Book an open day Apply now

MSc Business Analytics and Consultancy

Book an open day Apply now

Why choose Herts?

Teaching excellence: Learn from the leaders of the Business Analysis and Statistics (BAS) group. BAS includes Reda Lebcir, who is currently working on Coronavirus analytics for Public Health England (see key staff section).
Industry connections: Benefit from our strong links with large organisations, including Ocado, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Tesco HQ who support our careers fairs, provide guest lectures, and networking events.
Employment prospects: Graduates are working as business analysts, management consultants, and senior managers for organisations including Whitbread, Greenfolk Management Consultancy, and Accenture.

An honours degree (at least 2:2 or above) in Business, Management, or any other discipline that includes a quantitative or computing element. While not a formal requirement, an aptitude for mathematics or computing is essential for students on this course.

All students from non-majority English speaking countries require proof of English language proficiency. The following qualifications and grades will be considered:
- GCSE English language grade A-C
- IELTS 6.5 (with no less than 5.5 in any band)
Other English language tests are accepted. Please contact the International Office for details.

If you do not have the required level of English for entry, our academic English courses can help you to achieve this level.

If you have any questions regarding this course, please contact the programme tutors Fiona Robins or Amanda Relph.


Institution code	H36
School of study	Hertfordshire Business School
Course length	Full Time, 1 Years
Location	University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield

Sign up for alerts
Get access to personalised content, tailored towards your interests:
- Information on your favourite courses
- Tips to help you through the application process
- Blogs, vlogs and advice from current students
Form successfully completed. Thank you.
Please check, and fix the following possible errors:
Full name*

Email address*

Year of Entry: *

What type of student are you?*

By submitting your details you consent to the University contacting you about our courses, facilities and the University itself. Please be assured that we will treat your information with the utmost care in accordance with relevant data protection legislation and the University's policy on data protection, which is available to view on the University's website. We will only pass your details onto relevant third parties in relation to your potential application to the University of Hertfordshire. Your data will be stored in our CRM systems which will be used to support you in your application and keep you informed about the University.

Employability

Careers

Graduates can work in a wide range of industries as business analysts or management consultants. The knowledge and skills obtained will enable you to work as an independent consultant, or within an organisation at middle management or senior level.

About the course

Course and module structure

The course has been developed to enable you to develop advanced knowledge and skills in the following areas:

i) Business Analytical Methods and Information Technology
ii) Business Problem Structuring and Solving
iii) Consultancy Skills in the Business Environment

These themes are explored through modules in Business Analytics, Computer Simulation, Creative Problem Solving, Consultancy Skills and Business Statistics. The course also includes a project based module where you will solve a problem for a client using the knowledge and skills acquired during your study. There is then a further applied consultancy project, which allows you to independently research, investigate and analyse a current business problem.

The course focuses on:

computational, mathematical, philosophical and management science approaches to business analytics
developing problem solving skills
enhancing your ability to use business software and other information technology
encouraging independent and creative thinking
effective communication in all formats appropriate to a business environment.

Why choose this course?

This Master's in Business Analytics and Consultancy aims to provide you with the analytical knowledge and skills required to be a successful consultant in the modern business environment.

Three key reasons to study Business Analytics and Consultancy at the Hertfordshire Business School:

It is a hands-on, practical programme
It is client-facing so it counts as work experience
It is a unique programme, informed by the latest research and consultancy in the area

You will gain experience of applying these skills to real consultancy (working with a local organisation) in the complex context in which organisations operate. You will also experience a range of teaching, learning and assessment methods, which will enable you to gain - and be confident in - the skills of modelling, analysis and consulting. All this should directly improve your employment prospects.

The programme is delivered by the Business Analysis and Statistics (BAS) group at Hertfordshire Business School. The BAS group is very strong in the areas of Business Analytics and Consultancy, and its members have diverse experience and expertise in mathematical, computational and philosophical methods of analysis. The group is home to the Statistical Services and Consultancy Unit which does commercial consultancy carried out by members of the group. The course is informed by the cutting edge research undertaken by members of the group.

