Graduate Studies

Applied Statistics and Decision Analytics
2024-2025

Please refer to the Applied Statistics and Decision Analytics graduate program section for information including departmental contact information, list of graduate faculty members, program description, and course descriptions.

Bachelor of Business in Business Analytics/Master of Science in Applied Statistics and Decision Analytics

Requirements for Enrollment

  • A minimum WIU cumulative and major GPA of 3.25 OR

  • A minimum WIU cumulative GPA of 3.0 with a minimum 3.3 GPA in the last 30 hours earned at WIU

Integrated Degree Program Description

Students in the integrated program are allowed to use nine semester hours of B-level and 500-level Decision Sciences classes to satisfy the Bachelor of Business in Business Analytics and the Master of Science in Applied Statistics and Decision Analytics degree. The following courses may be used: DS 435G/B, DS 485G/B, DS 489G/B, DS 490G/B, DS 510B, DS 521B, DS 523B, and ECON 487G/B. The exact bridge courses are determined by the student’s undergraduate and graduate advisor.

Integrated Degree Requirements

I. Core Courses: 18 s.h.

DS 421G Data Visualization for Decision Making (3)
DS 480G Predictive Analytics (3)
DS 504 R Software for Data Management and Decision Making (3)
DS 510 Foundations of Business Analytics (3)
DS 535 Advanced Data Mining for Business (3)
DS 560 Categorical Data Analysis (3)

II. Electives: 9 s.h.

A. Topics in Data Science: 6 s.h. (Choose two of the following):

DS 485G Big Data for Business Decision Making (3)
CS 433G Python for Data Explorations (3)
CS 481G Database Programming (3)

B. Topics in Modelling and Analytics: 3 s.h. (Choose one of the following):

3 s.h. of Graduate Level DS Coursework (except DS 500, DS 503, DS 533)
ACCT/FIN 445G Financial Modeling and Spreadsheet Analysis (3)
CS 540 Computer Simulation (3)
ECON 487G Econometrics (3)
ECON 488G Experimental Economics (3)
ECON 506 Econometrics I (3)
PSY 551 Structural Equation Modeling for the Behavioral Sciences (3)
STAT 471G Introduction to Mathematical Statistics I (3)
STAT 478G Analysis of Variance (3)
STAT 553 Applied Statistical Methods (3)

III. Select one of the following Exit Options: 3 s.h.

A. Thesis Option

DS 601 Thesis (requires two semesters, 6 s.h. total, 3 s.h. count as elective in II.B. above)

B. Internship Option

DS 599 Internship (3)

C. Capstone Project Option (Choose one of the following):

ECON 507 Econometrics II (3)
DS 521 Advanced Data Visualization (3)
DS 580 Advanced Predictive Analytics & Times Series Forecasting (3)
DS 589 Seminar in Contextual Business Analytics (3)

IV. Other Requirements: 0 s.h.

DS 602 Department Seminar (0), two semesters required
DS 604 Applied Statistics and Decision Analytics Assessment (0)

*Upon approval from the program graduate advisor, students may select elective courses listed above under I and II (excluding those courses that are otherwise used to fulfill the requirements under I and II) or from additional program-specific and related electives from Computer Science, Decision Sciences, Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, or other 500-level graduate courses in Research/Quantitative Methods (Techniques), Applied Business Research, etc., from Law Enforcement and Justice Administration, Management, Marketing, Sociology, Psychology, etc.

TOTAL PROGRAM: 33 s.h.