Celebrating two firsts in Rider’s graduate business programs

Medeeha Khan '15 was the first person to graduate with her MBA from the Bank of America Within Your Reach Initiative, a partnership between Rider and Bank of America’s Hopewell campus, as well as the first person to complete the University’s Business Analytics Certificate Program.

What is the Business Analytics Graduate Certificate Program?

This certificate program is endorsed by the SAS institute, one of the leading companies in business analytics software and services. This program allows business and IT professionals to gain practical knowledge of technologies, applications and processes utilized to analyze data to inform various aspects of organizational decision making. Students who enroll in this program at Rider have the choice between two tracks: one for business professionals and one for IT professionals. The program can be completed on its own or as part of a Rider MBA or MAcc degree. 

According to a 2015 MIT Sloan Management Review report, 40 percent of the companies surveyed were struggling to find and retain the data analytics talent needed. With analytical skills becoming increasingly important in business, improving those skills with the Business Analytics Graduate Certificate is a way to enhance one’s marketability in a competitive job market. Because the Rider program is officially endorsed by SAS, students are able to gain experience using leading-edge data mining tools.

What is the Bank of America MBA Program Partnership? 

The Bank of America Within Your Reach Initiative offers qualified Bank of America-Hopewell campus employees the opportunity to earn their MBA from Rider University — a highly regarded academic and professional credential — in a convenient and cost-effective manner.

A Rider MBA program objective is to help business professionals gain business knowledge and develop leadership and analytical skills, which are two very important elements in the business environment. The partnership allows Bank of America employees to attain their MBA by taking classes on Rider’s campus, online or on Bank of America’s Hopewell campus where two classes are offered each semester.

Why did you start on the certificate program and the MBA?

I joined the Rider MBA program in the spring of 2013. Throughout the program, I enjoyed learning about relevant topics to today’s economy. I did not intend to declare a concentration because I wanted to take electives that were relevant to the industry today. I have my bachelor’s in finance from Rutgers University, so I did not want to get an MBA in finance or accounting. None of the other concentrations would help advance my career, so I decided I would take a few relevant electives to meet my requirements.

In the spring of 2014, I took business analytics with Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Faculty Affairs Lan Ma Nygren and Data Mining with Associate Professor Bill Amadio. I found both classes very interesting and wanted to learn more about different ways to analyze and interpret data. Professor Nygren told me about the new Business Analytics Graduate Certificate program that was coming to Rider and recommended that I look into it. I worked with the academic coordinator to fit in the remaining two courses for the concentration and certification in business analytics, and I am very happy I did.

How have these programs impacted your professional life? 

I learned different techniques that challenge the way I typically look at financial data in my day-to-day job. After starting these course, I began looking for more patterns and nuances, as discussed in all four of the business analytics classes I took. In the future, I look forward to further honing these skills and implementing new ways to look at and analyze data at work