Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular semester. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the Student Link for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• QST QM 717: Data Analysis for Managerial Decision-Making
  The overall goal of this course is to improve student ability to learn from data, specifically to 1) assess the validity of conclusions that have been drawn from statistical analyses; 2) recognize the extent to which variation characterizes products and processes, and understand the implications of variation on organizational decisions when interpreting data; and 3) portray, summarize and analyze data to support operational and strategic decisions associated with the core business models. Students will increase their understanding of the use of probabilities to reflect uncertainty; how to interpret data in light of uncertainty to assess risk; and how to build and interpret regression models, which can be used to inform core business and organizational decisions.
• QST QM 870: R Bootcamp
  This course teaches the essentials of R programming and complements this with knowledge of some of the most popular libraries in data analysis and data visualization. Upon completion, students will apply these skills to a several in-demand applications. No prior programming experience is assumed. The course covers variables, data types and data structures, frames, conditionals and loops, and functions. It also covers reading and writing CSV files, and the core APIs in analysis and visualization. Students will be introduced to the most popular libraries for data analysis in R, such as dplyr, ggplot2, readr, and rmarkdown. These packages will facilitate the workflow and enhance the basic R functionalities; using them, one can clean up a dataset, create elaborate plots, analyze and summarize the data, and produce presentable reports.
• QST QM 875: Python for Data Science Bootcamp
  In this course, students will learn the most essential aspects of python programming. The topics are tailored towards data analysis; no prior programming experience is required. We will cover variables, data types and data structures, data frames, conditionals, loops, and functions. We will also cover reading and writing raw files and the core APIs in analysis and visualization. With the basics under their belt, we will complement these concepts with some of the most popular libraries for data analysis in Python such as: Pandas and Numpy for data manipulation, Matplotlib and Seaborn for visualization, and Jupyter Notebook for analysis and reporting. These packages will facilitate workflow and enhance the basic Python functionalities; using them, one can effortlessly clean up a dataset, create elaborate plots, analyze and summarize the data, and produce presentable reports. During this module, students solidify their new skills by applying the concepts they have learned to the analysis of several datasets. They will be given the opportunity to live-code during the sessions and troubleshoot their code with classmates and the instructor. Students will walk out of this bootcamp with newly-forged Python coding skills, knowledge of several of the most important data science libraries and tools, and have the resources in hand for learning more. Please note that students in the MSDi and MSDT programs may not take this course for degree credit.
• QST QM 880: Business Analytics: Spreadsheet Optimization and Simulation
  The modeling process illustrated throughout the course will significantly improve students? abilities to structure complex problems and derive insights about the value of alternatives. You will develop the skills to formulate and analyze a wide range of models that can aid in managerial decision-making in the functional areas of business. These areas include finance (capital budgeting, cash planning, portfolio optimization, valuing options, hedging investments), marketing (pricing, sales force allocation, planning advertising budgets) and operations (production planning, workforce scheduling, facility location, project management). The course will be taught almost entirely by example, using problems from the main functional areas of business. This course is not for people who want a general introduction to or review of Excel. This course is for students who are already comfortable using Excel and would like to use it to create optimization and simulation models.
• QST QM 898: Directed Study: Quantitative Methods
  Graduate-level directed study in Quantitative Methods. 1, 2, or 3 cr. Application available on the Graduate Center website.
• QST QM 899: Directed Study: Quantitative Methods
  Graduate-level directed study in Quantitative Methods. 1, 2, or 3 cr. Application available on the Graduate Center website.
• QST QM 998: Directed Study: Quantitative Methods
  PhD-level directed study in Quantitative Methods. 1, 2, or 3 cr. Application available on the Graduate Center website.
• QST QM 999: Directed Study: Quantitative Methods
  PhD-level directed study in Quantitative Methods. 1, 2, or 3 cr. Application available on the Graduate Center website.
• QST SI 250: Ideas to Impact
  This course is required for the Innovation and Entrepreneurship minor. The goal of this course is to expose students to the conceptual frameworks that guide ideation and innovation. Thus it will include all five learning principles the guide design of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship minor. The course analyzes the conditions that foster innovation as well as the process by which ideas progress from conception to implementation and execution, and the creation of either economic or social impact. Students will be exposed to theories on the conditions that affect the generation and development of creativity and innovation within individuals, teams, cities, and regions. To foster experiential learning, the whole class will be structured around the process of innovation with a "live case" that focuses on creating social innovations for the City of Boston. When people think about great social challenges, they often look afar to distant countries. Yet, many social problems lie right around the corner from students' daily lives. Students will develop a toolkit comprised of brainstorming, design thinking, human centered design, prototyping, storyboarding and field research. Students will conduct original field research within the City of Boston and identify a challenge or problem to address which they will focus on for the duration of the course, culminating in final presentations. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, The Individual in Community, Creativity/Innovation.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Social Inquiry I
  • The Individual in Community
  • Creativity/Innovation
• QST SI 422: Strategy, Innovation, and Global Competition
  Provides students with a powerful set of tools which will prepare them to analyze, formulate, and implement business firm strategy with the aim of attaining sustainable competitive advantage. Adopts the perspective of the general manager, challenging student knowledge in each functional area in the effort to create integrative strategies that serve the needs of shareholders, as well as other stakeholders inside and outside the company. The course includes conceptual readings, which elucidate the fundamental concepts and frameworks of strategic management, as well as case analyses. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course, Creativity/Innovation.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • Creativity/Innovation
  • Writing-Intensive Course
• QST SI 430: The Multidisciplinary Sustainable Energy Practicum
  Required course for the Undergraduate Minor in Sustainable Energy. Serves as the capstone project providing students with a multidisciplinary experience that applies ALL three disciplines on the Undergraduate Minor in Sustainable Energy, i.e. Business, Environmental Sciences and Engineering. The practicum is offered in conjunction with a "sponsoring company" to provide students with a hands-on experience with a real-world sustainable energy project.
