Certificate in Business Analysis

[6 courses]

The fast-growing field of business analysis demands professionals who have strong business and IT skills. As increasingly sophisticated and complex technology is implemented across organizations, the need for professionals with solid business analysis skills remains strong. A key facilitator within any organization, the business analyst works as a liaison among stakeholders in order to elicit, analyze, communicate, and validate requirements for changes to business processes, policies, and information systems.

The Certificate in Business Analysis program focuses on both the technical and managerial aspects of software development that are required knowledge for successful business analysts. This certificate program is designed for professionals seeking to advance their career or planning a career change as business analysts, systems analysts, project analysts, project managers, software engineers, or quality assurance analysts.

Entrance Requirements

1. A bachelor's degree in any discipline from a regionally-accredited educational institution in the U.S. (or international equivalent).
   OR Minimum of four years experience in information technology, information systems, or software development for applicants who do not have a bachelor's degree or the equivalent.
   Students without a bachelor's degree may not continue in or transfer to a GPS master's program. 
2. An overall grade-point-average (GPA) of at least 2.7 (Applicants with a GPA less than 2.7 will be considered for provisional admission with their professional experience factored into the decision.)

 Items required to complete your application:
(International students: please see International Student Admission Procedures.)

1. Application fee
2. Completed GPS Online Application for Admission
3. Admission essay giving your reasons for wanting to enter this program. Essays can be one to two pages (in .doc, .rtf, .txt, or .pdf format).
4. Detailed resume which includes all work experience and job descriptions.
5. Official transcript(s) from ALL universities/colleges attended bearing an institutional seal and sent directly to the Graduate Programs in Software (GPS) office by the issuing institution (even if the course work appears as transfer work on another school transcript).

Note: The GRE or GMAT is not required for the GPS programs.

Certificate completion criteria
To complete the Certificate in Business Analysis, the student must complete the six required SEIS graduate courses (18 graduate semester credits) with at a GPA of 2.7 or better.

NOTE: Students with a bachelor’s degree will have the option to use the coursework from the Certificate in Business Analysis to continue in the Master of Science or Master of Software Systems (MSS) degree.

Required Courses
The following six courses and a capstone project are required for this certificate:

SEIS 605  Technical Communications
SEIS 610  Software Engineering
SEIS 620  Systems Analysis and Design Tools
SEIS 621  Software Process Management OR SEIS 625  Software Project Management
SEIS 705  Strategic Information Systems
SEIS 707  Enterprise Architecture and Development

• Courses completed from previous GPS master's degrees achieved (MS, MSS, or MSDD) cannot be used for the Certificate in Business Analysis.
• Students who are in a GPS master’s track cannot transfer into the Certificate in
  Business Analysis.
• NOTE: SEIS 778 Internship/Seminar may be taken, but course will not count toward the 18 credits required for completion of the certificate.
• Any substitutions must be approved by the GPS Director.