10
10th for Statistics and Operational Research
QS World University Rankings (2023)
Business Analysts are highly sought after for their quantitative and business skills
90% of students were satisfied with the teaching on their Management Science course in the NSS 2022
BSc Business Analytics (Industry) is an academically rigorous degree programme that teaches the core skills of analysing data to help solve modern business problems. If you are numerate, analytically minded with an unquenchable curiosity about how and why things are done the way they are, Business Analytics can help launch your career in industry, finance, the public sector, government or consulting.
Truly modern organisations rely on sophisticated analysis and technology to perform effectively, and we produce creative, technically competent and skilled graduates who can deliver these skills and more.
We will show you how analysing data can help solve real-life problems and show what it means to think statistically as you learn techniques and approaches that help organisations plan and improve decision-making processes.
In your second and final years, you will study project management modules that act as a core to help put ideas into practice, gain employee support during organisational change initiatives, and improve your consultancy skills.
You can also choose modules for a specialist track. The Business Analytics track delivers the mathematical tools to develop practical, numerate and computer-based modelling.
The Operations, Logistics and Supply Chain Management track explores the problems faced by operations managers. It covers topics such as purchasing, inventory planning and risk analysis. For students who want to learn more about designing and managing the computer-based systems of our digital economy, the Information Systems specialism is for you.
Your third year consists of a supervised placement in industry, with previous students joining companies such as IBM and Bosch. Roles in finance, support or operations allow you to see how processes and theories are used. This experience also provides valuable insight for your final year academic studies.
Our careers team, including a dedicated departmental careers coach, will work with you from day one to help with internships, placements and graduate employment. We will supply training in CV writing, interview assessment centres and telephone interviews, helping you with your future career ambitions.
Students use programming tools such as Python and R, spreadsheets and business intelligence software, gaining important skills which can be applied to bring intelligence to industry. We will teach you how to make forecasts and use data to understand complex behaviour and introduce you to operational and strategic business contexts, applying your skills on a team project for a client in the Lancaster area.
The University will use all reasonable effort to support you to find a suitable placement for your studies. While a placement role may not be available in a field or organisation that is directly related to your academic studies or career aspirations, all placement roles offer valuable experience of working at a graduate level and gaining a range of professional skills.
If you are unsuccessful in securing a suitable placement for your third year, you will be able to transfer to the equivalent non-placement degree scheme and would continue with your studies at Lancaster, finishing your degree after your third year. The University offers a range of shorter placement and internship opportunities for which you would be welcome to apply.
Business Analytics is one of the most important areas of modern business as the volume of data both created and employed increases. Depending on your chosen pathway, Business Analytics at Lancaster will equip you to manage and interrogate data with e view to improving business performance, be that in operations or logistics and supply chain management.
Find out what it's like to study Business Analytics at Lancaster University Management School.
Business Analytics is a complex and challenging area of study that can lead to a fulfilling and rewarding career. There is a lot to take in and we would love you to get in touch to find out more, but if you take away anything from your visit today let it be these three things:
For admissions enquiries please contact msci-admin@lancaster.ac.uk
The benefit of a Business Analytics degree is its wide application across the business world. Our graduates work for large and small companies around the world, in a variety of roles. The skills you gain from your degree are highly sought after in order to solve business problems and improve decision-making.
For example in the travel industry, business analytics is used to help airlines ensure that staff and aircraft are where they are needed, or in deciding variable room rates for hotel companies. Business analytic skills can also help banks and finance companies weigh up credit risks to determine lending policies.
Even within the health sector, business analytic skills are valuable to help healthcare providers keep waiting times down and improve services. Supermarkets use business analytics to plan their stock and manufacturers rely on analytics to ensure that their products are made when their customers need them, at the right price and quality. Roles in any of these situations are possible with a business analytics degree.
Lancaster University is dedicated to ensuring you not only gain a highly reputable degree, you also graduate with the relevant life and work-based skills. We are unique in that every student is eligible to participate in The Lancaster Award which offers you the opportunity to complete key activities such as work experience, employability awareness, career development, campus community and social development. Visit our employability section for full details.
