Business Analytics for Future Leaders
Business Analytics for Future Leaders introduces students to one of the most powerful skill sets shaping today’s business world: the ability to make informed decisions using data. Across industries, from marketing and finance to technology and entrepreneurship, leaders rely on analytics to solve problems, evaluate opportunities, and drive innovation. This course gives students an early and meaningful introduction to how data thinking works in real business environments.
Rather than focusing on formulas alone, students learn how to think analytically, ask the right questions, and transform raw data into actionable insights. Through hands-on practice, students develop the confidence to explore data, recognize patterns, evaluate evidence, and communicate conclusions clearly and persuasively. These skills are essential not only for business and data science, but for success in nearly any academic or professional path.
By participating in this program, students gain practical experience with industry-relevant tools such as Microsoft Excel while strengthening core competencies including critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and presentation skills. The course emphasizes teamwork and real-world applications, helping students understand how analytics supports strategy, innovation, and ethical decision-making in organizations.
This program is ideal for students who are curious about business, technology, or leadership and want to build a strong foundation before college. Whether students pursue business, economics, engineering, social sciences, or data-related fields, they will leave the course with valuable analytical skills, a clearer understanding of data-driven decision-making, and the confidence to engage with quantitative information in academic and real-world settings.
This course is offered at the UMass Amherst campus as a residential program. Local students may apply to attend as a commuter.
You will engage in interactive lessons that blend theory with practice. Through real-world business scenarios, you’ll learn to collect, organize, visualize, and interpret data using Microsoft Excel—the essential tool for data-driven professionals. Daily activities include analyzing charts, uncovering trends, applying statistical measures, and solving authentic business problems with confidence.
Beyond individual learning, this course is designed to be highly collaborative and engaging. You’ll work closely with your peers through teamwork exercises, fun daily projects, and friendly competitions that sharpen your analytical skills and spark your creativity. These hands-on experiences will deepen your understanding of data analysis and research while building vital professional skills like communication, critical thinking, and effective presentation.
Final Project: The course concludes with a team-based final project designed to integrate and apply the key concepts covered throughout the program. Students will be provided with a structured dataset and a business-style analytical scenario and will work collaboratively to apply the statistical and data analysis techniques learned in class. Through organizing, visualizing, and interpreting data, students will identify patterns, explore relationships among variables, and generate meaningful insights. This project emphasizes hands-on learning, teamwork, and clear communication, giving students practical experience in applying business analytics tools and methods to support data-driven decision-making.
Pre-Requisites
There are no pre-requisites for this program.
Materials
Students will need a laptop with access to Microsoft Office (including Excel and PowerPoint) to fully participate in the course.
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Understand the process of conducting a business statistics research project
- Summarize and visualize data using charts and plots
- Calculate and interpret statistical measures (mean, median, standard deviation, etc.)
- Learn basic concepts of probability and make informed conclusions from data
- Discover how to find relationships in data and tell stories using simple analysis
Software Used:
- Microsoft Excel (primary analysis tool) — covered from scratch to build a strong foundation
- Optional use of Google Sheets or other spreadsheet tools for collaboration
- Presentation software such as Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Canva for creating and delivering professional
Class time is Monday-Friday from 9am - 4pm.
|
Time |
Activity |
|
9:00 AM–9:30 AM |
Review of prior concepts and introduction to descriptive statistics |
|
9:30 AM–11:45 AM |
Interactive lecture and guided Excel practice on mean, median, mode, range, and standard deviation |
|
12:00 PM–1:15 PM |
Lunch Break |
|
1:15 PM–3:45 PM |
Hands-on team activity: analyzing and interpreting summary statistics in a business context |
|
4:00 PM |
End of day |
In the evenings and on weekends resident counselors will run a series of social activities. Students are encouraged to join in, relax and have fun with new friends! With social events on campus and in the surrounding Amherst area, and access to the UMass Recreation & Wellness Center, there's something for everyone to enjoy.
Learn more about student life at UMass Amherst Summer Pre-College
Meet the Faculty
Dr. Ali Shirzadeh, Lecturer, Department of Operations & Information Management
Dr. Ali Shirzadeh is a Lecturer in the Operations and Information Management Department at the Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst. He holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Sharif University of Technology, where his research focused on project management. Dr. Shirzadeh’s teaching, research, and professional experience lie at the intersection of operations management, data analytics, and business systems. He has been teaching various undergraduate and graduate courses at the Isenberg School of Management, including Business Data Analysis, Information and Project Management, Business Processes and Enterprise Systems, Machine Learning in Business, and Machine Learning for Analytics. He has advised several teams of students in prestigious competitions such as the Business Analytics Competition at Manhattan College and the ERP Simulation Games for North America, achieving strong results. Since Summer 2023, Dr. Shirzadeh has served as the SAP Faculty Coordinator at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he has led and supported multiple initiatives to strengthen SAP engagement across programs. His work has included efforts such as meeting SAP Recognition Award requirements, facilitating the installation and access of SAP software for academic use, introducing new SAP University Alliances and ERPsim tools, and contributing to the renewal of the SAP University Alliances partnership. He also served as a course designer and instructor at the Boston Leadership Institute, delivering Finance and Investment Banking courses for precollege summer programs. Before joining the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Dr. Shirzadeh held academic appointments at Northeastern University and Babson College and served as a visiting scholar at several U.S. institutions, including the University of Rhode Island, the University of Massachusetts Boston, and North Carolina State University. He also brings years of industry experience in roles such as consultant, data scientist, and director. He is a recipient of the Isenberg Teaching with Digital Technology Award (2025) and was recognized as an Outstanding Ph.D. Graduate by Sharif University of Technology.
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