MSBAi Curriculum: Single Source of Truth

Program: Master of Science in Business Analytics - Online (MSBAi) Institution: Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Launch: Fall 2026 Total Duration: 15 months (3 semesters + 1 summer) Total Credits: 36 Format: 8-week courses within 16-week semesters Common Thread: Python + Jupyter Notebooks across all courses STEM Designation: Not STEM designated (pending formal confirmation with Lorena — tracked in the internal open-questions registry; ask K-ai)

Course Production Status

This page does not track course status. Video and activity production status comes from the learning-design team’s Box rosters, synced automatically: BADM 554, BDI 513, FIN 550. Courses without a Box roster have no tracked status; ask K-ai for the latest decisions on them.

Preparatory Coursework (Staggered Model — Confirmed 2026-05-18)

Preparatory coursework is staggered, with each module timed to the first course that applies it. Two tiers:

Required, proof of completion (gated by registration hold)

Self-diagnostic (ungated, completion not required)

Pattern: each downstream course with a self-diagnostic prep need gets its own numbered module in MSBAi Essentials, timed to that course’s start — this is an extending sequence (Module 10, 11, 12, …), not a fixed pair. As of the live Canvas course (verified 2026-08-16), Modules 10 and 11 are built and published; further courses’ prep (e.g. Quantum’s Linear Algebra prep below) is decided but not yet built into a numbered module.

Source: internal decision registry (full records from K-ai) — “Preparatory coursework: staggered completion model” (2026-05-18); “Prep course module structure and delivery model” (2026-05-22); “BDI 513 Python & Tools prep: Coursera replaces DataCamp” (2026-05-22); “Stats prep delivery: private Coursera MOOC” (2026-06-10, supersedes the BADM 572 public MOOCs); “Linear Algebra prep belongs to Quantum (part 2), not Agentic AI” (2026-07-17). Module structure and names verified directly against the live MSBAi Essentials Canvas course (70398), 2026-08-16 — 12 modules published (0–11); corrects a 2026-06-13 audit that was read as a closed “Modules 10–11” set rather than an extending per-course sequence.

Target student: Career pivoters (age 25-40) from technical/STEM or non-analytics backgrounds. See program/target_profile.md for full profile and admission criteria.

Program Timeline

Soft launch dates (early student access ≈ 1 week before official start; source: registrar master schedule, mirrored in reference/msbai-schedule.md): BADM 554 Aug 17, 2026 · BDI 513 Sep 14, 2026 · FIN 550 Oct 12, 2026 · Quantum Approaches Jan 12, 2027 · BADM 558 Feb 8, 2027 · Agentic AI Mar 8, 2027 · BADM 557 May 10, 2027 · BADM 576 Aug 16, 2027 · Practicum Oct 11, 2027. Decision record: “Course soft launch dates” (internal registry — full record from K-ai).

Fall 2026 Semester (16 weeks)

CRNs are the Banner section numbers (section code BAI, cap 55/section), assigned for Fall 2026 registration. Source: registrar master schedule (Heather Aldridge), mirrored in reference/msbai-schedule.md. Later-term CRNs are still TBD.

Student Experience:

• Weeks 1-4: BADM 554 only (foundations)
• Weeks 5-8: BADM 554 + BDI 513 (overlap)
• Weeks 9-12: BDI 513 + FIN 550 (overlap)
• Weeks 13-16: FIN 550 only (finish strong)

Spring 2027 Semester (16 weeks)

Sequence revised 2026-06-01; POT dates confirmed 2026-06-02 (Maria Rodas with Ashish Khandelwal / Abhijeet Ghoshal / Nathan Yang; POT dates per Heather Aldridge, iDegrees): the two 2-cr quantum courses are combined into one 4-cr 8-week course (POT A start Jan 19, 2027), BADM 558 shifts to a Feb 15 start (wks 5-12), and Agentic AI starts Mar 15 (POT B). Course number is BADM 590 — a temporary number intentionally shared by both new courses (Quantum Approaches + Agentic AI) for year 1; permanent distinct numbers assigned later. MLK Day (Jan 18) falls the day before POT A — Week 1 live/studio scheduling TBD. Decision record: “Spring 2027 sequence revised” (internal registry — full record from K-ai).

Student Experience:

• Weeks 1-4: Quantum Approaches for Decision Making — Part 1 (Quantum Cognition), 4-cr course running solo
• Weeks 5-8: Quantum Approaches — Part 2 (Quantum Computing) + BADM 558 starts = 8 credits simultaneously
• Weeks 9-12: BADM 558 (finishing) + Agentic AI starts = 8 credits simultaneously
• Weeks 13-16: Agentic AI (4 cr) only — finish strong

Concurrency note: the revised sequence creates two 8-credit concurrent stretches (wks 5-8, 9-12), heavier than the prior 6-cr symmetric design. Flagged for faculty deliverable-timing coordination in the wks 5-8 overlap (Quantum Pt 2 + BADM 558).

Summer 2027 (8 weeks)

Cumulative after Summer 2027: 28 credits

Fall 2027 Semester (16 weeks)

Program Total: 36 credits

Credit Breakdown

Core Courses (16 credits)

Advanced Courses (8 credits)

Required Electives (8 credits)

Practicum (4 credits)

Catalog/Banner code BADM 550. Banner classifies the Practicum as Core (decision 2026-05-13); it is listed in its own section here for credit-structure clarity, not as a separate classification.

Faculty Assignments

Key Design Rules

1. 8-Week Courses in 16-Week Semesters

• Each course is 8 weeks long (half a traditional semester)
• Students take 2-3 courses per semester
• Courses can run in first half (weeks 1-8), second half (weeks 9-16), or straddle both (e.g., weeks 5-12)

2. Week Numbering Resets Each Semester

• Fall 2026: Weeks 1-16
• Spring 2027: Weeks 1-16
• Summer 2027: Weeks 1-8
• Fall 2027: Weeks 1-16

3. Straddling Courses

• BDI 513 (Fall 2026): Weeks 5-12 (straddles Fall 1 + Fall 2)
  • Starts week 5 when BADM 554 content is established
  • Ends week 12 before FIN 550 ramps up

4. Credit Distribution by Semester

• Fall 2026: 12 credits
• Spring 2027: 12 credits
• Summer 2027: 4 credits
• Fall 2027: 8 credits

This is the single source of truth for all program-level facts. All other documents should reference this file rather than duplicating program parameters.