The Management School has an award-winning careers team to provide a dedicated careers and placement service offering a range of innovative services for management school students. Our high reputation means we attract a wide range of leading global employers to campus offering you the opportunity to interact with graduate recruiters from day one of your degree.
A Level AAB
GCSE Mathematics grade B or 6, English Language grade C or 4
IELTS 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in each component. For other English language qualifications we accept, please see our English language requirements webpages.
International Baccalaureate 35 points overall with 16 points from the best 3 Higher Level subjects
BTEC Distinction, Distinction, Distinction
We welcome applications from students with a range of alternative UK and international qualifications, including combinations of qualification. Further guidance on admission to the University, including other qualifications that we accept, frequently asked questions and information on applying, can be found on our general admissions webpages.
Contact Admissions Team + 44 (0) 1524 592028 or via ugadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk
Lancaster University offers a range of programmes, some of which follow a structured study programme, and some which offer the chance for you to devise a more flexible programme to complement your main specialism.
Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, and the University will make every reasonable effort to offer modules as advertised. In some cases changes may be necessary and may result in some combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.
The module will cover the introductory topics of business intelligence, business analytics and business data science. You will learn basic analytics concepts, principles and techniques and will see how the data collection, description, visualisation and analysis can help businesses, governments and other organisations make more informed decisions.
The module will also cover topics on discovering, measuring and visualising relationships in data, and basics of forecasting and data mining. Examples of real cases studies will illustrate the practical potential, and special emphasis will be given on discussing what the main pitfalls in using different analytical techniques are, such as “lying with descriptive statistics”, misleading visualisation, data overfitting, or why “forecasts are always wrong”. The module will rely on spreadsheet software to support the computing and visualisation side and will teach you useful approaches that will prove in valuable for your future studies and employment.
Finally, you will learn how to write reports for the management based on the produced results. It is important to understand basics of analytics even if you do not intend to get an analytics job, because it is critical to business strategy, and so there is a great professional advantage in being able to interact competently with analytics teams. This module aims to refute the belief that organisations and individuals may be able to successfully live without the use of data and analytics.
Operations management is a core discipline for all kinds of organisation, from private-sector manufacturers through to public-sector service providers. This module introduces the core topics of operations management, including operations design, capacity management, supply chain management, inventory analysis, demand forecasting, quality management and risk analysis. Most of these topics have both qualitative and quantitative elements that need to be understood and practised in combination.
The techniques of Management Science, based on mathematics, statistics, analytics and computing, can be extremely powerful in helping to solve organisational problems and are widely used in practice. This module explains the business situations in which such techniques apply and shows how to use the techniques and interpret the results to make better business decisions. Techniques are introduced through a mix of lectures, computer workshops and tutorials at which tutors can give extra help. The techniques introduced include decision analysis, simulation, queueing analysis, computer algorithms and linear programming. To support development, students are introduced to probability and probability distributions and gain familiarity with useful computer tools such as Excel and Python programming.
In this module, students work on challenging case studies based on real problems. These provide the opportunity to apply the concepts and techniques of problem solving, making recommendations and reporting results. There is a stress on practical examples of using the techniques. The module lays a foundation for learning more advanced techniques later in the degree, and emphasises not only how to apply techniques, but also when (and when not) to apply them.
This module describes a variety of optimisation algorithms and how business problems can be modelled using these techniques.
Optimisation is one of the primary techniques associated with management science/operational research. Sometimes called Mathematical Programming, optimisation is concerned with finding the ‘best’ solution to a problem that has a large number of possible solutions. It has a huge array of applications in many fields, and optimisation models are now used routinely in industry (especially in manufacturing, energy production and transport), in the public sector (especially defence and healthcare) and in the services (especially finance). Therefore, skills in formulating and solving optimisation problems are valuable for a variety of careers. The course is designed to enable students to apply optimisation techniques to business problems. Students should take it if they are interested in modelling real situations via mathematics. However, the goal is not mathematics for its own sake. We also want the students to have an understanding of the types of situations in which the various techniques can (or cannot) be applied.
