SAN FRANCISCO, California – As professionals around the world seek to sharpen their decision-making skills to keep up with AI and other changes, Minerva University has responded with a unique virtual, part-time Master of Science in Decision Making and Applied Analytics (MDA).
The program meets the needs of professionals with its focus on interdisciplinary skills and practical applications, its flexible format and its embrace of global learning.
“Our program focuses on the core competencies employers say are essential – such as critical thinking, problem-solving, technical expertise, strategic leadership, and adaptability,” said Professor Geneva Stein, Director of Graduate Programs at Minerva University, which is accredited in the United States with a global presence.
Minerva is a nonprofit university that offers an innovative educational model focused on developing real-world skills through active learning. Students learn through discussion and projects and are taught using methods based on the science of learning.
“We’re focused on helping people build a set of tools they can use to make decisions in new and complex situations that don’t have easy answers or established decision-making flowcharts,” said Minerva University professor Mark Sheskin.
Minerva’s degree program offers:
- An interdisciplinary and practical focus: The skills-first curriculum blends theoretical knowledge with real-world applications. Minerva University encourages students to apply skills to their fields through practical projects and case studies. Minerva enhances this hands-on experience with insights from decision science, data analytics, complex systems analysis, and management science. This equips graduates with a skill set for taking on complex organizational and societal challenges.
- Flexible format for working professionals: Minerva’s part-time, online graduate classes are designed in a modular weekend format, with a blend of real-time, active learning seminars and project work on the student’s time. Students can join classes from anywhere worldwide and fully engage with the curriculum while balancing their careers and personal obligations.
- Global learning environment: Minerva’s graduate programs develop a global perspective through an immersive learning model. Students engage in active learning discussions alongside a culturally diverse community of peers. Students participate in intensive in-person immersion week experiences held in two leading global cities, engaging with peers, leaders, and the broader Minerva University network. This enhances students’ understanding of decision-making in a variety of cultures.
“Students leave our program with expertise in making evidence-based, data-informed decisions that take into account the real complexity of human social systems,” Professor Stein said.
For the past three years, Minerva University has been offering graduate students the opportunity to participate in two in-person “immersion week” experiences, in London and Seoul.
This year the graduate class schedule has been updated, with course content organized into a set of weekend units to provide better flexibility for working professionals. The curriculum continues to adapt to today’s needs and has been recently revised to include several topics in AI and strategic decision making.
To reflect the updates, this year Minerva University’s two graduate programs underwent a name change — to Master of Science in Decision Making and Applied Analytics (MDA) and Certificate in Decision Making and Applied Analytics (CDA).
“Our name change reflects the way our programs help graduate students achieve success in the workplace,” said Minerva University President Mike Magee.