University of Rochester Launches Online AI, Business Analytics Master’s Degree

• Simon Business School at the University of Rochester will launch an online master of science in business analytics and applied artificial intelligence starting in August 2024.
• The 14-month program will feature a mix of synchronous and asynchronous learning.
• Business analytics and AI skills are both in high demand from employers. And industry feedback was key to shaping the new degree program.
• A growing number of business schools are incorporating STEM fields, including AI, into their curriculum.

Businesses are scrambling to embrace rapidly emerging artificial intelligence (AI) — and a new online master's degree program will blend business analytics and applied AI to meet that need.

The University of Rochester Simon Business School will launch an online master of science (MS) in business analytics and applied AI in August, according to a press release. That degree program will mix high-demand skill sets to prepare students for an ever-evolving business landscape.

"AI technology is rapidly transforming the world of business," Simon Business School Dean Sevin Yeltekin said in the release. "Our online MS in business analytics and applied AI is uniquely positioned to provide professionals with the advanced skills needed to leverage AI in data analysis and decision-making processes to add value to their organization."

The program's curriculum brings a heavy focus on tech, including an introduction to the Python programming course, data management, and market analytics. The curriculum also features leadership and management skills from a tech perspective, such as data-driven and analytical decision-making, communications, and ethics and policy in tech.

Whether through specialized master's degrees or concentrations in master of business administration (MBA) programs, tech has become increasingly important at business schools in recent years.

Demand from students and employers alike has driven schools to shape their curriculum with a tech-heavy focus.

The Simon Business School has long incorporated science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) into its curriculum. The school in 2017 was the first program in the country to offer a STEM-designated MBA regardless of specialization.

Mitch Lovett, senior associate dean of education and innovation, said the degree program is shaped to industry needs.

"This program is designed with direct input from industry leaders to blend the analytical precision of business analytics with the transformative power of AI to empower professionals to become leaders in this dynamic field," Lovett said in the release.

The part-time, online program will take 14 months to complete, and no GMAT or GRE is required to apply. Upcoming 2024 application deadline rounds are April 15, June 15, and July 15.

More Business Schools Tackle AI, STEM

As tech skills become increasingly important to students and employers alike, a growing number of business schools are making STEM a core part of their curriculum.

That trend is taking shape at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.

At Purdue University's reimagined Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business, a new undergraduate institution resulting from a 2023 gift has brought a heavy tech focus to its curriculum. Purdue also incorporates STEM into its graduate curriculum as demand for tech skills swells among employers.

"Every company is a tech company," Daniels School of Business Dean James Bullard previously told BestColleges.

The Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, in collaboration with the McCormick School of Engineering, offers an "MBAi" program that "integrates both business strategy and analytic technologies throughout the curriculum," according to the school's website.

Villanova University, Northeastern University, and other major business schools have also taken steps to incorporate AI into their MBA and general business curricula. That comes as rapidly developing AI technology scores as a top priority for prospective students globally.

Business schools are often working across their respective universities to incorporate high-demand STEM fields into their curriculum.

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business is offering a joint master of business administration and master's in applied data science program as part of a collaboration with the university's Physical Sciences Division (PSD).

"The joint Booth MBA and PSD master's in applied data science equips aspiring leaders with the strategic business acumen of Booth — coupled with a technical mastery of data science and AI — to offer an unparalleled competitive advantage," Greg Green, a University of Chicago professor and program director of the MS in applied data science, said in a release announcing the new degree.

Business schools are not only instructing students in AI, but they are also becoming hubs of research for the technology industry. The University of Virginia Darden School of Business received a record gift totaling more than $100 million in 2023 to bolster AI research.