Four main topics are covered:
Linear programming
Specially-structured linear programs
Integer and mixed-integer programming
Heuristics for large-scale problems
The overall objective of the Consultancy Skills module is to introduce and practise in a progressive and reflective way some of the key consultancy skills required when working for a client, using a consultancy competencies framework. These skills include teamwork, coping with clients in project situations and the use of oral and written communication skills to help persuade management to accept your findings.
Via a group simulated consultancy study, it covers some of the key communication and technical skills needed in project work, such as teamwork, interviewing for information, oral presentations and writing a management report. Students are encouraged to reflect upon their own strengths and weaknesses, and those of their team, by means of a reflective log, updated as the module progresses.
Designed as an introduction to the theory and practice of managing business projects, this module introduces project management methods in a way which links to the life cycle of a typical project – from the early project identification and definition stages, through project execution and control, to issues of implementation and change. The coverage of the early stages of the project cycle uses methods emerging from the systems movement and stresses the strategic relevance of project management. The management of the project is covered by introducing techniques for planning, scheduling and controlling projects. Attention is also given to the people management aspects of this process, including leadership, team-working and motivation.
Many organisational recruiters have identified a number of skills and knowledge they want to see from a prospective employee. Top in the priorities are spreadsheet modelling, problem structuring, statistics, and project management.
Students will be introduced to Microsoft Excel 2019 and the basics of dynamic model building, including skills such as data handling, filtering and analysis, using functions, charting, plus advanced techniques such as optimisation, simulation, and the use of Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to automate models and construct decision support models.
The course will make extensive use of case-studies and workshop-orientated learning tasks.
In this first of three work-based learning modules, you will begin your reflective learning process. During the workshops, you will be tasked with creating reflective tools to support the development of your assignment. You will be assessed on a short written reflection that enables you to prepare for your continued professional development during your industrial placement.
This module covers the skills needed to improve business process by modelling and simulation.
Computer simulation methods are among the most commonly used approaches within operational research and management science. This module teaches you the skills required to apply simulation successfully to help improve the running of a business, and it shows how companies can find good solutions by predicting the effects of changes before implementing them.
Modern simulation packages are a valuable aid in building a simulation model, and this module uses the Witness simulation package, which is widely used commercially. However, without the proper approach, the results of a simulation project can be incorrect or misleading. This module looks at each task required in a simulation project. It emphasises the practical application of simulation, with a good understanding of how a simulation model works being an essential part of this.
Enterprise resource planning systems (ERPs) and integration solutions are essential to every modern enterprise, and this module gives you hands-on experience of SAP, a widely used enterprise technology. The module develops your understanding of how information technologies can help companies to achieve their strategic objectives, and introduces you to techniques and tools that can be used to evaluate the performance of business processes, diagnosing where problems lie and how processes can be improved.
After introductory sessions which look at the pervasive use of IT by business and at quantitative and qualitative business process analysis, you then work in small teams to compete in running a virtual dairy company, using SAP GUI as your ERP technology.
This module provides an introduction to the use and impact of information, communication and integrated technology systems on business and organisations. It focusses not on technical specifications, but rather on managerial and business implications of using these systems.
The following issues will be addressed:
The course provides the business foundation for other more specialised or technical topics in Information Systems.
This module examines the principles and practices of supply chain management, building on operations management concepts. It examines supply chain and logistics management applications in various sectors, such as retailing, pharmaceuticals, information technology, and even higher education.
Most of the time will be spent considering inter-organisational relationships from various perspectives, but it will also be necessary to understand how they relate to matters within the organisation, including functional areas such as logistics and procurement. As well as covering core principles and practices, the module also considers emerging supply chain themes such as service supply chains and sustainability.
This module supports you with your professional development whilst you are away on placement. You will consciously consider your learning opportunities and actively engage in reflective practice.
