Business analytics is the set of tools and techniques that makes it possible to translate big data into insight and information for efficient decision making. Professionals who are proficient in business analytics are in serious short supply and are very valuable to their employers. The job market for such people is huge and expected to increase every year for the foreseeable future. The undergraduate concentration in Business Analytics has been designed to provide you with exactly these skills and make you competitive in this market. You will learn how to navigate the world of distributed storage and computing and learn how to use powerful statistical and mathematical techniques to arrive at implementable solutions to business problems. The emphasis of this concentration is on giving you practical skills. Throughout this program you will learn how to recognize the underlying business problem and the business implications of the solutions you propose. A capstone practicum will give you the opportunity to apply the skills you have learned to a live business problem in a real company. The MSU Business Analytics undergraduate concentration focuses on the development of practical skills. Course instruction is organized around solving business cases using real-world data sets. The Business Analytics Internship is a key component of the curriculum designed to prepare the students for transition to the industry.<br><br>The 4 plus 1 Bachelors/MBA is a five year program, during which students will spend three years taking courses required for their chosen bachelor's degree program and in their fourth year, they will complete (along with required undergraduate program courses) 6 credits worth of graduate business (MBA) coursework that both satisfy undergraduate degree requirements and count toward achievement of the MBA degree.<br><br>In the fifth year, students will take the courses required for a General MBA, in a full-time format with graduate coursework. Students must apply for acceptance into the program in their junior year and will be admitted into the MBA program in their senior year if they meet the GPA requirement. Students who do not meet program requirements or who choose not to pursue the MBA by completing the remaining courses in year five will graduate with a Bachelor's degree. Students who complete the 5-year program will possess both a Bachelor's degree in their undergraduate discipline and an MBA degree.