Program Format
Program Format - MSQM: Business Analytics–online
Go to school on your schedule
The online format and structure of the MSQM: Business Analytics program supports your role as a working professional with efficient learning that minimizes disruption to your work, family, and other commitments. Each term combines a mix of self-paced course modules, real-time class meetings, and individual and team-based assignments—all delivered online through a user-friendly digital platform you can access from any connected device.
Live classes, once a week
Your data analytics program begins in August with a 2.5-day launch experience where you’ll meet your professors, network with classmates, and build relationships with the members of your learning team. This weekend residency requires you to be physically present on Duke University’s campus in Durham, North Carolina. From there, your program moves online. Over the next 19 months, you’ll work through course modules--including online readings and pre-recorded video lectures--on your own schedule, complete individual and team assignments, and join your class in real-time video classes each week.
After two terms, you may choose to return to Duke’s campus for an optional working professional leadership intensive. This 2.5-day immersion in a framework for leading others helps you understand your leadership effectiveness and style, and provides guidance on developing solid, enduring leadership behaviors.
Throughout your business analytics degree program, you’ll be able to arrange most course assignments and deliverables around your other commitments, mastering fundamentals within online modules so that you get the most out of class discussions during scheduled sessions.
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Collaborative environment
Fuqua’s difference comes from the way we structure our working professional learning—as peer teams. You’ll be assigned to a group of three to five peer professionals with expertise in different functions and markets, and work closely together throughout your program. You’ll need to learn to trust and rely on each other’s strengths to accomplish your goals, gaining new insights and mastering the collaboration skills that will help you move any team forward. Even in an online learning environment, you are never alone because of our unique collaborative and high-touch approach.
Our Faculty
As with our other programs, the MSQM: Business Analytics program is taught by a team of world-renowned faculty—scholars recognized for excellence in their academic area and their research as well as their industry expertise, with a passion for teaching. Your professors are authorities in core business functions as well as in quantitative data analytics methodologies. They will challenge you with a rigorous curriculum and bring real-world insights that will give you new perspectives on your professional work.
Classroom Dynamics
Professors foster active in-class debates that draw insights from the range of experience in your cohort, so class discussions engage professionals from different sectors. Our learning method draws from cases and exercises that challenge you to tackle issues from multiple perspectives. The academic rigor and fast pace will ensure your time is well spent.
Over five terms, you’ll complete 16 courses: seven in core business functions and nine in data science, quantitative and analytics methods, and their applications in specialized business contexts. Each term will have a pre-reading period for you to prepare for the upcoming term. Your professors may give some reading or simple assignments to complete during the pre-reading period so you can hit the ground running once the term starts. You’ll have sufficient down time between terms and during holidays to re-energize.
While the online course sequence and timing may shift between calendar years, the MSQM: Business Analytics structure is likely to follow this format:
Program Launch in Durham, NC (2.5 days)
Term 1 - Online (12 weeks)
- Applied Probability and Statistics
- Managerial Economics
- Programming for Data Analytics
Term 2 - Online (12 weeks)
- Business Fundamentals: Accounting and Finance
- Business Fundamentals: Marketing and Strategy
- Data Analytics and Applications
Optional Leadership Intensive in Durham, NC (2.5 days)
Term 3 - Online (12 weeks)
- Advanced Data Analytics and Applications
- Digital Marketing
- Financial Risk Management
Term 4 - Online (12 weeks)
- Fraud Analytics
- Decision Models
- Operations Management
Optional Data Visualization Intensive in Durham, NC (2.5 days)
Term 5 - Online (12 weeks)
- Business Communications
- Empirical Analysis for Business Strategy
- Ethics and Legal Issues in Business Analytics
- Navigating Organizations
Sample Schedule
A typical term schedule would look like this:
Saturday Class Schedule (Wks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11) |
Saturday Class Schedule (Wks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12) |
Programming for Data Analytics 9:30 -- 10:45 am |
Applied Probability and Statistics 9:30 -- 10:45 am |
Break 10:45 -- 11:00 am |
|
Managerial Economics 11:00 am -- 12:15 pm |
A one-week final exam period will follow the last class.
Between classes, you'll watch recorded lectures, read cases and/or textbook or other recommended materials, work on individual or team assignments, and prepare questions or discussion topics for the next live-virtual class. You will typically be given one course assignment (individual or team) after every class, due the next live virtual class day or the subsequent Monday. Office hours are available for your professors throughout the term.
