Master’s degree in Analytics and data science for economics and management

The main resource of the digital economy is the vast amount of data generated by productive, commercial, and, more generally, human activities. To leverage this data, it is necessary to develop descriptive and visualization methods to improve understanding of complex phenomena, predictive models to forecast future trends, and prescriptive models to suggest feasible and effective actions while assessing their risks.

The Master’s degree program in Analytics and Data Science for Economics and Management (ADSEM) provides the mathematical, statistical, and computational knowledge and technical skills needed to process data and understand economic and managerial dynamics.

Specifically, the computer science courses ensure a solid understanding of programming languages useful for data science; fundamental concepts of relational databases and techniques for handling both structured and unstructured data; a broad overview of artificial intelligence; and mastery of key machine learning and deep learning models.

The training in the statistical-mathematical area deepens methodological, computational, and applied aspects of statistical and algorithmic models in statistical learning, as well as methods for solving complex optimization problems typical of management activities.

Finally, courses in economics, business, and law provide essential knowledge for contextualizing and understanding problems, interacting with different organizational functions, and effectively proposing innovative solutions.

Graduates of the ADSEM program can take on roles as data analysts and data scientists, capable of modeling and interpreting complex phenomena and developing innovative solutions in fields such as economics, marketing, management control, business intelligence, and social sciences.

The program is open enrollment and is aimed at students with a strong quantitative background and a keen interest in using data analysis to support strategic decision-making within organizations. The curriculum offers opportunities to participate in laboratory activities, internships with companies, and thesis projects in collaboration with leading industry players and public and private institutions. These opportunities are also designed to prepare students for their final thesis, which must demonstrate originality. Courses are taught in English, which also supports international mobility both incoming and outgoing.

Students interested in further research and innovation training can pursue a PhD program in Analytics for Economics and Management offered by the Department after graduation.

Specialist in Analytics and Data Science for Economics and Management

Role in the workplace:
Graduates of the “Analytics and Data Science for Economics and Management” program possess the skills needed to leverage big data and digital technologies to contribute to strategic decision-making within the economic and managerial domains of the organizations where they work.
More specifically, they have the expertise to manage and exploit big data, apply statistical and mathematical models to support decisions, and use techniques to evaluate the outcomes of these decisions.
Their understanding of the technological, economic, and legal context enables them to proactively participate in designing services and products, as well as in defining strategies aimed at seizing opportunities offered by the digital economy.

Competencies associated with the role:
Graduates have the capabilities to contribute to the development and management of both public and private enterprises and administrations, including:

• Effectively managing and utilizing data essential for organizational operations;
• Designing and using tools for descriptive and prescriptive analysis of complex phenomena;
• Supporting decision-making processes in complex and uncertain environments through appropriate mathematical modeling and assessing the impact of actions taken using suitable tools;
• Interpreting market dynamics within which organizations operate and understanding the social implications related to the spread of digital technologies;
• Navigating laws and regulations governing data processing and the use of algorithms in various application fields.

Career prospects:
Master’s graduates can take on responsible professional roles in all economic sectors where the processing of large volumes of data is a strategic resource, regardless of the organization’s size or legal status.

The Master’s degree program in Analytics and Data Science for Economics and Management (ADSEM) trains professionals with the knowledge and technical skills necessary to develop models that, by leveraging large datasets, contribute to defining strategies for companies and public and private administrations in the fields of economics, marketing, management control, business intelligence, and social sciences.

The ADSEM Master’s program is characterized by:

1. A clear profile objective: to train professionals capable of interacting with the strategic management of organizations, providing support through the development of models that exploit large datasets;
2. A focus on three core knowledge areas, each with roughly equal weight, aligned with the target profile: computer science, statistical-mathematical knowledge, and economic, business, and legal disciplines;
3. Significant emphasis on practical activities, internships, and the final thesis (totalling 24 credits out of 120);
4. Attention to soft skills development through teaching methods designed to facilitate their acquisition.

In particular, the compulsory courses in computer science ensure a solid understanding of programming languages useful for data science; fundamental concepts of relational databases and techniques for handling both structured and unstructured data; a general overview of artificial intelligence; and mastery of key machine learning and deep learning models.

In the statistical-mathematical area, compulsory courses deepen the methodological, computational, and applied aspects of statistical and algorithmic models in statistical learning (both supervised and unsupervised) and methods for solving complex optimization problems (linear, integer, and multi-criteria) typical of management activities.

Finally, compulsory courses in economics, business, and law provide essential knowledge for contextualizing and understanding problems, interacting with other organizational functions, and effectively proposing innovative solutions.

Specifically, these courses cover legal innovations driven by the spread of digital technologies, including data accessibility, privacy protection and profiling, copyright, and digital contracts; skills for analyzing corporate economic measurements and performance evaluation systems consistent with digitalization processes; and marketing processes, with particular attention to digital and interactive marketing. They also build the ability to use economic models to analyze market structures where data are traded, considered both a productive and innovative factor, and to approach evaluation problems of economic, business, and social policies more broadly.

The program’s courses — consistent with their content and educational objectives — include lectures, laboratory exercises, and independent project activities designed to provide solid methodological and practical training, using real data and specific case studies.
The curriculum is completed individually with elective courses and the choice among laboratories and internships offered in collaboration with industry partners. These options also support the preparation of the final thesis, which concludes the program with an original research project.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must hold a three-year bachelor’s degree or an equivalent university diploma, or an equivalent foreign qualification, and have earned at least 24 ECTS credits during their previous university studies in the following scientific-disciplinary areas: INF/, ING-INF/, MAT/, SECS-S/, SECS-P/05, FIS/*, MED/01, M-PSI/03.

