Business Analytics at the University of Notre Dame

Hi! My name is Claire Ann Santos, and I am a rising junior at the University of Notre Dame. I am originally from Bolingbrook, IL, about two hours away from Notre Dame’s campus. ND was one of my reach schools while applying to colleges; I had a 4.3 GPA in high school and a 34 ACT superscore. With hard work, determination, and stellar essays and extracurriculars, I got in, and I am forever grateful.

My Decision

I was accepted to 5 universities:

• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Journalism)
• Depaul University (Public Relations)
• Loyola University Chicago (Marketing)
• University of Notre Dame (Marketing)
• Indiana University (Marketing)

I chose to attend the University of Notre Dame for a variety of reasons. First of all, ND is a prestigious school with a very impressive alumni network that is always willing to help out any current students. Additionally, the Notre Dame community is truly unlike any other; my professors and fellow classmates have been some of the kindest people I have ever met. Lastly, the campus is close to home and absolutely beautiful, from the football stadium to the golden dome to each residential hall.

Introduction to the Major

The University of Notre Dame is a private Catholic university located in Notre Dame, Indiana. Although we are known for our football team (Go, Irish!), the University of Notre Dame is one of the top universities in the United States, with an incredibly rigorous liberal arts curriculum and a beautiful campus filled with Gothic architecture and amazing facilities.

The university is organized into the School of Architecture, College of Arts & Letters, College of Engineering, Keough School of Global Affairs, Graduate School, Law School, College of Science, and Mendoza College of Business.

At ND, I study Business Analytics (BAN). The BAN major is located in the Department of Information Technology, Analytics and Operations (ITAO) in the Mendoza College of Business, one of the top business schools in the country. My major focuses on problem solving through statistical methods and data analysis - We learn to make predictions, tell visual stories, and derive meanings from data sets. 

Admission to Mendoza College of Business

Notre Dame is a very selective school. The admission rate for my class (Class of 2024) was about 19%, and it has since dropped to 13% for the Class of 2026. The university received 26,504 applications for the first-year class. Of these students, 3,412 were admitted and 3,049 were waitlisted.

The university does not release specific admissions statistics for each major. However, admission into the Mendoza College of Business is limited for the incoming first-year class due to increased enrollment. Therefore, only a select number of students are guaranteed enrollment into Mendoza at the start of his or her sophomore year. If approved, you may select any major within Mendoza, which includes Business Analytics. If a student is not approved at time of admission, he or she may apply for an internal transfer during his or her first year at Notre Dame.

Requirements for Business Analytics

The Mendoza College of Business has a specific curriculum of courses required for all business students, which includes Accountancy I and II, Fundamentals of Finance, Coding Fundamentals, Statistical Inference In Business, Principles of Marketing, etc. in order to develop the holistic businessperson.

In addition to completing the “Mendoza Core” curriculum, Business Analytics majors must complete 15 credit hours of required courses:

• Conveying Visual Data Insights (3 Credit Hours)
• Predictive Analytics (3 Credit Hours)
• Data Management (1.5 Credit Hours)
• Simulation and Optimization (1.5 Credit Hours)
• Data Analysis With Python (1.5 Credit Hours)
• Unstructured Data Analytics (1.5 Credit Hours)
• Machine Learning (1.5 Credit Hours)
• Ethics of Data Analytics (1.5 Credit Hours)

Business Analytics (BAN) majors also take 6 elective credits. Examples include:

• Sports Analytics (1.5 Credit Hours)
• Cloud Computing (3 Credit Hours)
• Human Performance Analytics (1.5 Credit Hours)

Outside of the classroom, BAN students can participate in a number of related student organizations, including IT, Analytics, and Operations Club, Sports Analytics Club, Student International Business Council, and Technology Investment Club.

My Experience in Mendoza

I actually applied to the University of Notre Dame as a Marketing major. However, after taking “Introduction to Business Analytics and Technology,” I realized that I preferred the ITAO business path. As a result, I was able to switch my major to Business Analytics during the second semester of my sophomore year.

Although it may seem like a late decision, I am actually not falling behind on the curriculum! The advisors at Mendoza are incredibly helpful and kind, carefully curating a 4-year plan for every single student. After carefully adjusting my spreadsheet, my advisor formed a plan that would allow me to graduate on time as well as study abroad for a semester.

As for one of my favorite business classes, I would have to choose “Introduction to Business Ethics”. This course focuses on improving our decision-making as we face ethical business problems. Similar to most of my other classes, this class was relatively small with thirty students, so it was a very interactive experience. Initially, I believed the class would be taught as a cautionary tale for us business students in order to avoid scandal throughout our future careers. However, instead of solely focusing on what not to do, my professor placed greater emphasis on what we should do as purpose-driven businesspeople. I loved learning effective service leadership skills as well as how I can give back to the community.

Additionally, Mendoza students are encouraged to study a second major if they are interested in another discipline! In fact, 39% of Mendoza students have a second major. I carry a minor in Musical Theatre (MT), and I absolutely love it. Through taking MT classes such as “Musical Theatre History” or “Performance Techniques for the Stage,” I am able to maintain a great balance of classes throughout my week.

Job Prospects

The Business Analytics program at Notre Dame provides you with a number of opportunities. Career interests of BAN students include a variety of different paths, such as consulting, data science, business analysis, sports analytics, and machine learning. The program’s alumni have interned and/or worked at several renown companies, including Accenture, Bain and Company, Deloitte, EY, Microsoft, and McKinsey and Company. 

Written by Claire Ann Santos, PathIvy University of Notre Dame Ambassador