This module is the final year capstone of the Business Analytics degree scheme, and aims to integrate the core principles and techniques in an integrative manner and in a realistic context, that have been taught during the previous years.
Students will learn to apply the project lifecycle framework, the associated consulting and business analytics tools and techniques, along with people and presentation skills, to define and manage a real-world project, being responsible for developing a comprehensive project management plan, to justify and document all decisions related to its development and implementation, to deliver the analytical aspects of the project, to discuss lessons learned, and to present the outcome of their work to a professional audience.
The module aims to ensure that students graduating from the BA degree are able to use integrative, innovative and analytical approaches to solve real-world consulting problems.
Central to this module is the Crossbay Contracting Game, a management game designed by the module convenor and his colleagues at HCS Ltd.
Three (health service) organisations are involved in a contract negotiation, and you will be part of the management team of one of these organisations. The contract concerns funding requirements for core activities over the coming financial year.
The main aim is to reach an agreement that is satisfactory to all three parties – but you must of course ensure that your own organisation is likely to come out of it well. Much of your time will be spent analysing the emerging situation and negotiating with the other parties.
Alongside this 'management' task there is also a modelling task. Teams are provided with a decision support system they can use to analyse the emerging situation and help them decide which strategies are cost-effective for their organisation.
On return from placement for the final year of your degree, you will engage in group discussions to reflect on your work-based learning experience and draw out relationships between theory and practice. You will complete a Portfolio of Professional Practice to showcase your developed skills and abilities, and write a critically reflective essay on your placement experience to further the connections made between theory and practice.
Many organisational recruiters have identified particular skills and knowledge they want to see from a prospective employee. Top in the priorities are spreadsheet modelling, problem structuring, statistics, and project management. This highly practical module equips you with an advanced set of spreadsheet modelling skills, including advanced functions and programming using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) that can be used to produce a wide range of effective decision-support models.
You will learn general concepts about spreadsheet modelling using VBA and a wide range of modelling skills which are highly relevant to management. These include structured programming, program documentation, program verification, user interface design, and general investigative modelling – including applications involving optimisation, forecasting and simulation.
This module introduces you to various current techniques for forecasting future customer demand, including a range of predictive models that develop your knowledge of the best ways of forecasting in problem situations.
The aim is to ensure that you have the skills needed to develop a validated quantitative set of forecasts using both extrapolative and causal forecasting methods, and that you can apply a simple forecasting method to support demand and revenue management.
You will also learn to identify and exploit opportunities for revenue optimisation in different business contexts. You review the main methodologies used in each of these areas, discuss legal issues associated with different pricing strategies, and survey current practices in different industries. Most of the topics covered are either directly or indirectly related to pricing issues faced by firms operating in environments where they enjoy some degree of market power.
This module covers the skills needed to improve business process by modelling and simulation.
Computer simulation methods are among the most commonly used approaches within operational research and management science. This module teaches you the skills required to apply simulation successfully to help improve the running of a business, and it shows how companies can find good solutions by predicting the effects of changes before implementing them.
Modern simulation packages are a valuable aid in building a simulation model, and this module uses the Witness simulation package, which is widely used commercially. However, without the proper approach, the results of a simulation project can be incorrect or misleading. This module looks at each task required in a simulation project. It emphasises the practical application of simulation, with a good understanding of how a simulation model works being an essential part of this.
At the heart of many real-world industrial and scientific problems are increasingly large data sets that need to be analysed efficiently in order to gain novel and useful insights. The field of as data mining (also known as intelligent data analysis) brings together real large-scale datasets and algorithms from statistics, machine learning and computational intelligence that can work efficiently with real-world datasets.
he course provides an introduction to the fundamental methods and approaches from the interrelated areas of data mining, statistical/ machine learning, and intelligent data analysis. The course covers the entire data analysis process, starting from the formulation of a project objective, developing an understanding of the available data and other resources, up to the point of statistical modelling and performance assessment. The focus of the course is classification. The course content covers:
-Exploratory data analysis including visualisation and simple feature selection methods
-Classification methods like: Logistic Regression, Decision trees (Random forests), k-Nearest Neighbours, and Naive Bayes
-Performance assessment and model selection
The course uses the R programming language and more specifically the RStudio integrated programming environment.
