This course covers analytics topics in applied optimization (or prescriptive analytics). In contrast to the unsupervised and supervised machine learning studied in BA820 and BA810 (and BA865) where the focus was to discover patterns and predict uncertain events, this course focuses on determining the best course of action given an objective and a set of constraints. In other words, making operational and strategic decisions using a rigorous and principled approach. The methods learned in this course have broad application including in logistics, marketing, health care, finance, and more. Example problems include determining which products to advertise to which customer to maximize sales, identifying best location of warehouses to best serve geographically dispersed stores or customers, and allocating medical resources to health care facilities to minimize the fallout during an active pandemic. Topics include linear programming, integer programming, network models, and related methods. Students will learn how to set up such optimization problems and solve them using spreadsheets and Python.

Note that this information may change at any time. Please visit the MyBU Student Portal for the most up-to-date course information.