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James Weston

This course will equip students with the quantitative skills needed to begin any Masters of Business Administration program. The goal is not to build foundational skills or expert mastery but rather, to provide some middle ground to “shake the rust off” skills that a typical MBA student probably knows, but may not have thought about for quite some time. The course provides a quick refresher on top level math and statistics concepts that will be used throughout the MBA curriculum at any school. All of the concepts will be reinforced with practical real-world examples. All calculations, formulas, and data analysis will be performed in Excel, with many detailed demonstrations. For those unfamiliar or less comfortable with spreadsheets, the course will also prepare students with a basic facility for using spreadsheets to solve quantitative business problems. This course has no prerequisites and is intended for any audience.

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What's inside

Syllabus

Welcome to the Course
Week 1: Getting Started with Basic Math
This module sets up the basic foundations in mathematics. We cover negative numbers, functional analysis, and logarithms.
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Week 2: A Little More Math and Getting Started with Data
This module continues to build on mathematical skills including systems of equations and limits. We also introduce basic data descriptions and visualizations using a spreadsheet program.
Week 3: Getting Started with Basic Statistics
This module covers the basics concepts of statistics, we touch on bell curves, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, and linear regression. All examples are done with a practical approach and using a spreadsheet program to do all the math.
Week 4: Putting it all Together with Some Practical Examples
This module includes a series of practical cases studies. No new material is introduced, the focus is on putting into practice what we've learned!

Good to know

Know what's good
, what to watch for
, and possible dealbreakers
Teaches foundational quantitative skills needed to begin any Master's of Business Administration program
Provides a refresher on top-level math and statistics concepts
Reinforces concepts with practical real-world examples
Prepares students with a basic facility for using spreadsheets to solve quantitative business problems
Has no prerequisites and is intended for any audience

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Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Pre-MBA Quantitative Skills: Data Analysis with these activities:
Review basic algebra
Reviewing basic algebra will strengthen your foundation and ensure you are prepared for the quantitative concepts covered in the course.
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  • Go over your notes from previous algebra courses or review an online algebra tutorial
  • Practice solving algebra problems using online resources or textbooks
Review a statistics textbook
Reviewing a statistics textbook will help you refresh your knowledge of the foundational concepts and prepare you for the more advanced topics covered in the course.
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  • Read through the textbook chapters relevant to the course
  • Take notes and highlight important concepts
  • Complete the practice problems at the end of each chapter
Attend a workshop on Excel
Attending a workshop on Excel will help you improve your proficiency in using the software, which is essential for the course.
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  • Find a workshop that covers the topics you need to improve on
  • Register for the workshop and attend all sessions
  • Take notes and practice the techniques you learn
Five other activities
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Organize your course materials
Organizing your course materials will help you stay on top of the material and make it easier to review for exams.
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  • Create a dedicated folder for the course
  • File your notes, assignments, and other materials in an organized manner
  • Review your materials regularly to reinforce your learning
Solve practice problems
Solving practice problems will reinforce the mathematical concepts covered in the course and improve your problem-solving skills.
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  • Find practice problems online or in textbooks
  • Work through the problems step-by-step
  • Check your answers and identify areas where you need more practice
Join a study group
Joining a study group will provide you with opportunities to discuss the course material, work on problems together, and learn from your peers.
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  • Find a group of classmates who are interested in forming a study group
  • Set up regular meeting times and locations
  • Create a study schedule and assign responsibilities to each member of the group
Create a spreadsheet model
Creating a spreadsheet model will allow you to apply the quantitative concepts covered in the course to a real-world business problem.
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  • Identify a business problem that can be solved using a spreadsheet model
  • Design the spreadsheet model, including the formulas and calculations
  • Enter the data and run the model
  • Analyze the results and draw conclusions
Start a personal finance project
Starting a personal finance project will allow you to apply the quantitative concepts covered in the course to your own financial situation.
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  • Set financial goals, such as saving for a down payment on a house or retiring early
  • Create a budget and track your income and expenses
  • Research and choose investment options that align with your goals and risk tolerance
  • Monitor your progress and make adjustments as needed

