How to show which change will benefit the company? How to predict the next step in production development? How to avoid large-scale financial missteps? Among other things, this is what is involved in the work of Business Intelligence specialists – now highly sought after in the international job market.

The Faculty of Management offers a new specialisation in English, as part of the Management Engineering degree programme, created based on an analysis of the needs and expectations of the business world. It was also inspired by suggestions from executives of large companies who sit on the Faculty's social council (including Capgemini, Volvo, and Credit Suisse).

– We’re going to teach students new skills in terms of approaches to management. It’s based on analysing various types of data, drawing conclusions, and using them to predict possible outcomes – says Katarzyna Maciejowska, PhD from the Department of Operational Research and Business Intelligence at Wrocław Tech’s Faculty of Management, who is the coordinator of the specialisation.

– We live in an age of information collecting. We have access to various databases containing data concerning finance, economics, the economy, and human resources. However, still, not many people know what tools to use to interpret them, how to visualise them and use them to effectively manage the company, to reduce risks and to achieve higher profits, he adds.

Practice and experience

A team of researchers from the Department of Operational Research and Business Intelligence is engaged in such studies daily. They are the best forecasters in Poland and experts in agent modelling boasting publications in top international journals. And it is they who will pass on their practical knowledge and experience to the students.
The specialisation is addressed to second-cycle students and will be delivered entirely in English. The curriculum includes only practical activities – laboratory classes, seminars, and workshops, led by researchers from W8, but also business people from organisations including Credit Suisse. 

– All this is to equip the graduate with specific skills that can only be acquired through practice. We want them to be able to match the right tool to the solution to a specific problem in broadly defined business – emphasises Dr Maciejowska.

What do we teach?

The Business Intelligence specialisation comprises three semesters of study. The thematic blocks included in the course focus on topics such as data description and analysis (data-mining, Artificial Intelligence, econometrics), economics and management (design thinking, social media), as well as simulations and the application of game theory. Students will also learn to work in Python, R, and Matlab programming environments.

– Simulations are an attempt to answer the question of what would happen if our company made changes, such as the implementation of a new queuing system, e.g. how this would translate into profit. This is an extremely important issue, and it particularly concerns transport, the services market, or health care – explains Dr Katarzyna Maciejowska.

The specialisation is elite, as only 30 places are allocated for Polish and foreign students. The graduates will find jobs in IT consulting, industry, finance, banking, energy, or the health sector. – This is where we see the greatest demand for data analysts and BI specialists – assures the supervisor of the specialisation.

The enrolment procedure, already underway, ends on February 18. For details on admissions to the Business Intelligence course, look here.

The Faculty of Management also offers a second new specialisation as part of the management engineering programme, which is project management. Classes are held in Polish and the curriculum includes subjects such as business strategy and model, financing business development, modern marketing, or advanced project management (case studies and simulation games).
The specialisation gives the future Wrocław Tech graduate opportunities for professional development in a variety of roles and business situations – from project manager or leader of project teams to own business operating in this area.

For more details, visit the website for candidates.