GEN BUS 106 — FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS FOR BUSINESS ANALYSIS

1 credit.

Build fundamental skills and processes to develop a strong foundation in business analysis utilizing Excel. Learn the fundamentals of data construction, manipulation, summarization, analysis and presentation.

GEN BUS 110 — PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL FOUNDATIONS IN BUSINESS

1 credit.

An introduction for new business students covering academic exploration and planning, career development, self-assessment for personal development, leadership, and diversity and inclusion.

GEN BUS 198 — DIRECTED STUDY

1 credit.

Directed study and research in business topics.

GEN BUS 206 — BEGINNING DATA ANALYSIS FOR BUSINESS

3 credits.

Learn basic business statistical skills to comprehend business reports, and to calculate statistical findings from business data using Excel. Understand simple probability calculations and how to apply probability to specific business uncertainties. Build capability to use simple statistical models and tests to estimate business variables of interest, and learn about predictive relationships between variables. Become comfortable using Excel for data manipulation, data analytics, and data visualization. Apply statistical analysis to address business issues.

GEN BUS 207 — INTERMEDIATE DATA ANALYSIS FOR BUSINESS

3 credits.

Enables you to understand and apply useful approaches to analyzing and presenting data to support business decision making. Emphasis on applications of predictive and prescriptive analytics. Predictive approaches use historical data to infer relationships and forecast future outcomes. Prescriptive methods formulate decision models to identify choices that are optimal with respect to a desired, measurable outcome. Provides experience integrating diverse data sources, modelling uncertainty, and visualizing key insights.

GEN BUS/​DS  240 — HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN AND BUSINESS

2 credits.

Design thinking is an iterative problem-solving process geared toward producing innovative solutions for complex and persistent problems in various fields and organizations. Its process, culture, and value system from both design and business point of views will be covered: Empathetic understanding of the end users, problem definition rooted in systems thinking, ideation with a strong emphasis on creativity, visualization and prototyping, testing rooted in a set of research methods, and finally, the importance of iteration in bringing about innovative solutions. The path from project to market will also be explored, with an understanding of how one might balance desirability, feasibility and viability.

GEN BUS 250 — SUSTAINABLE CAPITALISM

2 credits.

Examination of how firms, government, and civil society interplay in free market capitalism to bring about not only prosperity and economic freedom but also economic inequality, environmental degradation, and a weakening of institutions. Application of this knowledge to how capitalism can be reimagined for free market economies and business to foster prosperous societies and planetary health.

GEN BUS 301 — BUSINESS LAW

3 credits.

History of legal development, contracts, agency, sale of goods, insurance.

GEN BUS 302 — BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS AND NEGOTIABLE INSTRUMENTS

3 credits.

Commercial paper, real estate and personal property, partnerships, corporations, bankruptcy.

GEN BUS 306 — BUSINESS ANALYTICS I

3 credits.

Development of quantitative intuition through practical applications and use of analysis tools. Specifically, emphasis will be on how to manage, summarize, explore, and visualize databases. The essentials of probability will be introduced and applied to decision problems where there is uncertainty. Emphasis on hypothesis testing and regression analysis and include an introduction to simulation methods. Throughout, attention will be paid to effective communication of data analysis. The use of business cases will connect the course material to both real world settings and recent advances in data analysis, including big data and data mining.

GEN BUS 307 — BUSINESS ANALYTICS II

3 credits.

Emphasis on hands-on experience with many commonly used analytic methodologies using the modeling and optimization tools available on almost every professional desktop. The focus is predictive and prescriptive analytics. Predictive approaches use historical data to infer causal relationships and forecast future outcomes from a given action. Prescriptive methods take this a step further, helping managers formulate decision models that identify optimal actions given a set of circumstances.

GEN BUS 308 — CLOUD BASED BUSINESS ANALYTICS

2 credits.

Apply statistics and data literacy to business problems using the most popular analytics tools and technologies, many of which are in the cloud.

GEN BUS 310 — FUNDAMENTALS OF ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE FOR NON-BUSINESS MAJORS

3 credits.

Part of a two course sequence introducing non-business students to basic concepts, practices and analytical methods that are part of the market enterprise system. This course is a basic overview on: accounting, finance, and business law.

GEN BUS 311 — FUNDAMENTALS OF MANAGEMENT AND MARKETING FOR NON-BUSINESS MAJORS

3 credits.