In this module we look at how to study business operations, analyse the situation and develop appropriate information systems designs. The same techniques can be of value whether you develop them further and become an information systems professional or use them in general management or consultancy. There is an emphasis on practical application and extensive use of class exercises.
The techniques taught in this module are widely employed by analysts in the fields of information systems and general business consultancy, and the ability to analyse information requirements and design efficient and effective information systems to meet those requirements is increasingly recognised and valued by employers as an important management skill.
This module provides an introduction to the use and impact of information, communication and integrated technology systems on business and organisations. It focusses not on technical specifications, but rather on managerial and business implications of using these systems.
The following issues will be addressed:
The course provides the business foundation for other more specialised or technical topics in Information Systems.
This module examines the principles and practices of supply chain management, building on operations management concepts. It examines supply chain and logistics management applications in various sectors, such as retailing, pharmaceuticals, information technology, and even higher education.
Most of the time will be spent considering inter-organisational relationships from various perspectives, but it will also be necessary to understand how they relate to matters within the organisation, including functional areas such as logistics and procurement. As well as covering core principles and practices, the module also considers emerging supply chain themes such as service supply chains and sustainability.
We set our fees on an annual basis and the 2024/25 entry fees have not yet been set.
As a guide, our fees in 2023/24 were:
| UK | International |
|---|---|
| £9,250 | £22,650 |
There may be extra costs related to your course for items such as books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation, you may need to pay a subscription to a professional body for some chosen careers.
Specific additional costs for studying at Lancaster are listed below.
Lancaster is proud to be one of only a handful of UK universities to have a collegiate system. Every student belongs to a college, and all students pay a small college membership fee which supports the running of college events and activities.
For students starting in 2022 and 2023, the fee is £40 for undergraduates and research students and £15 for students on one-year courses. Fees for students starting in 2024 have not yet been set.
To support your studies, you will also require access to a computer, along with reliable internet access. You will be able to access a range of software and services from a Windows, Mac, Chromebook or Linux device. For certain degree programmes, you may need a specific device, or we may provide you with a laptop and appropriate software - details of which will be available on relevant programme pages. A dedicated IT support helpdesk is available in the event of any problems.
The University provides limited financial support to assist students who do not have the required IT equipment or broadband support in place.
In addition to travel and accommodation costs, while you are studying abroad, you will need to have a passport and, depending on the country, there may be other costs such as travel documents (e.g. VISA or work permit) and any tests and vaccines that are required at the time of travel. Some countries may require proof of funds.
In addition to possible commuting costs during your placement, you may need to buy clothing that is suitable for your workplace and you may have accommodation costs. Depending on the employer and your job, you may have other costs such as copies of personal documents required by your employer for example.
Details of our scholarships and bursaries for 2024-entry study are not yet available, but you can use our opportunities for 2023-entry applicants as guidance.
Check our current list of scholarships and bursaries.
Lancaster is ranked joint 10th in the UK and in the top 100 in the world for Statistics and Operational Research according to the QS World Rankings by Subject 2023, one of nine subjects at Lancaster to be featured in the top 100 in these prestigious listings.
QS Rankings 2023
Lancaster is ranked 85th worldwide for Business and Economics in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings by subject 2022.
THE World University Rankings by subject
Lancaster is ranked joint 9th in the UK and joint 70th in the world for Business and Management according to the QS World Rankings by Subject 2023, one of nine subjects at Lancaster to be featured in the top 100 in these prestigious listings.
QS Rankings 2023Our summer open days give you Lancaster University in a day. Visit campus and put yourself in the picture.
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Undergraduate Open DaysThe information on this site relates primarily to 2024/2025 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.
The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.
More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.
We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.
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