Data Science for Business
Move beyond the spreadsheet
Designed for managers, this Harvard Online course provides a hands-on approach for demystifying the data science ecosystem and making you a more conscientious consumer of information.
4-5 hours per week
What You'll Learn
Data Science for Business will teach you how to think beyond the spreadsheet, and effectively use data to tackle your business decisions, becoming a stronger manager. By the end of the course, you should understand how to create a data-driven framework for your organization or yourself; develop hypotheses and insights from visualization; identify data mistakes or missing components; and, speak the language of data science across themes such as forecasting, linear regressions, and machine learning to better lead your team to long-term success.
The course will be delivered via HBS Online’s course platform and immerse learners in real-world examples from experts at industry-leading organizations. By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Move beyond the spreadsheet with a foundational understanding of data science tools, processes, and models, to understand the importance of data science and how it relates to business decisions and organizational success
- Leverage data science to hone your decision-making skills and learn how to identify and avoid common mistakes while interpreting datasets, metrics, and visualizations
- Create a data-driven framework for your organization and for yourself; develop hypotheses and insights; identify data and missing components; and speak a common language with your data teams to lead to actionable recommendations
- Understand key techniques such as data curation, regression models, prediction and analyses, and visualization, and learn how to read basic code, such as R, in order to comprehend the syntax that informs data requests
- Assess applicable methodologies in statistics, data analytics, and data science by hearing from real-world examples across industries, topics, and business challenges
Your Instructor
Yael Grushka-Cockayne is the Altec Styslinger Foundation Bicentennial Chair in Business Administration and Senior Associate Dean for Professional Degree Programs at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and was formerly a Visiting Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and Professor of Business Administration. Her research and teaching activities focus on data science, forecasting, project management, and behavioral decision-making. Her research is published in numerous academic and professional journals, and she is a regular speaker at international conferences in the areas of decision analysis, project management, and management science. In 2014, Grushka-Cockayne was named one of "21 Thought-Leader Professors" in Data Science.
Real World Case Studies
Affiliations are listed for identification purposes only.
Temple Fennell
Step into Hollywood and explore how ATO Pictures co-founder used data to identify box office success in the entertainment industry.
Paul Matherne
See how even preemies can benefit from data science in the case of a children’s hospital’s bid to expand the NICU.
Susanna Gallani
Are your employees fully engaged? Listen to an HBS professor analyze how data can be used to fine-tune incentive strategies.
Who Will Benefit
Aspiring Managers
Get a headstart on your next career by gaining new technical skills and a data-driven mindset.
Managers and Rising Leaders
Dig into your organization’s datasets to create compelling business plans that increase revenue while mitigating risk.
Product Managers
Develop market-driven products by using data to identify and predict market size, competition, and buyer trends.
