university application portal.