Digital Learning
Combining independent study, live classes, and collaborative assignments, the MSQM: Business Analytics curriculum is delivered in a sophisticated and user-friendly online learning environment. The online platform serves as a repository for self-study materials such as pre-recorded video lectures, readings, and interactive exercises. It also enables face-to-face interaction, discussion of business and analytics case elements, and debate of relevant data science topics with your classmates during live classes.
A balance of self-study, live classes, and teamwork
For each subject in the curriculum, you’ll work through a set of online course materials on your own schedule. In addition, you will attend live, 75-minute online class sessions with the rest of your class, during which your professor will give lectures, conduct case discussions, or ask students to give presentations. Team collaboration will also be a significant part of each course, requiring you to coordinate schedules with your learning team of working professionals to meet virtually and work through class assignments ahead of your next live class session.
The blend of the self-paced, classroom, and teamwork elements of each online course provides you the flexibility to balance program requirements with your professional and personal commitments while still allowing you to develop and maintain close connections with other students and the business analytics master's faculty. While you should expect to spend at least 15-20 hours a week on your schoolwork, you can schedule these elements of your program around other obligations.
One Platform
Throughout the program, you’ll use your digital learning platform to:
- Submit assignments
- Download business-analytics course materials
- Interact with classmates
- Read class and team online bulletin boards
- Take exams
- Contribute to course discussion boards
- Share documents
- Call your teammates
MSQM: Business Analytics Academic Calendar 2022-2024
Term 1 (BA24, HA24, ABA23) | Fall 2022 (1820) | |
Orientation | August 26-28, 2022 | |
Classes and Reading Period Begin | August 30 - September 12, 2022 | |
Classes | September 13 - December 5, 2022 | |
Final Exams | December 6-12, 2022 | |
Break | December 13, 2022 - January 5, 2023 |
Term 2 (BA24, HA24, ABA23) | Spring 2023 (1830) |
Classes and Reading Period Begin | January 6-16, 2023 |
Classes | January 17 - April 10, 2023 |
Final Exams | April 11-17, 2023 |
Break | April 18 - May 8, 2023 |
Term 3 (BA24, HA24, ABA23) | Summer 2023 |
Classes and Reading Period Begin | May 9-22, 2023 |
Leadership Intensive | May 20-21, 2023 |
Classes | May 23 - August 14, 2023 |
Final Exams | August 12-21, 2023 |
END OF 2023 ACCELERATED MSQM PROGRAM | |
Break | August 22 - 28, 2023 |
Term 4 (BA24, HA24) | Fall 2023 |
Classes and Reading Period Begin | August 29 - September 11, 2023 |
Classes | September 12 - December 4, 2023 |
Final Exams | December 2-11, 2023 |
Break | December 12, 2023 - January 4, 2024 |
Term 5 (BA24, HA24) | Spring 2024 |
Classes and Reading Period Begin | January 5-15, 2024 |
Classes | January 16 - April 8, 2024 |
Final Exams | April 6-15, 2024 |
Break | April 16 - May 10, 2024 |
Graduation Ceremonies | May 11-12, 2024 |
* Each term includes a "reading period" for students to prepare for the upcoming term. Professors will provide reading and/or simple assignments to complete during the reading period so students hit the ground running once the term begins.
MSQM: Business Analytics Academic Calendar 2023-2025
Term 1 (BA25, HA25, ABA24) | Fall 2023 |
Orientation | August 25-27, 2023 |
Classes and Reading Period Begin | August 29 - September 11, 2023 |
Classes | September 12 - December 4, 2023 |
Final Exams | December 2-11, 2023 |
Break | December 12, 2023 - January 4, 2024 |
Term 2 (BA25, HA25, ABA24) | Spring 2024 |
Classes and Reading Period Begin | January 5-15, 2024 |
Classes | January 16 - April 8, 2024 |
Final Exams | April 6-15, 2024 |
Break | April 16 - May 6, 2024 |
Term 3 (BA25, HA25, ABA24) | Summer 2024 |
Classes and Reading Period Begin | May 7-20, 2024 |
Leadership Intensive | May 18-19, 2024 |
Classes | May 21 - August 12, 2024 |
Final Exams | August 10-19, 2024 |
END OF 2024 ACCELERATED MSQM PROGRAM | |
Break | August 20-26, 2024 |
Term 4 (BA25, HA25) | Fall 2024 |
Classes and Reading Period Begin | August 27 - September 9, 2024 |
Classes | September 10 - December 2, 2024 |
Final Exams | November 30 - December 9, 2024 |
Break | December 10, 2024 - January 6, 2025 |
Term 5 (BA25, HA25) | Spring 2025 |
Classes and Reading Period Begin | January 7-20, 2025 |
Data Visualization Intensive | January 11-12, 2025 |
Classes | January 21 - April 14, 2025 |
Final Exams | April 12-21, 2025 |
Break | April 22 - May 9, 2025 |
Graduation Ceremonies | May 10-11, 2025 |
* Each term includes a "reading period" for students to prepare for the upcoming term. Professors will provide reading and/or simple assignments to complete during the reading period so students hit the ground running once the term begins.
