PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data techniques in recent years, there have been a huge number of innovative applications in various domains. For example, news analysis techniques have been exploited for predicting stock market prices, object detection techniques have been adopted in surveillance systems or self-driving cars, and reinforcement learning methods have created some famous AI applications, such as Alpha GO. AI and business analytics is an inter-disciplinary sub-field that integrates knowledge and skills from both critical and out-of-the-box thinking to process business datasets through the use of AI techniques.

Due to the explosive growth of data in different business, science, and social science domains, not only are more efficient methods of curating, managing, administrating, analysing, modelling, and visualising data urgently required, but the demand for business analysts, business translators (with knowledge of business analytics), data analysts, data scientists, and AI experts/consultants are also increasing. The programme is designed to educate talents in these professionals.

The programme covers a broad and balanced range of subjects across the fields of AI and business analytics. It is unique in the following ways:

  1. It provides graduates with knowledge that spans the core disciplines of AI and business analytics, and integrates various disciplines to allow students to better understand all aspects of AI and how it is used in the real world. It also trains professionals in how to analyse data using AI tools and convert it into useful information, thereby improving the overall employability of graduates.
  2. It takes into consideration more practical business applications and frontier technologies by combining AI and business analytics with blockchain, marketing, healthcare, geographical information systems, and optimisation, etc. Thereby enhancing the competitiveness of graduates in the job market.
  3. It serves a wide range of audiences. It is suitable for professionals from both the private and public sectors who are required to collect, process, visualise, and analyse data using the most advanced and appropriate AI and business analytics methods and tools. It is also ideal for decision and policy makers who need to analyse huge amounts of data, as well as healthcare and public utility sector practitioners who understand the importance of AI and business analytics in enhancing the quality of society and effectiveness of operations.
  4. It develops students’ analytical and critical thinking, as well as their problem-solving skills, which enables graduates to pursue careers as business analysts, data analysts, data scientists, and AI consultants/experts across various industries.

Thus it should be suitable for students interested in AI, business data analytics, data management, healthcare analytics, and location analytics.