Give your marketing skills a quantitative edge

Areas of Study , Coursework , Marketing Stories | Dec 04, 2012 | Nicole Gesualdo

If you’re interested in marketing and still have room — or room to change — in your spring 2013 course schedule, consider this class from Professor Mohammad Nejad.

Data-Driven Marketing Decisions (MKBU 4451) is a brand-new elective that offers hands-on training in how to analyze data for the marketing field. It’s a class that’s positioned right for today’s hiring environment: As careers in marketing become more data-intensive, and agencies and companies look to hire employees with real quantitative skills, courses like this one will help to set candidates apart.

The course will feature three projects during the semester. Students will formulate managerial problems, analyze actual data on 72,000 customers and report managerial recommendations. The class will take place on Tuesdays and Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in a computer lab, so that every session can include hands-on activities and exercises.

Professor Nejad cites the following findings from a 2011 McKinsey report in making the case for his class:

• Demand for deep analytical talent in the United States could be 50 to 60 percent greater than its projected supply by 2018.
• The United States alone faces a shortage of 140,000 to 190,000 people with deep analytical skills as well as 1.5 million managers and analysts to analyze big data and make decisions based on their findings.

Will you have the preparation needed to fill one of these niches? Contact your class dean to see about putting Data-Driven Marketing Decisions into your schedule, or contact Professor Nejad for more information.