Skip to main content
Leavey School of Business Homepage
Department of
Information Systems and Analytics

Business Analytics Minor

The Business Analytics minor at Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business teaches students to turn data into better business decisions, using statistics, data management, and predictive modeling with tools like SQL, Python, and R.

Data-driven decision-making now shapes nearly every industry and business function, from marketing and finance to operations and healthcare, and the ability to analyze data and explain what it means is only becoming more valuable. The minor is designed for business students who want to add that skill set to their major, whether they're headed toward a data-focused role or want to make sharper decisions in any career.

Key Skills You’ll Learn:

  • Querying and managing data with SQL and relational databases
  • Cleaning, analyzing, and visualizing data with Python and R
  • Building statistical and predictive models
  • Optimization, sensitivity analysis, and decision trees
  • Framing business problems and weighing the impact of data-driven decisions
  • Presenting technical findings to nontechnical audiences

 

Commonly Paired With:

At a Glance

Program Structure
4 Required Courses + 1 Elective
Required
25 Units / 5 Courses
Open to
Business Majors Only

Careers & Outcomes

The Business Analytics minor prepares students to turn data into decisions–a skill set in demand across virtually every industry and business function. Graduates are positioned for roles like business analyst, data analyst, business intelligence (BI) analyst, and analytics associate, applying tools like SQL, Tableau, and Power BI to build reports, dashboards, and recommendations that inform business strategy. With relevant coursework or internships, that foundation extends into function-specific roles–marketing analyst, financial analyst, operations analyst–and client-facing paths like analytics consulting.

Requirements & How to Apply

The Business Analytics minor requires five courses, not including any prerequisite courses. Students must attain a minimum grade point average of 2.0 for all courses completed at Santa Clara University.

Course Units Description
OMIS 105 5 Units
OMIS 109 5 Units Prescriptive Analytics
OMIS 114 5 Units Data Science with Python
OMIS 115 5 Units Predictive Analytics
One course from:
OMIS 112 5 Units Data Visualization
OMIS 113 5 Units Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence
OMIS 118 5 Units
OMIS 163 5 Units
OMIS 164 5 Units
ACTG 134 5 Units Accounting Information Systems
ACTG 155 5 Units
ECON 173 5 Units
ENVS 116 5 Units Intro to GIS
ENVS 128 5 Units Sustainable Urban Planning
ECON 174 5 Units Time Series Analysis
FNCE 146 5 Units Introduction to Risk Management
MKTG 182 5 Units Analysis for Marketing Decisions
MKTG 192 5 Units Marketing Analytics

Note: A course cannot be double-dipped in multiple programs within the department. For example, if OMIS 113 is taken as an elective for BA minor, it cannot count towards MIS major.

Note: Current students should visit the MyLeavey Student Portal for advising resources. Students are responsible for cross-checking current prerequisite information for each class below with the University Bulletin and the respective academic departments.

To apply for the Business Analytics minor, fill out the online Program Petition Form on the Office of the Registrar Forms page. Students will receive an email when the program petition form is approved by the academic department and sent to the Office of the Registrar. 

Put It Into Practice

Analytics skills sharpen with real data and real problems. Here’s where Leavey students put theirs to work outside the classroom.

The ISA Student Network (ISN) is a student organization for those interested in where business and technology meet, and it's open to Business Analytics minors. Throughout the year, ISN hosts workshops and information sessions with Bay Area technology and consulting firms, along with office tours and alumni panels.

Santa Clara Consulting is a student-led consulting organization that works directly with companies, from Fortune 500 firms to startups, on real business problems. It's a hands-on way to apply analytical thinking to client work.

84% of Leavey undergraduates complete at least one internship before graduation, a chance to apply skills like SQL, Python, and data visualization to real business data. Prepare for internships and post-grad careers with Career & Professional Development Resources.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Business Analytics minor is a business-only minor, open to students in the Leavey School of Business.

You'll learn to manage and query data with SQL, clean, analyze, and visualize data with Python and R, build statistical and predictive models, and use optimization and decision analysis to support business decisions. You'll also learn to frame business problems and present technical findings to nontechnical audiences.

Graduates are positioned for roles like business analyst, data analyst, business intelligence (BI) analyst, and analytics associate. With relevant coursework or internships, the minor also extends into function-specific roles, such as marketing, financial, and operations analyst, and into analytics consulting.

The Business Analytics minor focuses on turning data into insight, using statistics, data management, and modeling to support business decisions. The MIS minor focuses on the technology side, helping students understand, create, and manage the information systems behind modern business.

The Business Analytics major is a full degree program in analytics, recently launched as an expansion of the minor. The minor is a focused set of courses that adds analytics skills to another business major.

You can join the ISA Student Network or Santa Clara INFORMS, work on client projects with Santa Clara Consulting, or apply your skills in an internship.

Contact

Information Systems & Analytics Department - isa@scu.edu