Business Analytics and Statistics

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https://haslam.utk.edu/business-analytics-statistics

Michael R. Galbreth, Department Head
Julie Ferrara, Assistant Department Head and Director of Corporate Partnerships
Wenjun Zhou, Program Director (Business Analytics, PhD)
Bogdan Bichescu, Program Director (Business Analytics, MS)
Charles Cwiek, Program Director (Business Analytics, Undergraduate)
Russell Zaretzki, Program Director (Data Science and Engineering PhD Program, Intercollegiate Graduate Statistics and Data Science Program)
Adam Petrie, Executive Director, JTV Center for Applied Business Analytics

Professors
Bozdogan, H. (Toby and Brenda McKenzie Professor in Business), PhD – Illinois
Galbreth, M.R., (Pilot Corporation Chair of Excellence), PhD – Vanderbilt
Huang, T. (Amazon Distinguished Professor), PhD – Northwestern
Mee, R.W. (William and Sarah Clark Professor in Business), PhD – Iowa State
Souza, G.C. (Haslam Chair in Business Analytics), PhD – North Carolina
Willems, S.P. (Haslam Chair in Supply Chain Analytics), PhD – Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Zhou, W. (Sarah Ellen Skinner Professor), PhD – Rutgers

Joint Professors
Maroulas, V., PhD – North Carolina
Ostrouchov, G., PhD – Iowa State

Associate Professors
Ballings, M., PhD – Ghent, Belgium
Bichescu, B., PhD – Cincinnati
Bowers, M.R. (Beaman Professor), PhD – Clemson
Hilafu, H., PhD – Georgia
Jia, Z., PhD – Pennsylvania State
Letizia, P., PhD – (Ball Corporation Professor) – Pennsylvania State
Liu, C. (Melton Faculty Fellow), PhD – Rutgers
Zaretzki, R. (Heath Faculty Fellow), PhD – Cornell
Zheng, W., PhD – Illinois

Assistant Professors
Demirkaya, E., PhD – Southern California
Gao, L., PhD – Chinese University of Hong Kong
Liu, Y., PhD – Iowa

Distinguished Lecturer
Cwiek, C.M., MS – Tennessee

Senior Lecturers
Ferrara, J.D., MS – Tennessee
Petrie, A., PhD – Rensselaer Polytechnic
Stevens, B.J., MS – Tennessee

Lecturers
Bryan, N., PhD – Tennessee
Higgins, T.A., MS – Tennessee
Ozel, E., PhD – UCLA
Pannell, T.A., PhD – Tennessee
Spannbauer, A., MS – Tennessee

Adjunct Faculty
Eckles, J., EdD – Memphis

Emeriti Faculty
Gilbert, K.C., PhD – Tennessee
Guess, F.M., PhD – Florida State
Leitnaker, M.G., PhD – Kentucky
Leon, R.V., PhD – Florida State
Noon, C.E., PhD – Michigan
Srinivasan, M.M., PhD – Northwestern
Younger, M.S., PhD – Virginia Polytechnic Institute

The amount of data generated each day is growing exponentially. To stay competitive, businesses must perpetually hone their skills in sifting through their data while finding the nuggets of actionable insight.

Business analytics has transformed the way traditional businesses make decisions. Through data analysis, statistics, and computer modeling, practitioners discover what strategic questions can be answered by the data and then determine the ultimate implications.

• Retailers use business analytics to identify which products and services are most profitable, to grow their revenues through customer loyalty programs, to offer the most enticing deals to customers, to recommend new products to customers, and to identify and retain most valuable customers.
• Banks, credit card companies, and insurance companies use business analytics to identify potentially fraudulent purchases or claims.
• Manufacturers use business analytics to optimize the location of their distribution centers, to improve the movement of products through their supply chain, and to make tactical decisions in the organization’s day-to-day operations, marketing, purchasing, and pricing decisions.
• Online vendors use business analytics to test the effectiveness of different website layouts.
• Sports teams use business analytics to gain insights into ticket pricing, merchandising, and other business decisions as well as to gain a competitive advantage in selecting players and in making tactical decisions during a game.

More than ever, companies need people to be speakers on behalf of the data and to guide data-driven, optimal decision making. The degree in Business Analytics at the University of Tennessee is designed to prepare students to be the next generation of analytics storytellers with its emphasis on developing both technical and communication skills. Students in the major need quantitative and programming skills, interpersonal skills, an interest in business, and a firm desire to be an advocate on behalf of the data.

Return to: Haslam College of Business