What will I study?

You will learn how to be a successful analytical consultant through a varied programme of teaching that will include guest lectures, masterclasses, facilitated seminars, practical workshops, web-based learning, computer based tutorials, case study analysis and traditional lectures.

Assessment will be practical and coherent across the course, including a mixture of methods such as presentations (written and oral), case study work, action learning sets. The University promotes professional integrity and thus the course provides opportunities to develop the skills of communication, independent and team working, problem solving, creativity, digital literacy, numeracy and self-management.

The course will provide the opportunity to work in teams with a local organisation and an academic supervisor to scope out an area for improvement / where you can deliver a business solution, your team will then create a proposal of the research to be undertaken and this will be presented to the organisation. Individual areas of research will be identified to form the basis for your individual applied consultancy project.

Level 7

Module	Credits	Compulsory/optional
Computer Simulation for Business	15 Credits	Compulsory
Computer simulation of business systems is an increasingly important management tool for effective decision making. This module covers the general principles of computer simulation, both Discrete Event and System Dynamics simulation. In Discrete Event simulation, we will cover construction of the model, verification, validation and experimentation techniques. In Systems Dynamics, we will cover the construction of causal loop diagrams, building of stock flow structures, modelling of nonlinear relationships and time delays and use of models for policy analysis. Computer simulation is used in many areas, including healthcare, education, manufacturing, finance, and supply chain. Throughout the module, we will be using commercial software such as Simul8 and iThink and refer to case studies reported in OR/MS literature.
Individual Consultancy Project	60 Credits	Compulsory
The aim of this module is to develop the student's critical awareness of research and inquiry issues and practical competence in applying them. The individual consultancy project is driven by the research and development of a real project that the student will be undertaking in a host organisation or by the contribution to the development of new theories or novel ways to apply analytical techniques in business contexts.
Business Analytics Tools	15 Credits	Compulsory
The module will develop knowledge and understanding of a range of business analytics tools used in business management today. Students will be presented with the importance of business problem structuring and formulation and will be guided to shape business problems as analytical models. The module will include a range of tools and techniques to solve the business analytical models with an emphasis on the interpretation of the results generated through the solution process. The difficulties and limitations associated with the formulation and solutions stages will be presented including their implications to the business decision making process. Students will be encouraged to use appropriate software to solve the models. The modules include the following topics: Linear Programming; Game Theory; Critical path Method and PERT; Queuing Theory; Markov Processes.
Consultancy Skills for Business Analysts	30 Credits	Compulsory
The module aims to develop the consultancy skills of the student by combining teaching and workshop sessions with a simulated consultancy case, before beginning work on a live consultancy project. The module enables students to integrate their analytical knowledge with consultancy skills to successfully plan and execute a consultancy project with a real client. During these sessions, theories concerning the practice of professional consultancy will be presented and discussed. The workshops will be largely practical in nature with students using role-play, case studies, group exercises and presentations to develop their skills in these areas. Assessment will be a mix of individual and group work based on an on-going consultancy project.
Data Analytics	30 Credits	Compulsory
The topics covered in this module make up a set of statistical tools that would be commonly used by a business analysis consultant. The delivery of the topics will focus on the practical use/interpretation of the statistical methods and results, using software useful in a consultancy environment. The following topics will be covered in the module: Data gathering (including extracting from databases/websites); Sampling; Data visualisation; Patterns/outliers in data; Numerical measures of location/spread; Probability, Bayes' theorem and binomial/Poisson/multinomial distributions; Implications of Central Limit Theorem leading to Normal distribution and confidence intervals; Classical hypothesis testing; Decision making methods such as linear regression (including multiple linear regression and model selection) and decision trees; Supervised learning methods such as logistic regression, discriminant analysis and k-nearest neighbours; Unsupervised learning methods such as cluster analysis (hierarchical and k-means); Ethical and legal issues concerning the collection and processing of data; Applications to big data. A statistical software package such as R will be used.
Databases and Business Intelligence	15 Credits	Compulsory
This module covers a wide range of database and business intelligence concepts such as database architectures, normalisation, structured query language, big data technologies, OLTP, OLAP and database security. Students will have some hands-on experience with a database management system to design small-scale databases.
International Supply Chain Management	15 Credits	Optional
The focus of this module is on the theory and practice of international supply chain management in the context of organisations. Topics to be covered include: supply chain strategy, performance and structure of supply chains; supplier relationships; managing quality; matching supply and demand; inventory control, sourcing and managing suppliers; risk management, sustainability; corporate social responsibility; humanitarian supply chain integration and future contemporary challenges of supply chain management. The module will introduce the students to the main methods and techniques commonly used in the management of international supply chains; these include techniques such as simulation, forecasting, optimisation, distribution, network analysis, and so on.
Postgraduate Online Research Methods	0 Credits	Optional
This module prepares the students for an individual research dissertation in their chosen field. The aim of the dissertation is to provide the opportunity for students to develop and apply postgraduate level skills of independent research, analysis, evaluation, writing and presentation; and to deepen students' knowledge and understanding of a specific subject and its location within their academic discipline as a whole.
Decision Analytics	15 Credits	Optional
The module will present various quantitative approaches associated with planning and decision making. For planning purposes a variety of business forecasting techniques will be presented as well as models for the optimisation of decision problems under constraints. We shall also cover approaches for assessing performance and decision making in the context of multiple and conflicting objectives. The following topics will be covered: forecasting, optimisation, data envelopment analysis, multi-criteria decision analysis.