MSQM: Business Analytics Academic Calendar 2024-2026
Term 1 (BA26, HA26, ABA25) | Fall 2024 | ||||||
Classes via Asynchronous Learning Begin | August 27 - September 9, 2024 | ||||||
Orientation | September 6-8, 2024 | ||||||
Classes via Synchronous Learning | September 10 - December 2, 2024 | ||||||
Odd Week Sessions | September 14 & 28, October 12 & 26, November 9 & 23, 2024 | ||||||
Even Week Sessions | September 21, October 5 & 19, November 2, 16 & 30, 2024 | ||||||
Final Exams | November 30 - December 9, 2024 | ||||||
Break | December 10, 2024 - January 6, 2025 |
Term 2 (BA26, HA26, ABA25) | Spring 2025 | ||||||
Classes via Asynchronous Learning Begin | January 7-20, 2025 | ||||||
Classes via Synchronous Learning | January 21 - April 14, 2025 | ||||||
Odd Week Sessions | January 25, February 8 & 22, March 8 & 22, April 5, 2025 | ||||||
Even Week Sessions | February 1 & 15, March 1, 15 & 29, April 12, 2025 | ||||||
Final Exams | April 12-21, 2025 | ||||||
Break | April 22 - May 5, 2025 |
Term 3 (BA26, HA26, ABA25) | Summer 2025 | ||||||
Leadership Intensive | May 17-18, 2025 | ||||||
Classes via Asynchronous Learning Begin | May 6-19, 2025 | ||||||
Leadership Intensive | May 17-18, 2025 | ||||||
Classes via Synchronous Learning | May 20 - August 11, 2025 | ||||||
Odd Week Sessions | May 24, June 7 & 21, July 5 & 19, August 2, 2025 | ||||||
Even Week Sessions | May 31, June 14 & 28, July 12 & 26, August 9, 2025 | ||||||
Final Exams | August 9-18, 2025 | ||||||
Break | August 19-25, 2025 |
Term 4 (BA26, HA26) | Fall 2025 | ||||||
Classes via Asynchronous Learning Begin | August 26 - September 8, 2025 | ||||||
Classes via Synchronous Learning | September 9 - December 1, 2025 | ||||||
Odd Week Sessions | September 13 & 27, October 11 & 25, November 8 & 22, 2025 | ||||||
Even Week Sessions | September 20, October 4 & 18, November 1, 15 & 29, 2025 | ||||||
Final Exams | November 29 - December 8, 2025 | ||||||
Break | December 9, 2025 - January 5, 2026 |
Term 5 (BA26, HA26) | Spring 2026 | ||||||
Data Visualization Intensive | January 17-18, 2026 | ||||||
Classes via Asynchronous Learning Begin | January 6-19, 2026 | ||||||
Classes via Synchronous Learning | January 20 - April 13, 2026 | ||||||
Odd Week Sessions | January 24, February 7 & 21, March 7 & 21, April 4, 2026 | ||||||
Even Week Sessions | January 31, February 14 & 28, March 14 & 28, April 11, 2026 | ||||||
Final Exams | April 11-20, 2026 | ||||||
Graduation Ceremonies | May 9-10, 2026 |
* Each term includes a "reading period" for students to prepare for the upcoming term. Professors will provide reading and/or simple assignments to complete during the reading period so students hit the ground running once the term begins.
MSQM:BA Quick Facts
Start Date: August 2024
Duration: 19 months
Location: Online
Style: Self-paced with live-class component
Curriculum: Business analytics
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“The landscape has changed. The abundance of data and its applicability to an organization’s needs, and the advancement of communication and computational powers, have changed what data analytics can do for you. Here is a great opportunity to enhance your managerial toolkit to include what we believe are the skills that will be required of every successful modern manager.”
Saša Pekeč, Professor of Decision Sciences
"The Duke MQM and MSQM programs develop data analysts with broad business perspective, strong technical expertise, and a deep command of business communication. These are the kind of candidates that P&G and many other Fortune 100 companies seek out. The candidates' skill set applies to a wide range of functions and enables them to contribute at all levels within an organization." — David Taylor, Executive Chairman, P&G
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