• QST SI 432: Corporate Strategy: Formulation and Implementation
  This course deepens students' understanding of why and how multi-business corporations can successfully expand their operations into new business areas. The course exposes students to the challenges associated with a range of strategies firms use to manage the vertical and horizontal scope of their activities. These strategies include vertical integration, partnering and supplier relationships, related and unrelated diversification, globalization, franchising, alliances, acquisitions and divestitures. Along with examining the formulation of these corporate strategies, the course also examines the implementation considerations in order to create successful conditions for the pursuit of these strategies. Topics addressed include questions related to the formal organization (i.e., reporting relationships, structural design, incentives, budgeting authority) as well as the informal organization (i.e. culture, dissent, networks) 4 cr.
• QST SI 435: Entertainment Management
  (Offered in Los Angeles) Surveys the application of management concepts and principles to the film, television, video, new media and music industry. This course examines administration and finance, development, production, and distribution, and introduces students to the organizations and people (such as studios, independent production companies, talent managers, and agents) who manage, invest, and eventually profit in this creative industry. Much of the class time is spent in discussion of current entertainment industry trends. Students gain the skills to achieve their own entertainment goals.
• QST SI 438: Talent Representation and Management
  (Offered in Los Angeles) Using case studies and business models, students examine the manner in which critical players interact and attempt to work together in behalf of clients in an effort to make their "professional dreams" come to fruition. Participants will gain an understanding of the different areas of talent representation, how each one functions in the scope of a talent's career and what the responsibilities are for each position in each area of representation. Participants will also gain a clear view of what the business of Entertainment Representation has to offer as a chosen career. 4 cr.
• QST SI 444: Entrepreneurship: Solving Problems in a Dynamic World
  This course addresses the principles, processes, and frameworks that are the underpinnings of entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial spirit. This is a hands-on, experiential learning course that integrates previous coursework into a coherent picture and gives the student an understanding of the way that entrepreneurship can drive change, achievement, and value creation in commercial, societal, and philanthropic domains. Students will also be able to understand how the entrepreneurial mindset can spur achievement and strengthen performance in a wide variety of careers and pursuits. Students have the opportunity to form an idea and drive it through the entrepreneurial process, gaining both practical and theoretical experience in the art and science of entrepreneurship.
• QST SI 445: Managing a Growing Enterprise
  Designed to help students understand the intricacies of running a small company. The course addresses the major challenges in small companies, including valuation, negotiation, deal structure, personnel and compensation, and marketing and financing. Exposes students to a wide range of business activities, emphasizing significant differences between large and small enterprises. The course uses a competitive computer simulation to provide students with the opportunity to "run" their own business.
• QST SI 448: Dilemmas in Scaling New Ventures
  The purpose of this class is to increase students' chances of success in their early stage ventures by helping them avoid common team-related mistakes. We explore specific dilemmas that founders face--decisions that arrive early on, can be uncomfortable, and that need to be made with minimal information--but that can have far-reaching consequences. Whether the founding team stays together, whether the venture achieves an attractive exit, and the extent to which the founder(s) share in those rewards can all be largely determined by early-stage choices.
• QST SI 451: Organizing for Design and Innovation
  This course examines how managers and leaders can create the conditions for innovation at the individual, team and organizational levels and how those conditions differ for startup and mature organizations. Managing innovation includes the generation of ideas; the integration of those ideas into new product concepts; and the commercialization of those ideas. While core strategy courses address the questions of what innovations to pursue and whether and when those innovations will bring value, this course addresses the question of how managers can create organizations to deliver sustainable innovations of value.
• QST SI 453: Strategies for Environmental Sustainability
  This course focuses on understanding the impact of regulations, customer preferences, and changing industry dynamics that increase the pressure for environmental sustainability in order to evaluate and craft recommendations for firm strategy. This course also helps prepare managers to better understand how to engage these issues with stakeholders, including investors, regulators, and nongovernmental organizations, as well as customers and suppliers.
• QST SI 464: Intellectual Property Strategies
  This course looks at how companies can best use intellectual property (patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets) to protect their proprietary ideas and investments in knowledge assets, shape competition, and realize value from innovation.

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