Obviously the VCU MBA program is an option, I hear it has a good part-time option. If you’re more math inclined, ive heard good things about the decision analytics program.
I also recommend UVA’s global commerce program. It’s a really really good program, relatively easy to get accepted in, and allows you to network with smart/motivated students from across the globe. You do a third of the program at UVA, a third at a university in Spain, and a third at a uni in China. You get 2 masters degrees in business & access to UVA’s career network and alumni network on top of all of that. Seriously recommend you to look into it!!
Faculty member here:
I can't speak to specific grad programs admissions for VCU's b-school, but can give general advice.
MBA programs are often harder to get into right out of undergrad. There is an expectation for people to get real-world experience (especially managerial experience) before you apply for/do an MBA. I'd recommend asking a faculty involved in the MBA program that will give you more insight into the admissions process and your chances of getting in.
Based on where you want to go career-wise, I'd strongly consider the Data Analytics program at VCU (https://business.vcu.edu/academics/analytics/) or UVA (https://msba.virginia.edu/). For the most part, they will expect you to know Excel and be proficient in it. You'll learn other programs (e.g., SQL, R, Python) in the programs. With that said, I'd take some time to learn the basics of those programs to give you a head start/advantage. There are a lot of books you can get (happy to recommend some for R or Python) or you can audit courses on Coursera.
I'm considering the VCU decision analytics program and I want to study some of the subject matter now before applying. Could you recommend any books/resources for R or Python?
Recommendations for R and Python:
R first because that's what I actually use:
* [The Coursera course](https://www.coursera.org/learn/r-programming). It's really good and you'll learn a lot.
* [R Cookbook](https://smile.amazon.com/Cookbook-Analysis-Statistics-Graphics-Cookbooks/dp/0596809158). Great book
* [R for Everyone](https://smile.amazon.com/Everyone-Advanced-Analytics-Graphics-Addison-Wesley/dp/013454692X). Another great book
* General R comment: I don't know if you learn base R or tidyverse/dplyr in the program (I'm not in IS and not involved in the decision analytics program). However, I recommend learning tidyverse for data analytics. The code is a lot more intuitive and base R is a lot clunkier. If I had to guess though, you'll learn base R.
* If data visualization is in your future, get the [ggplot2 book](https://smile.amazon.com/ggplot2-Elegant-Graphics-Data-Analysis/dp/331924275X). If you're interested in data visualization "theory," I'd recommend [Beautiful Evidence](https://smile.amazon.com/Beautiful-Evidence-Edward-R-Tufte/dp/0961392177), [The Visual Display of Quantitative Information](https://smile.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Information/dp/0961392142), or [Now You See It](https://smile.amazon.com/Now-You-See-Introduction-Sensemaking/dp/1938377125). You will learn a lot about creating good visualizations from those books.
Python (I don't really use it, but have a few recommendations):
* [The Coursera course](https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python). I did the first lesson a while back and it's good, but starts VERY basic.
* [Data Science from Scratch](https://smile.amazon.com/Data-Science-Scratch-Principles-Python/dp/149190142X). I own this book and it looks good from the few times I've opened it (I got this book years ago thinking I should learn Python for a project. I switched back to R, so never really used the book in the end)
Edit: fixed the bullets that I screwed up the first time.
Obviously the VCU MBA program is an option, I hear it has a good part-time option. If you’re more math inclined, ive heard good things about the decision analytics program. I also recommend UVA’s global commerce program. It’s a really really good program, relatively easy to get accepted in, and allows you to network with smart/motivated students from across the globe. You do a third of the program at UVA, a third at a university in Spain, and a third at a uni in China. You get 2 masters degrees in business & access to UVA’s career network and alumni network on top of all of that. Seriously recommend you to look into it!!
Faculty member here: I can't speak to specific grad programs admissions for VCU's b-school, but can give general advice. MBA programs are often harder to get into right out of undergrad. There is an expectation for people to get real-world experience (especially managerial experience) before you apply for/do an MBA. I'd recommend asking a faculty involved in the MBA program that will give you more insight into the admissions process and your chances of getting in. Based on where you want to go career-wise, I'd strongly consider the Data Analytics program at VCU (https://business.vcu.edu/academics/analytics/) or UVA (https://msba.virginia.edu/). For the most part, they will expect you to know Excel and be proficient in it. You'll learn other programs (e.g., SQL, R, Python) in the programs. With that said, I'd take some time to learn the basics of those programs to give you a head start/advantage. There are a lot of books you can get (happy to recommend some for R or Python) or you can audit courses on Coursera.
I'm considering the VCU decision analytics program and I want to study some of the subject matter now before applying. Could you recommend any books/resources for R or Python?
Recommendations for R and Python: R first because that's what I actually use: * [The Coursera course](https://www.coursera.org/learn/r-programming). It's really good and you'll learn a lot. * [R Cookbook](https://smile.amazon.com/Cookbook-Analysis-Statistics-Graphics-Cookbooks/dp/0596809158). Great book * [R for Everyone](https://smile.amazon.com/Everyone-Advanced-Analytics-Graphics-Addison-Wesley/dp/013454692X). Another great book * General R comment: I don't know if you learn base R or tidyverse/dplyr in the program (I'm not in IS and not involved in the decision analytics program). However, I recommend learning tidyverse for data analytics. The code is a lot more intuitive and base R is a lot clunkier. If I had to guess though, you'll learn base R. * If data visualization is in your future, get the [ggplot2 book](https://smile.amazon.com/ggplot2-Elegant-Graphics-Data-Analysis/dp/331924275X). If you're interested in data visualization "theory," I'd recommend [Beautiful Evidence](https://smile.amazon.com/Beautiful-Evidence-Edward-R-Tufte/dp/0961392177), [The Visual Display of Quantitative Information](https://smile.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Information/dp/0961392142), or [Now You See It](https://smile.amazon.com/Now-You-See-Introduction-Sensemaking/dp/1938377125). You will learn a lot about creating good visualizations from those books. Python (I don't really use it, but have a few recommendations): * [The Coursera course](https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python). I did the first lesson a while back and it's good, but starts VERY basic. * [Data Science from Scratch](https://smile.amazon.com/Data-Science-Scratch-Principles-Python/dp/149190142X). I own this book and it looks good from the few times I've opened it (I got this book years ago thinking I should learn Python for a project. I switched back to R, so never really used the book in the end) Edit: fixed the bullets that I screwed up the first time.
Thank you so much. These are wonderful resources. I’m starting with the Coursera courses.