Business Analytics is the process in which, customer data is analyzed using statistical methods and strategies to develop and improve businesses and to also bring out new ideas to the market that will be parallel to the customer’s interests. A business analysts’ job is very important as he can affect the overall profit of a company with his analysis. The success of a new product depends on the effective analysis of customer interests. Hence, companies are always in search of business analysts who are efficient and know what they are doing.

Doing a business analytics course can really boost your career to new heights. A business analytics certificate paired with a professional degree certificate is a great combo in the job market. You can find a lot of really good courses online and the benefit Is that you will be able to study and finish the course whenever and wherever you want. The advantage of online courses is their flexibility and that is why they are growing in popularity.

We have put together a list of the top 10 free online courses in business analytics. These are in no particular order and each one has its own unique features so you can pick your favorite.

1. Business Analytics Specialization by Coursera

This course offered by the Wharton Business school of the University of Pennsylvania provides specialized training for students who want to understand what is business analytics and want to make a career out of it. The course explains how important decisions and changes are made with the use of Big Data analysis and how important it is for the growth of a company. As, a data analyst, you will have to interpret and come to conclusions from the data you obtain and the course shows you how that is done. The course explains the role of big data analysis in 4 sectors mainly: Marketing, human resources, talent management, and operations, and finance. The course takes a hands-on approach in teaching business analytics and you will learn to apply your skills to real-life problems faced by reputed companies like Google and Facebook which will greatly improve your confidence.

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2. Excel to MySQL: Analytic Techniques for Business Specialization by Coursera

Coursera has a reputation for collaborating with well-known universities to provide amazing online courses absolutely free of cost. This is one such course that is offered by the prestigious Duke University in partnership with Coursera. Duke University is known for its business courses and this course is just top class. The syllabus teaches you to use tools like Excel and MySQL to efficiently analyze data and to design models and put out what you find. The total course includes 4 industry-level courses and one project that will help the student apply what they have learned into an assignment. Airbnb has designed the project and it is crafted such that it will help you analyze your skills after the course. The course also covers the common techniques in data analytics used by big companies like Amazon, Uber, and Airbnb, which you can use to your advantage and incorporate in your career. The total duration of the course is from 4-6 weeks with a study time of 3-5 hours per week.

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3. Advanced Business Analytics Specialization by Coursera

This course is a part of the Masters Business Analytics program at the University of Colorado. The course teaches business analytics skills that are constantly used and recognized as the most effective in the business world. You will learn a lot of skills including how to think like an analyst and how to obtain data and extract the information you need from it. The course will also teach you how to use the tools necessary for this. The total syllabus is divided into 5 parts which cover almost everything about business analytics. This course is not suitable for beginners as it does require you to have some prior knowledge in statistics and MS Excel. But if you do have a basic knowledge about them, this course will be perfect for you to propel a career in business analytics. The course has a duration of 4-5 months with a study time of 3-5 hours per week.

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4. Data Analysis and Presentation Skills by Coursera

This course takes a highly practical approach to teaching data analysis.  You will learn to understand data and also use a variety of various data analytics tools to create efficient business intelligence presentations. This course is perfect for beginners as it explains everything from the absolute basics. The course is divided into 5 modules: Data-driven decision making, Problem Solving with Excel, Data Visualization with Advanced Excel, Effective Business Presentations, Data Analysis, and Presentation Skills. These 5 modules will cover almost all the fundamental principles of business analytics. You will also learn to use the tool called PowerPivot to create efficient databases and data models. The course also covers all the basics of Excel. The total duration of the course is 21 weeks with a study time of 3-4 hours per week.

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5. Business Analytics for Data-Driven Decision Making by EdX

This course is part of a MicroMasters program offered by the University of Boston. The course will teach you how to manipulate data in order to bring out the best interests for business models. You will also learn how to produce attractive data visualizations with the use of the most commonly used tools. This course is not for beginners and it will even be a little tough for intermediate learners as the concepts discussed are quite advanced and you will need prior, in-depth knowledge in statistics. If you are a statistics student this course will be perfect for you. The syllabus provides you with a hands-on approach to all the concepts and you will also how to be an effective part of a data analyst team. The website also provides a number of examples of how companies use data analysis in their best interests. The course is absolutely free of cost but you can add a verified certificate for a fee. The duration of the course is 8 weeks with a study time of 3-6 hours per week.

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6. Strategic Business Analytics Specialisation by Coursera

This specialization course is perfect for students who want to dive into the practical applications of business analytics and who are interested to learn more about the use of big data management. The course covers a wide range of topics including the use of data analysis in media, communications, and public services. The whole syllabus is divided into 4 segments: Foundations of strategic business analytics, foundations of marketing analysis, case studies in business analytics, and the capstone project. This program is not for beginners as it requires a solid understanding of statistical concepts. If you have to know the fundamentals of R programming language and analytics, you will be able to complete this course a lot easier. If you have some experience with SQL and machine learning, it will be even better. The course has a duration of 16 weeks with a study time of 2-5 hours per week.

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7. IBM Data Science Professional by Coursera

Provided by one of the most reputed IT companies in the world, this course does not require any prior knowledge in data analysis. The syllabus is crafted perfectly for beginners and even the most complex of topics are explained in a simple, down-to-earth manner. You will learn what exactly is data science and what data scientists do and how to adapt to the mindset of a professional data scientist. You will also be working with several important tools like python and SQL and will also learn to import and analyze and clean data sets. The course provides a very flexible schedule and you will also get a shareable completion certificate after successful completion of the course. The course will take approximately 11 months to complete. Coursera claims that 17 percent of students who did this course got a promotion or a salary hike.

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8. Introduction to Data Analytics for Managers by EdX

This course is offered by the University of Michigan and it provides all the fundamental lessons for data analysis in business. The syllabus contains a variety of real-life case studies and hands-on assignments and lectures for students to understand data analysis better. You do not necessarily have to be a manager to do this course even though the title is given like that. The course is perfect for beginners as well as professionals. The course is free of cost but you can get a verified certificate for a cost and the course will take you approximately six weeks to complete.

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9. Business Analyst Training and Resources by Bridging the Gap

Bridging the Gap is a relatively new website that provides resources for data analysts and business students free of cost. You can get both paid and free training on the site and a lot of resources to become a professional business analyst. The website contains articles, webinars, and a lot of other content absolutely free of cost. Bridging the Gap is run by author Laura Brandenburg who is an expert in business analytics and management. You will not get any certificate with completion of the course though. 

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10. Three Emerging Careers in Digital Business Analysis by Udemy

This is a site that provides video lectures to students who want to pursue business management as a career. The website provides 45-to-90-minute videos that cover all the fundamentals of business analytics. You will learn how to identify stakeholders for IT projects and to draw data flow diagrams for business analysis. The site also has a one-hour course on Business Analysis for Information. All the content provided is free but you will not be getting any certification.

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