Introduces non-business students to basic concepts and practices in business. This course is a basic overview of: management, marketing, strategy, entrepreneurship, ethics, supply chain and international business.

GEN BUS 317 — MATHEMATICAL FOUNDATIONS OF BUSINESS ANALYTICS

3 credits.

Statistical inference and analyses based on models will be introduced and applied in a business context using a calculus-based focus. Topics covered include point estimation, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, regression models, and time series models. Various methods for fitting a model to data will be explored, and uncertainty about parameter estimates will be quantified so decision makers have information about the quality of the estimates. Regression and time series models are commonly used in business analytics applications and will be used to analyze business data and make inferences and predictions.

GEN BUS/​INTL BUS  320 — INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN BUSINESS

3 credits.

Develops awareness and knowledge of cultural influences on business. Focuses on various attitudes toward work, time, material possession, business, and the relationship of these attitudes to different social, religious, philosophical, and educational backgrounds of business people from cultures around the world.

GEN BUS 360 — WORKPLACE WRITING AND COMMUNICATION

3 credits.

Develop and practice workplace communication skills: writing, speaking, and listening. A theoretical foundation provides a method of deep audience analysis; apply that analysis when producing a variety of written genres and when preparing content for formal presentations. Research communication and information sources specific to future careers. Strengthen information literacy by developing professional research skills and analyzing sources. Revise written work through a workshop process that requires giving, receiving, and implementing feedback.

GEN BUS 365 — CONTEMPORARY TOPICS

1-3 credits.

A course for the exploration of subject areas possibly to be introduced into the business curriculum.

GEN BUS 370 — CASE INTERVIEW ANALYSIS

1 credit.

Provides a fundamental understanding of how to prepare for a case interview, analyze problems based on limited information, consider alternatives to develop a solution and present the solution effectively.

GEN BUS 399 — READING AND RESEARCH-BUSINESS RESEARCH

1-6 credits.

Individual work suited to the needs of undergraduate students may be arranged with a faculty member.

GEN BUS 450 — PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN BUSINESS

1 credit.

Internship which allows students to augment their business education and gain professional experience in their major through related work experience. Intended for undergraduates in the School of Business. Not available with firms who participate in the ACCT I S 600 internship. See listing on Accounting Dept. website.

GEN BUS 451 — PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN BUSINESS-EXTENDED INTERNSHIP

1 credit.

Only allowed for six to eight month internships which will allow students to augment their business education and gain professional experience in their major area. Students receive one credit and will remain a full-time student. Intended for undergraduates in the School of Business

GEN BUS 656 — MACHINE LEARNING FOR BUSINESS ANALYTICS

2-3 credits.

An introduction to machine learning techniques in business. The focus is on applications for solving business problems, including hands-on practice in the context of various real-world data sets. It covers machine learning foundations, different methodological approaches, and implementation tools for machine learning for business applications. The methods include both supervised learning techniques (linear regression and classification, non-linear regression, CARTs, random forests, SVMs, artificial neural nets, etc.) as well as unsupervised learning techniques (clustering, principal components, etc.).

GEN BUS 700 — MANAGERIAL COMMUNICATION

1-2 credits.

Focuses on strategic aspects of communication goals for managers and practice in skills needed to carry out writing and speaking objectives.

GEN BUS/​R M I  701 — MANAGING LEGAL RISKS

3 credits.

Legal implications for business managers of selected areas of the law including negligence, contract, intellectual property, officer/director liability, financing the business enterprise, and employment and trade regulation; introduction to the legal process, including alternative dispute resolution systems.

GEN BUS 704 — DATA TO DECISIONS

2-3 credits.

Exploration of statistical inference and data analytics tools. Review of relevant foundations of statistics, machine learning and probability theory. Emphasis on applying the resulting concepts to canonical business examples, using both Excel and R.

GEN BUS 705 — STATISTICS AND PROGRAMMING FOR BUSINESS ANALYTICS

3 credits.

A compact primer in statistics and an introduction to programming as a foundation for data-driven business analyses. The first part covers elementary concepts such as random variables, probability distributions, estimation, and ordinary least-squares regression. In the second part, the course exposes students to Python and R programming, including numerical and statistical packages that are relevant for practical applications in business.