Career center

Learners who complete Pre-MBA Quantitative Skills: Data Analysis will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Data Scientist
Data scientists use mathematical and statistical skills to analyze data and extract insights. This course can help data scientists by providing a refresher on probability, statistics, and other mathematical concepts. The course also covers the use of spreadsheets, which is a valuable tool for data scientists.
Machine Learning Engineer
Machine learning engineers use mathematical and statistical skills to develop and implement machine learning models. This course can help machine learning engineers by providing a refresher on probability, statistics, and other mathematical concepts. The course also covers the use of spreadsheets, which is a valuable tool for machine learning engineers.
Operations Research Analyst
Operations research analysts use mathematical and statistical models to solve business problems. This course can help operations research analysts by providing a refresher on probability, statistics, and other mathematical concepts. The course also covers the use of spreadsheets, which is a valuable tool for operations research analysts.
Statistician
Statisticians use mathematical and statistical skills to collect, analyze, and interpret data. This course can help statisticians by providing a refresher on probability, statistics, and other mathematical concepts. The course also covers the use of spreadsheets, which is a valuable tool for statisticians.
Data Analyst
Data analysts use quantitative skills to analyze data and extract insights. This course can help data analysts by providing a refresher on statistics, probability, and other mathematical concepts. The course also covers the use of spreadsheets, which is a valuable tool for data analysts.
Quantitative Analyst
Quantitative analysts use mathematical and statistical models to analyze financial data and make investment recommendations. This course can help quantitative analysts by providing a refresher on probability, statistics, and other mathematical concepts. The course also covers the use of spreadsheets, which is a valuable tool for quantitative analysts.
Quantitative Researcher
Quantitative researchers use mathematical and statistical skills to develop and implement quantitative research models. This course can help quantitative researchers by providing a refresher on probability, statistics, and other mathematical concepts. The course also covers the use of spreadsheets, which is a valuable tool for quantitative researchers.
Market Research Analyst
Market research analysts use mathematical and statistical skills to collect, analyze, and interpret market data. This course can help market research analysts by providing a refresher on probability, statistics, and other mathematical concepts. The course also covers the use of spreadsheets, which is a valuable tool for market research analysts.
Business Consultant
Business consultants use mathematical and statistical skills to analyze business data and make recommendations. This course can help business consultants by providing a refresher on probability, statistics, and other mathematical concepts. The course also covers the use of spreadsheets, which is a valuable tool for business consultants.
Business Analyst
Business analysts use quantitative skills to analyze business data and make recommendations. This course can help business analysts by providing a refresher on statistics, probability, and other mathematical concepts. The course also covers the use of spreadsheets, which is a valuable tool for business analysts.
Risk Manager
Risk managers use mathematical and statistical skills to assess risk and develop risk management plans. This course can help risk managers by providing a refresher on probability, statistics, and other mathematical concepts. The course also covers the use of spreadsheets, which is a valuable tool for risk managers.
Economist
Economists use mathematical and statistical skills to analyze economic data and make recommendations. This course can help economists by providing a refresher on probability, statistics, and other mathematical concepts. The course also covers the use of spreadsheets, which is a valuable tool for economists.
Actuary
Actuaries use mathematical and statistical skills to assess risk and develop financial plans. This course can help actuaries by providing a refresher on probability, statistics, and other mathematical concepts. The course also covers the use of spreadsheets, which is a valuable tool for actuaries.
Financial Analyst
Financial analysts use quantitative skills to analyze financial data and make investment recommendations. This course can help financial analysts by providing a refresher on statistics, probability, and other mathematical concepts. The course also covers the use of spreadsheets, which is a valuable tool for financial analysts.
Software Engineer
Software engineers use mathematical and statistical skills to develop and implement software solutions. This course can help software engineers by providing a refresher on probability, statistics, and other mathematical concepts. The course also covers the use of spreadsheets, which is a valuable tool for software engineers.

Reading list

We've selected 13 books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Pre-MBA Quantitative Skills: Data Analysis.
Provides a comprehensive guide to using Excel for data analysis and business modeling. It covers a wide range of topics, including data import and cleaning, data visualization, statistical analysis, and forecasting.
Provides a comprehensive overview of quantitative methods used in business, including statistics, operations research, and management science.
Provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of statistics for business and economics. It covers a wide range of topics, including data description, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, and regression analysis.
Provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to statistical techniques used in business and economics. It covers a wide range of topics, including data description, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, and regression analysis.
Provides a practical guide to using Excel for business data analysis. It covers a wide range of topics, including data import and cleaning, data visualization, statistical analysis, and forecasting.
Provides a comprehensive introduction to data mining using the R programming language. It covers a wide range of topics, including data preprocessing, data visualization, clustering, classification, and regression.
Provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to machine learning. It covers a wide range of topics, including supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning.
Provides a comprehensive and practical introduction to deep learning using the Python programming language. It covers a wide range of topics, including neural networks, convolutional neural networks, and recurrent neural networks.
Provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to reinforcement learning. It covers a wide range of topics, including Markov decision processes, value functions, and policy optimization.
Provides a comprehensive and practical introduction to natural language processing using the Python programming language. It covers a wide range of topics, including text preprocessing, tokenization, stemming, lemmatization, and named entity recognition.
Provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to computer vision. It covers a wide range of topics, including image formation, feature detection, object recognition, and image segmentation.
Provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to generative adversarial networks. It covers a wide range of topics, including the theory of GANs, the different types of GANs, and the applications of GANs.

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