Business Analytics

Business analytics is the discipline concerned with using data to inform and improve business decisions. It combines quantitative methods, statistics, and computational tools with a genuine understanding of how organisations work and what questions data can and cannot answer. As the volume of available data has grown and the tools for analysing it have become more powerful, the ability to work with data intelligently, to distinguish signal from noise, and to communicate insight clearly to decision-makers has become one of the most in-demand capabilities in modern business.

This three-year, full-time programme at the University of Exeter develops your skills in data analysis, statistical methods, modelling, and the use of analytical tools and platforms that professional analytics roles require. The course includes access to student membership of the Institute of Analytics, and successful completion opens pathways toward professional IoA membership, providing professional recognition and a clear development trajectory. The programme also includes a placement year and a year abroad, which together give you the opportunity to develop professionally in an analytics or business context and to engage with data-driven management in a different national and commercial environment.

Graduates of business analytics programmes move into roles in data analysis, business intelligence, management consulting, financial analysis, operations research, and strategic planning. The combination of quantitative skills and business understanding is valued across virtually every sector of the modern economy, from financial services and retail to healthcare, logistics, and technology. The Institute of Analytics membership pathway adds professional credibility that employers in this growing field recognise.

Further postgraduate study in analytics, data science, or applied statistics is a natural extension for those who wish to develop specialist technical expertise.