Preparatory Labs

In order to pursue business analytics studies, you’ll need a basic understanding of analytical tools, the kinds that will help you to develop advanced analytical capabilities and deep managerial insights.

The Pre-Analytics Laboratory (AD100) will help you establish the fundamental knowledge of data modeling, business analytics, and decision-support tools necessary to build analytical skills for subsequent analytics-oriented courses. In addition to presentations and discussions, students will apply new concepts directly in an interactive, web-based learning environment incorporating Microsoft M365 & Copilot, SQL for Business, Python Programming for Business, R Programming for Business, and Data Visualization for Business. AD100 is a required prerequisite lab for all BU MET Applied Business Analytics courses

The second level of BU MET’s series of labs that familiarize you with the analytical tools and software used by business analytics professionals across the different business sectors, like Tableau and Python, preparing you for different specialization courses within the Applied Business Analytics program. These lessons will be of particular use on the job market, as many of the career opportunities in the field require proficient knowledge of different tools and software, to reduce onboarding training time. In order to enroll in Business Analytics Tools & Applications (AD200), students must have a Pre-Analytics Laboratory (AD100) completion badge.

Introduction to R for Business (ADR100) serves one primary purpose—to build your familiarity with the R language and programming environment, which, with the rise of Big Data, has become one of the technical skills most demanded by employers.

R—a free, open-source, platform-neutral statistical analysis and data visualization language—is among the most popular programming languages in the world, and developing a solid grounding in the basic syntax and structure of it is an important foundation for all BU MET students, particularly those in the Applied Business Analytics Program or other AD graduate programs.

An intermediate-level R laboratory that offers you the opportunity to explore statistical concepts and applications in the field of business analytics and business intelligence, the main learning objectives of Business Analytics with R (ADR200) are to prepare you for all specialization courses within the BU MET Applied Business Analytics program and the current demands of the job market. This lab can also serve as a helpful tool for ABA students as they prepare for business analytics and data science interviews that contain domain-specific questions related to data visualization, data analysis, statistical distributions, machine learning, and advanced topics in R.

Focusing on project management essentials and tools, this lab teaches you how to apply basic project management concepts aligned with the latest project management standards, drawn from the Project Management Institute’s 7th Edition of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). You’ll learn some of the key ‘lingo’ that project managers use, and engage in hands-on practice with a threaded, Boston-flavored, sustainability-oriented example case. Through this case, you’ll gain insight on how tools such as Microsoft Project Professional and key Microsoft Excel add-ins can be used in project, program, and/or portfolio management. Ultimately, you will leave this lab with a working PM vocabulary and a boosted ability to succeed in the project management courses at BU MET.

This self-paced experience will familiarize you with program and portfolio management, teaching you to master Microsoft PPM and make further progress in your journey as you transition from projects to programs and portfolios. You will have the opportunity to browse through carefully crafted PowerPoint presentations (which are also recorded as tutorials) and then, as AD646 students, to then try it out yourself using Microsoft PPM software. In order to enroll in Business Analytics Tools & Applications (PM200), you must have previously a Project Management Essentials (PM100) completion badge.

The Python for Business (PY100) lab offers an introduction to the basics of Python with a focus on data analysis and finance, helping to develop your understanding of basic Python techniques and enabling you to write code that solves simple problems. After completing this laboratory, you will be able to use the most common functions and features in Python’s base build, as well as download, install, and use popular extensions like numpy, matplotlib, and pandas. You will also be prepared to perform basic analyses of financial data and create visualizations of subsequent results.

In Python Application for Business (PY200), you will learn how to apply Python techniques and write code to solve specific finance and business problems. After completing this lab, which offers an advanced application of Python with a focus on data analysis and finance, you will be able to use APIs to work with various finance and business databases, perform regression and clustering analyses, and become familiarized with both supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques. You’ll also learn how to use random forests, neural networks, and dimensionality reduction techniques.

Statistics with Applications in Management (SwaM) serves as a recommended skills and test center of selected on-campus and online programs and courses offered by BU MET’s Department of Administrative Sciences. The laboratory is intended to extend your knowledge and skills in business statistics; enable you to apply statistical methods to management and decision-making; bring industry-specific examples, methods, and techniques into the educational process; and enhance your ability to take full advantage of an interactive digital learning environment.

Mathematics with Applications in Management (MwaM) serves as a recommended skills and test center of all on-campus and online programs and courses offered by BU MET’s Department of Administrative Sciences. The laboratory is intended to extend your knowledge and skills in mathematics and statistics; enable you to apply mathematical methods to management and decision-making; bring industry-specific examples, methods, and techniques into the educational process; and enhance your ability to take full advantage of an interactive digital learning environment.

Commercial Theater Development (MET AR100) provides you with an introduction to commercial theater, acting as a broad overview of the industry’s various verticals. This serves as a foundation for the coursework in the Commercial Theater Development (CTD) graduate certificate and advanced certificate program offered by Boston University’s Metropolitan College.

