Minor in Business Analytics & Operations

Data, Decisions, Future: Your Minor in Business Analytics & Operations for the Economy of Tomorrow

The minor in Business Analytics & Operations is part of the academic program offered by the Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics at the University of Zurich. It provides students with a solid foundation in data-driven decision-making as well as in the design, management, and improvement of operational processes.

Core areas include mathematical modeling, quantitative methods, Services & Operations Management, and Sustainable Operations. Students acquire methodological competencies in stochastic modeling, optimization, simulation, decision and game theory, as well as empirical analysis, and learn to apply these to questions in operations management, supply chain design, revenue management, and process optimization.

The minor is jointly offered by four chairs and combines academic rigor with practical relevance. The objective is to prepare graduates for roles in which analytical depth, efficient resource utilization, and sustainable value creation are central. The acquired competencies open up diverse career opportunities - from analyzing operational systems to contributing to a responsible, data-driven economy.

Optimize Reality with Operations Research

This minor is organized around core themes and methods typical for Business Analytics & Operations. 

Core areas include mathematical modeling, quantitative methods, Services & Operations Management, and Sustainable Operations

1. Mathematical Modeling & Quantitative Methods
   Translating real business systems into models, using formal methods to analyze and improve them.

2. Operations Research Methods
   Methodological competencies in stochastic modeling, optimization, simulation, decision theory, and game theory, used to derive high-quality decisions under constraints and uncertainty.

3. Services & Operations Management
   Understanding and improving operational processes in service and production contexts.

4. Sustainable Operations
   Designing and managing processes with attention to efficiency and responsible resource use.

Target group and degree program:

• The minor is jointly offered by four chairs and blends academic rigor with practical relevance.
• The minor is designed primarily for students from the Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics and is, to a limited extent, also open to students from other faculties. 

ECTS:

• The program requires a total of 30 ECTS
• 12 ECTS credits within the minor area Business Analytics and Operations (BAO)
• 18 ECTS credits from core elective area BWL 6 (Business Analytics and Operations) 

After completing the minor, students should be able to:

• Model complex business systems quantitatively (processes, resources, constraints, uncertainty).

• Use analytics and OR tools such as optimization, simulation, stochastic models, and empirical analysis to evaluate options and propose improvements.

• Make and justify data-driven decisions in operational contexts.

• Apply methods to real domains including supply chains, service operations, revenue management, and process optimization.

• Balance efficiency, risk, and sustainability when designing or improving operations. 

Career perspectives

The competencies from this minor map directly onto roles where organizations need to optimize real systems with data and logic — the exact kind of work described for Operations Research in practice. BOFF.

Typical directions include:

• Business / data analytics roles (decision support, KPI/operations dashboards, forecasting).

• Operations & supply chain management (planning, logistics, network design, inventory and capacity optimization).

• Revenue management and pricing analytics.

• Process improvement / operational excellence in services, manufacturing, mobility, public transport, and digital platforms.

• Consulting in analytics, operations strategy, or digital transformation.