GEN BUS 710 — ETHICS, INTEGRITY AND SOCIETY

1 credit.

This class is designed to prepare students for dealing with ethical challenges in the world outside academia. Focus is on the role of personal values in all types of decision making, from personal to professional.

GEN BUS 711 — FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT OF HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS

2-3 credits.

Creates understanding of the critical contemporary accounting and financial management issues impacting healthcare provider organizations. Presents the fundamentals of financial accounting and financial statement analysis of health care organizations. Addresses financial management of healthcare organizations by first adapting a longer-term perspective through capital budgeting and finance. This longer-term strategic perspective is then extended into balanced scorecard reporting for health care organizations where we consider strategic metrics around financial performance, patient and payer satisfaction, internal process improvement, and organizational learning and growth through investment in human capital and technology.

GEN BUS 712 — LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATION IN HEALTHCARE

2-3 credits.

Leading innovations and improvements in healthcare is an essential skill set in today's healthcare marketplace. Applying and synthesizing theories of leadership, innovation, informatics, and business concepts to complex health care systems to improve outcomes will be covered. Current and emerging issues, theories, and case studies will be used to explore attributes of innovative leaders, emerging models of care, models/frameworks of innovation, emergence and disruption, creativity and innovation through evidence. There will be a focus on the role of the leader in the selection and implementation of technology and policy innovations. Primary deliverable is the creation of a business plan for an innovative program or service.

GEN BUS 713 — ROLE OF BUSINESS IN SOCIETY

2 credits.

Explores and implements the critical thinking, communication, and managerial skills necessary for developing ethical organizations.

GEN BUS 714 — CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND BOARD MEMBERSHIP

2-3 credits.

Explore the roles and responsibilities of Management and Directors in protecting the interests of Shareholders and other Stakeholders. Topics include: the history of Corporate Governance, Board of Directors responsibilities, Corporate Governance nuances outside of the U.S., and current trends in Corporate Governance. Analyze how an entity's Corporate Governance environment can either prevent or permit failures and have a direct impact on the success of an organization.

GEN BUS 720 — DATA VISUALIZATION FOR BUSINESS ANALYTICS

1-2 credits.

Introduce students to principles of data visualization and provide hands-on experience using data visualization tools and techniques for business applications. Develop proficiency in current visualization software tools, and leverage these tools for data exploration, insight into decision-making, and data presentation. Recommended for students to have general computing skills and familiarity with MS Word, MS Excel and MS PowerPoint; introductory-level exposure to coding in any language; some R experience; basic statistical literacy, equivalent to at least one semester of statistics.

GEN BUS 725 — CONSULTING PRACTICUM

1 credit.

Solve critical business challenges. Drawing on and integrating the MBA core curriculum, conduct an in-depth analysis and make recommendations on a strategic problem posed by the sponsor company.

GEN BUS 730 — PRESCRIPTIVE MODELING AND OPTIMIZATION FOR BUSINESS ANALYTICS

2-3 credits.

Introduction to fundamentals of prescriptive analytics with emphasis on business applications. Modeling and mathematical optimization using Excel and Python. Designing, building, testing, and analyzing models, including sensitivity and risk analysis. Developing and solving optimization models, including linear, integer, and nonlinear problems. Course includes some principles of model-building and fundamentals of optimization theory but emphasizes practical application, hands-on learning, and problem-driven exercises.

GEN BUS 740 — EXPERIMENTS AND CAUSAL METHODS FOR BUSINESS INSIGHTS

2-3 credits.

Provides an introduction to experimental and causal methods for driving business insights. Topics include: (1) Review and distinction of correlation vs. causation; (2) design and analysis of randomized-controlled experiments; and (3) identification of "natural experiments" in business data and corresponding empirical strategies.

GEN BUS 745 — ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION

1-2 credits.

Explore the fundamentals of Robotic Process Automation, including common use cases and popular tools. Provides an opportunity to automate a variety of processes using this technology.

GEN BUS 746 — ADVANCED SQL & DATA WAREHOUSING

2 credits.

Provides an opportunity to construct advanced SQL statements (including joins, common table expressions, window functions, etc.) and build cloud data warehouses in a variety of software vendor platforms.

GEN BUS 750 — PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN BUSINESS

1 credit.

Internship which allows students to augment their business education and gain professional experience in their major through related work experience.