Key staff

Dr Eren Demir

Find out more about Dr Eren Demir

Dr Mohamed Lebcir

Find out more about Dr Mohamed Lebcir

Dr Neil Spencer

Find out more about Dr Neil Spencer

Further course information

Course fact sheets
MSc Business Analytics and Consultancy	Download

Programme specifications
MSc Business Analytics and Consultancy	Download

Additional information
Sandwich placement or study abroad year	n/a
Applications open to international and EU students	Yes

Student experience

At the University of Hertfordshire, we want to make sure your time studying with us is as stress-free and rewarding as possible. We offer a range of support services including; student wellbeing, academic support, accommodation and childcare to ensure that you make the most of your time at Herts and can focus on studying and having fun.

Find out about how we support our students

You can also read our student blogs to find out about life at Herts.

Funding and fees
Other financial support

Find out more about other financial support available to UK and EU students

Fees 2023
UK Students

Full time
- £11100 for the 2023/2024 academic year
EU Students

Full time
- £15450 for the 2023/2024 academic year
International Students

Full time
- £15450 for the 2023/2024 academic year
*Tuition fees are charged annually. The fees quoted above are for the specified year(s) only. Fees may be higher in future years, for both new and continuing students. Please see the University's Fees and Finance Policy (and in particular the section headed "When tuition fees change"), for further information about when and by how much the University may increase its fees for future years.

View detailed information about tuition fees

Living costs / accommodation

The University of Hertfordshire offers a great choice of student accommodation, on campus or nearby in the local area, to suit every student budget.

View detailed information about our accommodation

Read more about additional fees in the course fact sheet

International/EU applicants without pre-settled status in the UK

Apply through our international/EU application portal

Home and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status in the UK

2023

Start Date	End Date	Link
23/09/2023	30/09/2024	Apply online (Full Time)

2024

Start Date	End Date	Link
23/09/2024	30/09/2025	Apply online (Full Time)

MSc Business Analytics and Consultancy

Why choose Herts?

Careers

About the course

Why choose this course?

What will I study?

Key staff

Further course information

Student experience

Other financial support

Fees 2023

UK Students

Full time

EU Students

Full time

International Students

Full time

Living costs / accommodation

International/EU applicants without pre-settled status in the UK

Home and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status in the UK

2023

2024