St. Francis Xavier University and Nova Scotia Community College have teamed together to provide an innovative new opportunity for students pursuing careers in the high-demand IT sector.
The two institutions have launched the new NSCC-StFX Collaborative Program in Business Intelligence and Analytics. The collaborative offering means students can earn both a BBA with Advanced Major plus a Graduate Certificate in Business Intelligence and Analytics in just four years.
This dual credential program is designed for students who want to accelerate their education in the innovative and rapidly growing field of business intelligence and analytics. Students in the new program will receive the same training as other business students, with added immersion in the latest data reporting technologies and best practices. In just four years of full-time study, students will graduate with two highly valued credentials to support a future in the technology sector.
“This is an exciting opportunity for students interested in technology and business. The program combines the hands-on business intelligence and analytics experience that NSCC is well known for, with our technology management and enterprise systems expertise. The program is unique in its content, design, and delivery,” says Dr. Todd Boyle, Chair of the Department of Marketing and Enterprise Systems in StFX’s Gerald Schwartz School of Business.
“It’s just a great opportunity for students,” says Schwartz School Dean of Business Dr. Tim Hynes, who notes up to 20 students will be accepted into the program starting in September, and that it will provide a seamless, experiential education across both institutions, bringing together the strengths of two leading business institutions.
Andrew Lafford, NSCC Dean of the School of Technology and Environment, says NSCC is pleased to work with StFX on this new pathway. “These innovative partnerships between post-secondary institutions allow for greater mobility, opportunity, and flexibility for our learners,” he says. “As the province’s IT industry continues to grow, these students will graduate with a unique skillset that will support important needs in the IT and business sectors.”
HELPING BUSINESSES BECOME MORE AGILE
Business Intelligence and Analytics practitioners leverage best practices, specialized and sophisticated technologies, and creative problem solving to derive actionable insights and informed interpretations of data. Companies are generating an enormous amount of data, but much of that data goes unused once it has been created and is often spread across multiple locations and in different formats.
Business Intelligence and Analytics is focused on deriving value from such data in order to help businesses become more agile, strategic, and competitive. Business Intelligence and Analytics professionals help companies better understand numerous business issues, such as those related to consumer behavior, product life cycles, entry into new markets, and the success of digital and social media marketing efforts. To do this, they focus on collecting, synthesizing, and examining both current and historical data from many different sources. They may also make predictions based on such data.
DEGREE PATH
Students can start their first year in the program at either StFX or any NSCC campus. The second year is completed at StFX.
In year three, students attend NSCC – Pictou Campus, where they will focus on data reporting, data science, and business intelligence and complete a five-week work placement, earning a Graduate Certificate in Business Intelligence and Analytics from NSCC. Year four is spent at StFX where the focus is on studying advanced issues related to the use, deployment and management of IT. At year end, students will have earned a BBA in Business Intelligence and Analytics from StFX.
Business intelligence analyst, systems analyst, enterprise systems consultant, and IT consultant are just a few of the many career options available to program graduates.
For more information and to apply, please contact @email or @email
