Black Hills State University is expanding its Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a new Business Analytics specialization designed to prepare students for a wide range of high-demand careers, including business intelligence, data analytics, operations analysis, market research, and consulting.
The new specialization will provide students with the skills needed to analyze complex data and turn it into clear, actionable insights that support decision-making across industries.
“This specialization is designed to prepare students to thrive in an economy increasingly driven by data and digital technologies,” said Dr. Sanjuka Johana Lemonge, instructor of business at BHSU. “Students will develop practical skills in analytics while also learning to effectively communicate data-driven insights to business leaders.”
As part of the Business Administration degree, students in the specialization will gain knowledge in areas like data visualization, predictive analytics, database management, and decision modeling. Students will also build experience using industry-relevant tools and platforms, including Power BI, Tableau, R, Python, and Orange Data Mining.
All programs in BHSU’s College of Business are AACSB accredited, a distinction held by only 6% of business schools worldwide and recognized as the highest standard of quality in business education.
The addition of the Business Analytics specialization aligns with growing workforce demand at both the national and regional levels. According to national projections, employment for data scientists is expected to grow 34% over the next decade, while management analysts and market research analysts are also projected to see steady growth.
In South Dakota, demand for data-focused roles continues to increase, with hundreds of job postings for positions requiring analytics and data interpretation skills across industries including healthcare, finance, retail, government, and technology.
“This specialization helps position our graduates for high-demand careers while also supporting regional workforce needs,” said Dr. Matt Dobra, dean of the College of Business. “It creates opportunities for students to develop highly transferable skills and for the university to build stronger partnerships with industries that rely on data to drive decisions.”
To learn more about the new Business Analytics specialization, visit BHSU.edu/BusinessAnalytics.