The curriculum consists of written lectures from our four core CTD courses: Commercial Production: The Broadway Model (MET AR 751), Strategies for Performing Arts Businesses (MET AR 752), Current Trends in the Performing Arts Industry (MET AR 753), and Global Performing Arts: Presenting and Producing (MET AR 754). Our instructors, who are industry leaders, include producers, presenters, tour bookers, advertising and marketing executives, production managers, and entrepreneurs.

The CTD laboratory concludes with an exercise that sees you discover an intellectual property or original idea to creatively develop, raise investments for, and produce on Broadway. You will compare existing musicals and plays on Broadway with your own theatrical production idea. Ultimately, the property you develop will be integrated into the CTD coursework.

This laboratory offers fundamental knowledge of cybersecurity, helping you to build your background in this domain. It provides a foundational understanding of cryptography, covering key encryption methods, data integrity techniques, authentication mechanisms, and real-world applications. You will learn how cryptographic tools are used to secure digital communication and protect sensitive information.

Students seeking to specialize in the BU MET Health Informatics program require a basic understanding of medical terminology to advance in their studies. That’s why this laboratory helps ensure those joining the field from non-medical backgrounds have the fundamental knowledge of human anatomy, pathologies associated with it, and medical terminology they need. The Medical Terminology Laboratory (HE100) is a prerequisite or corequisite for all Health Informatics specialization courses.

After completing this laboratory, you will be able to understand medical imaging and the descriptions of coordinates associated with it; the prefixes and suffixes of medical terminology; the basics of medical laboratory technologies; pathologies associated with human body, as well as basics of human body; pharmaceutical terminology, and clinical trials and associated terminology. This lab is a prerequisite for the BU MET Health Informatics program.

This lab introduces you to computer information systems concepts and terminology as well as foundational mathematics. It develops analytic and logical thinking and prepares you to take graduate-level courses in computer information systems and health informatics. The lab starts with the fundamentals of computing systems, including hardware and software, and then addresses the processes for designing and building computing systems, including systems analysis and project management. Relational database technology is introduced including beginning SQL. Finally, you’ll become familiarized with software development and receive an introduction to the basics of the Java programming language. The lab reviews the mathematics upon which computing systems are founded including number systems, set theory, algebra, and functions. This lab is a prerequisite of the BU MET Computer Information Systems program, as well as a requirement for students in the Health Informatics program with limited academic background in information technology or computer science.

This lab covers the fundamentals of calculus and combinatorics, drawing material from Introduction to Probability and Statistics (MET CS 546). It begins by helping you to establish a basic grasp of calculus, which is essential for understanding how quantities vary, making it indispensable in analytics, engineering, science, and the fields such as finance and medicine. It helps you improve your analytical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as model real-world phenomena. Combinatorics, a branch of mathematics that deals with arrangements and combinations of elements in a set, provides the tools to solve problems from the fields of probability and statistics, and is indispensable in the fields of genetics, operation research, pharmacology, and many others. Studying combinatorics will help you develop critical creativity in problem-solving skills. This lab is a prerequisite of the BU MET Applied Data Analytics program, and a corequisite of the BU MET Computer Information Systems program.

This lab covers the fundamentals of probability and statistics, drawing material from Introduction to Probability and Statistics (MET CS 546). The lab begins with a coverage of fundamentals of combinatorics—the branch of mathematics that deals with arrangements and combinations of elements in a set. Combinatorics provides the tools to solve problems from the fields of probability and statistics, and is indispensable in the fields of genetics, operation research, pharmacology, and many others. Studying combinatorics will help you develop creativity in problem-solving skills.

Then, the lab’s focus turns to the coverage of the branches of mathematics that deal with uncertainty, probability and statistics. Probability, the study of the likelihood of events to occur, uses concepts like chance and probability distributions. Statistics deals with collecting, analyzing, and presenting data, helping us make decisions and predictions. Probability and statistics form the foundation for decision-making in various fields such as analytics, engineering, science, and finance, among many others. This lab is a prerequisite of the BU MET Applied Data Analytics program, and a corequisite of the BU MET Computer Information Systems program.

Database Fundamentals (MET LB115) is an online laboratory that builds practical, graduate-ready fluency in database fundamentals. Through short modules, you will learn what databases provide for applications and organizations; conceptual and physical schemas with ER diagrams; core SQL to retrieve and modify data; and the essentials of performance, indexing, and transactions. Since its focus is on understanding and applying standard patterns rather than installing or administering specific software, no previous database management system is required. Each unit culminates in an open-book, timed test that checks deeper understanding by asking you to compare options, identify correct patterns, and apply fundamentals to realistic scenarios. This lab is a prerequisite of the BU MET Applied Data Analytics program.

This laboratory offers fundamental knowledge of essential web development skills, including programming fundamentals, version control, and core web technologies. You will gain hands-on experience building accessible web pages using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, while learning industry-standard tools and best practices.