Master of Science in Information Technology (Business Intelligence and Data Analytics) 21-Month Track

Master of Science in Information Technology - Business Intelligence and Data Analytics (MSIT - BIDA)

Carnegie Mellon University in Australia

The MSIT-BIDA program combines a comprehensive information technology and management curriculum with BIDA courses, a compulsory 400 hours of internship and an industry-based Data Analytics Capstone Project.

MSIT-BIDA is tailored for students seeking to develop cutting-edge skills in IT Management and data analytics. As analytics professionals and data scientists, intelligent in their application of technology, graduates can provide value for organizations by understanding how technology interacts with business processes, strategy, and policy. These desirable skills, coupled with advanced knowledge in business intelligence and “big data” technologies make graduates highly sought after individuals.

Australian business and government agencies are generating huge demand for analytics professionals, driving salaries for high-quality practitioners upwards, according to the Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia (IAPA) 2013 Skills and Salary Survey Report. The report shows the median salary for an analytics professional to be almost twice the median Australian full-time salary - fifty percent earning over $110,000 annually.

Structure

MSIT-BIDA requires you to study 168 units in total comprising of 78 units worth of MSIT-ITM core courses, 66 units of BIDA courses including a 12 unit Data Analytics Capstone Project, 24 units of elective courses and 400 hours of internship. The combination of courses and real-world experience through the Data Analytics Capstone Project and Internship, allows you to tailor the program to your career and interest needs by selecting relevant elective courses whilst studying core courses which provide a core foundation of skills and knowledge.

Full-time students complete the program over five study periods. Students may commence in either January or August intakes. Each study period is the equivalent to 12-13 weeks of study and usually comprises of 48 units worth of courses. Each course is awarded either 6 or 12 unit weighting which is approximately equivalent to 1 week of study. Therefore you can study a combination of 6 and 12 unit courses to meet your program requirements. Part-time students have up to five years to complete their program, however, most complete the program in two to three years.

For successful completion of the MSIT - BIDA program, you must complete 168 units total:

• complete 78 units of core MSIT-ITM requirements (unless exempt)
• complete 54 units of core BIDA requirements (concentration)
• complete 24 units of elective courses
• complete a 12 unit Data Analytics Capstone Project
• complete 400 hours of internship
• achieve a cumulative quality point average (QPA) of at least 3.0

Learning Outcomes for Graduate MSIT- BIDA

Our curriculum is designed to help meet the expanding needs of data scientists who are skilled in the utilization of a unique blend of science, art and business. Students will understand the skills needed to effectively collect and manage big data, perform data-driven discovery and prediction, and extract value and competitive intelligence for their organization.

The MSIT-BIDA program provides the skills required to become a data scientist and provides existing data analysts with opportunities to broaden skills.

At completion, MSIT- BIDA graduates will be able to competently:

• Apply techniques for data management, including data wrangling, cleaning, sampling, management, exploratory analysis, regression and classification, prediction, and data communication.
• Design, document and develop robust, extensible and highly maintainable data-intensive applications using cutting-edge technologies tailored to the specific needs of any business scenario.
• Explain and apply the core aspects of information technology principles and tools, and manage their implementation in a business context.
• Develop systems to automate data collection and data mining and utilize techniques to discover previously hidden insights that can profoundly impact the success of any business.
• Manage complex Business Intelligence projects with consideration of the human, financial and environmental factors and an understanding of risk management processes, and operational and policy implications.
• Understand the strengths and limitations of current technologies and apply them intelligently to meet the needs of each application.
• Apply their practical experience in IT projects developed through assessment projects for real-world clients focusing on technology auditing and recommendations, and system development.
• Utilise high-level interpersonal skills to negotiate and communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders verbally and in writing.
• Understand and facilitate the strategic and operational benefits of business models and technology applications.

Tuition

Tuition is charged on a per study period basis. Cost per study period can change each academic year. Deferral of admission will incur tuition fees at the prevailing rate. The internship study period incurs no tuition cost.

Entry Requirements

*Applicants who speak English as a foreign language are required to satisfy the English language requirement.

Carnegie Mellon University is an American university established in 1900 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Ranked 23 in the world (Times Higher Education, World University Ranking, 2017-18) Carnegie Mellon has been a birthplace of innovation throughout its history and is a global leader in bringing ground-breaking ideas to market and creating successful start-up businesses. Carnegie Mellon University in Australia (which opened in 2006) forms part of Carnegie Mellon’s global footprint which includes campuses in Silicon Valley, Rwanda, and Qatar. Located in Adelaide, the fifth Most Liveable City in the world (Economist Intelligence Unit 2015) and Australia’s most affordable mainland capital city, the Carnegie Mellon Australia campus is home to students from over 20 countries, creating wide-reaching networks of contemporaries, global experts, and alumni. Students graduate with the Carnegie Mellon University American degree and are taught by highly qualified faculty who boast extensive careers in teaching, basic and applied research, and leadership in their respective fields. Classes are taught by resident and visiting faculty from Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. Overseas faculty teaches remotely to Adelaide using sophisticated video conferencing facilities. Controlled student-to-faculty ratios ensure the faculty provides students with personalized attention to meet their individual needs. Our degrees combine practical and technical courses that provide students with the scientific knowledge and problem-solving skills necessary to succeed in their careers. By design, our innovative course curriculum provides a firm foundation in theory, with a focus on skills that will advance management practice, policy, and decision-making. Our curriculum includes challenging courses designed to develop student potential for innovation. Students customise their degree by selecting from a variety of course electives, projects, and independent study. Experiential learning is provided through internships and team and individual projects. The combination of an American degree and studying in Australia provides students with a unique skill-set and international perspective. Graduates become sought-after individuals offering unique, immediate and measurable benefits to future employers as sophisticated analysts and effective executives.

Mission and Vision

Our Mission Carnegie Mellon University Australia is founded on the proposition that the study of public policy and of information technology, independently and jointly, provides a uniquely powerful platform from which to influence the world of the 21st Century. We are the only academic institution in the world that pursues this goal through a unified faculty that comprises management science, social science, and information technology in roughly equal parts. It is our mission to utilize the research and education this platform enables to have a positive influence on the evolution of societies, economic systems, organizations and individual lives around the world. Our Vision We see a world in which the increased diffusion of information technology, the global development of human capital and the resultant interdependence of market, political, social and cultural systems have changed the nature of economic, managerial and policy problems. We believe our ability to mobilize analytic models, empirical analysis, and technological sophistication to address these changes is unique. In pursuing our intellectual agenda we also aspire to be an academic institution that is a bridge between the development of new knowledge and its application for the improvement of organizations, societies, and individual lives. Events Carnegie Mellon University in Australia holds regular webinars, attends exhibitions and visits agents and institutions worldwide. If you are interested in meeting some of our staff and learning more about our programs please check out our current events.