GEN BUS 760 — DATA TECHNOLOGY FOR BUSINESS ANALYTICS

2-3 credits.

Focuses on various technologies needed to perform data analytics. Techniques of extracting structured and unstructured data from databases, applications, or social networks. Transform and combine data with other relevant information and load into targeted systems. How to use programming languages to collect data from the web and leverage libraries for other, more, advanced data analysis.

GEN BUS 765 — CONTEMPORARY TOPICS

1-4 credits.

Exploration of advanced subject areas possibly to be introduced into the business curriculum.

GEN BUS/​ECON/​STAT  775 — INTRODUCTION TO BAYESIAN DECISION AND CONTROL I

3 credits.

Common sampling models in business and economic problems, information from data, likelihood function of parameters, choices of models, Bayes' Theorem, subjective basis for probability, sequential nature of Bayesian inference, prior and posterior distributions of parameters in binomial, poisson, exponential and normal populations, comparison of two normal distributions, predictive distributions, decision theory, utility, risk aversion, extensive form of analysis, two-action problems, point estimation, best population problems, economics of sampling.

GEN BUS 777 — CONSULTING SKILLS BOOTCAMP

1 credit.

An introduction to consulting tools and models.

GEN BUS 780 — CLOUD TECHNOLOGY FOR BUSINESS ANALYTICS

1 credit.

Provides an overview of cloud services that support business analytics. Load and analyze data, build and deploy machine learning models, and develop data pipelines through hands-on, in-class activities working in cloud environments.

GEN BUS/​ACCT I S/​E P D  781 — FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS ACUMEN

1 credit.

This course is designed with a keen awareness for the needs of the non-financial student or professional. For this class, no previous financial training is required. The intent is to equip you with the essential concepts used to develop financial literacy. Content will cover basic financial terms and reports, analytical tools to help interpret financial data and using financial data in budgets and forecasts.

GEN BUS/​E P D/​MARKETNG  782 — MARKETING FOR NON-MARKETING PROFESSIONALS

1 credit.

An overview of marketing's role within an organization, the key elements of a marketing plan, and how the plan is implemented. Students will learn about buyer demographic, psychographic and purchasing decision behavior. A thorough understanding of the customer enables students to develop a coordinated marketing mix (product, price promotion and place) that will satisfy the customer better than the competition and at the required margin. Students will leave the course understanding the degree to which all company functions must be coordinated and focused on the customer. This course will not apply toward fulfilling the MBA degree requirements.

GEN BUS/​E P D/​M H R  783 — LEADING TEAMS

1 credit.

Students will gain the knowledge and skills to continuously enhance their own team performance and productivity as well as the teams they are involved with. They will also be in a much better position to lead teams effectively.

GEN BUS/​E P D/​OTM  784 — PROJECT MANAGEMENT ESSENTIALS

1 credit.

Techniques that will help to plan, execute, and deliver projects with desired scope on time and on budget. Learn to document clear project objectives and goals, accurately estimate project time and costs, schedule and allocate time-critical resources, and establish feedback systems for optimal project control.

GEN BUS/​E P D/​M H R  785 — EFFECTIVE NEGOTIATION STRATEGIES

1 credit.

Improves students' negotiating skills, doing so by providing a theoretical underpinning that will help them to understand the sources of effective and ineffective approaches to negotiations.

GEN BUS 790 — CAPSTONE CONSULTING PRACTICUM

1-3 credits.

Provides an opportunity to bring together all material learned throughout the program and synthesize it through an applied consulting project. Explore and apply concepts to a future career through: identifying and understanding the business challenge, applying analytic methods to discover insight(s) to answer the business challenge, developing recommendations based on the findings, and communicating those findings and recommendation(s).

GEN BUS 791 — EMBA CONSULTING PRACTICUM I

1 credit.

Provides an opportunity to bring together all of the material learned throughout the program and synthesize it through an applied consulting project. Allows exploration and application of concepts to a future career through identifying and understanding the business challenge and applying research and analysis to discover insight(s).

GEN BUS 792 — EMBA CONSULTING PRACTICUM II

1 credit.

Provides an opportunity to bring together all the material learned throughout the program and synthesize it through an applied consulting project. Allows exploration and application of concepts to a future career through developing recommendations based on the research and findings from the first course and communicating those findings and recommendation(s).

GEN BUS 799 — READING AND RESEARCH-BUSINESS RESEARCH

1-6 credits.

Individual work suited to the needs of graduate students may be arranged both during regular sessions and during the intersession periods.

GEN BUS 806 — PANEL DATA ANALYSIS

3 credits.

Linear fixed and random effects models; estimation and prediction; data exploration, diagnostics and model selection techniques; generalized linear panel data models.

GEN BUS 840 — CURRENT TOPICS IN BUSINESS ANALYTICS

1-2 credits.

Expose students to emerging and current topics in the industry through applied learning experiences - case studies, industry meetings, and exercises or workshops.

GEN BUS 881 — BUSINESS STATISTICS USING PYTHON

2 credits.

A compact primer in statistics as a foundation for data-driven business analysis. A selection of concepts include probability, estimation, inference, correlation, and regression.

GEN BUS 882 — SQL FUNDAMENTALS

2 credits.

Construct a wide variety of SQL statements; such as joins, common table expressions, window functions, etc. Basics of query optimization and data modeling.

GEN BUS 883 — DATA VISUALIZATION & CLOUD TECHNOLOGIES

2 credits.

Provides experience in data visualization and cloud technologies to support business analytics. Create and share compelling data visualizations to enhance decision making. Use cloud technologies to build scalable data warehouses, analyze big data, and develop and deploy machine learning models.

GEN BUS 884 — APPLIED ANALYTICS - CASE STUDIES

2 credits.

Project-based applications of statistics, programming, data visualization, and database management.

GEN BUS 885 — PYTHON FUNDAMENTALS

2 credits.

Explore the fundamentals of the Python programming language - such as data structures, functions, loops, and control flow - and utilize Python for data wrangling and analysis.

GEN BUS 886 — FOUNDATIONS OF PREDICTIVE MODELING FOR BUSINESS ANALYTICS

2 credits.

An introduction to predictive modeling for business applications beginning with some of the foundations, including a primer in matrix algebra and numerical optimization. Leads to development of linear regression and classification models, and discussion of building models for prediction. Topics include selection, regularization, and the bias-variance tradeoff.

GEN BUS 888 — APPLIED MACHINE LEARNING FOR BUSINESS ANALYTICS

2 credits.

An introduction to machine learning models for business applications. Builds on the predictive modeling basics by developing general algorithmic prediction models for supervised machine learning. Covers additive models, CARTs, bagging/boosting, and basic deep learning approaches. Discussion of unsupervised learning techniques, including clustering and dimensionality reduction approaches.

GEN BUS 891 — TEXT MINING FOR BUSINESS ANALYTICS

2 credits.

An introduction to text mining and natural language processing for business applications. Includes an overview of text data and steps to make it usable. Addresses approaches for making text data useful in descriptive and predictive analytics applications. Topics include representation approaches and topic modeling. Includes an overview of key applications of natural language processing, including chatbots and recommender systems.

GEN BUS 893 — ANALYTICS CONSULTING PROJECT MANAGEMENT

2 credits.

Lays the foundation for understanding how to engage with external and internal clients and manage a business analytics consulting project. Covers consulting tools and models, as well as traditional and agile project management tools and concepts.

GEN BUS 894 — PITFALLS, ETHICS, COMMUNICATION, AND LEADERSHIP IN BUSINESS ANALYTICS

2 credits.

Focus on applications, highlighting key practical issues in analytics projects. Discussion of pitfalls with regards to analytics applications, ethical aspects of analytics applications, as well as talent management and leadership in the context of analytics.

GEN BUS 895 — MASTERS CAPSTONE IN BUSINESS ANALYTICS

2 credits.

Complete a team project as a capstone to graduate studies in business analytics. Use analytics and project management to develop a solution to a provided business case.

GEN BUS 933 — BEGINNING A RESEARCH CAREER IN BUSINESS

1 credit.

Required of incoming students in the Wisconsin School of Business PhD program. Students are often overwhelmed and do not absorb material when offered all at once before they begin their regular courses. This format offers fundamental content about conducting research and academic life that is not specific to a given department in the business school, but will help to frame and motivate other studies. This format gives students more time to absorb the content at a point when they can better see how it applies to them.

GEN BUS 999 — READING AND RESEARCH-BUSINESS RESEARCH PHD

1-6 credits.

Individual work suited to the needs of Ph.D. students may be arranged.