If the applicant’s degree was obtained abroad, the Degree Program Committee will evaluate, upon written request from the candidate, the content of the completed study plan and the fulfillment of the disciplinary requirements mentioned above solely for the purpose of admission to the personal preparation assessment.

Admission Procedure

To be admitted to the ADSEM Master’s degree program, candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree or a three-year university diploma, or an equivalent foreign qualification recognized as suitable by the University’s competent authorities.

Admission to the program requires meeting curricular prerequisites and passing a personal preparation assessment.

Regarding curricular prerequisites, applicants must have a bachelor’s degree or three-year diploma, or equivalent foreign qualification, with at least 30 ECTS credits earned in the following scientific-disciplinary sectors: INF/, ING-INF/, MAT/, SECS-S/, SECS-P/05, FIS/*, MED/01, M-PSI/03.

If the degree was earned abroad, the Joint Degree Program Committee will assess, upon written request, the completed study plan and fulfillment of the above disciplinary requirements solely for admission to the personal preparation assessment. Candidates with foreign qualifications are considered eligible to take the personal preparation assessment only if they graduated with a first-level degree grade of at least 85 out of 110 (or 77 out of 100).

A tolerance of six ECTS credits is allowed when verifying the minimum curricular requirements. Previous credits earned in other master’s degrees, four-year degrees, or university master’s programs, as documented in official certificates, may also be counted toward the minimum curricular requirements. Credits used to meet these requirements cannot be used to request an abbreviation of the study path.

Additionally, proficiency in English at least at the B2 level is a prerequisite for admission. This requirement can be fulfilled by:

• Presenting appropriate international language certificates, as per Article 16 of the Degree Program’s Academic Regulations;
• Holding a B2 certification issued by the University of Brescia’s Language Center, or an equivalent certification from an Italian or foreign university language center;
• Having earned at least 3 ECTS credits in English language courses during prior university studies;
• Having completed a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent or higher qualification) with at least 60 ECTS credits obtained through courses taught in English.

Candidates meeting the minimum curricular requirements may be admitted only after passing an evaluation of personal preparation conducted by a Selection Committee appointed by the Joint Degree Program Council. The evaluation is based on the academic record (weighted average grade of exams taken, average grades in the relevant disciplinary sectors, and alignment with the ADSEM program’s educational objectives). For applicants with a master’s degree and/or university master’s qualification, these titles will also be considered in the evaluation. A four-year degree is considered equivalent to a first-level degree solely for the purpose of assessing personal preparation.

If the academic record evaluation is not fully satisfactory, candidates will be required to pass an oral interview and/or written test held in English. Candidates with a three-year Italian university diploma or a foreign degree must take this admission test.

Details on the evaluation procedures, admission tests (including the possibility of online formats), test topics, and admission thresholds are decided by the Joint Degree Program Council and published on the University website.

Conditional Enrollment

Applicants who meet the minimum curricular requirements and demonstrate adequate personal preparation but are still enrolled in their current degree program and have not yet obtained their degree may pre-enroll “in hypothesis” for subsequent “in-year enrollment” in the ADSEM Master’s degree program. Conditional enrollment will be void if the required degree is not obtained during examination sessions held by December 31, considered extraordinary sessions of the previous academic year.

Admission of International Students

Admission of international students is governed by the Ministry of University and Research regulations on foreign student access to university courses. These regulations also specify procedures for verifying Italian language proficiency when required, and conditions for exemption.

Orientation for Incoming Students

The Degree Program participates in orientation initiatives for incoming students managed both at the macro-area level and university wide. These initiatives are described on the dedicated page of the University portal, which also provides access to specific activities organized by macro-areas. The initiatives are coordinated by a working group composed of the Rector’s Delegate for Orientation, the Department Orientation Delegates, and staff from a dedicated organizational unit (Orientation Unit - U.O.C. Orientamento). The design and delivery of orientation activities, carried out by the U.O.C., are certified according to the UNI EN ISO 9001:2015 standard.

Regular activities, news, and updated initiatives can be found on the dedicated Orientation page.

Ongoing Orientation

Tutoring initiatives are organized at the University level according to the annual tutoring plan, which is defined each year by the University Tutoring Commission and approved by the Academic Senate. The Tutoring Service contributes to ongoing orientation with the goal of improving students’ academic progression and identifying the critical issues that lead to dropouts. The administrative management of the student tutoring service is certified under the UNI EN ISO 9001:2015 standard and is provided within the framework of study rights services by a dedicated organizational unit.

Tutoring

Characteristics of the Final Examination

The final examination consists of writing either a literature-based (compilative) or experimental thesis under the supervision of a faculty advisor.
The dissertation must demonstrate a certain degree of originality and represent the student’s first approach to scientific work on a topic consistent with the educational objectives of the degree program.

A literature-based thesis requires the student to collect and critically analyze bibliographic material related to the cultural and professional content of the master’s program.

Students who choose to pursue an experimental thesis must actively contribute to a theoretical or applied research project and present the results obtained in a final report, demonstrating appropriate autonomy and critical thinking.

This work can be carried out, under the advisor’s supervision, at public or private institutions with which formal agreements have been established.

The Degree Committee evaluates the final exam by considering the level of independence shown during the thesis work and the candidate’s ability to present and discuss their research.

The final evaluation of the student’s academic career will take into account the assessments of previous coursework and the final thesis, as well as any other relevant elements, including recognized study-abroad periods, internships, and activities conducted in public or private institutions related to the thesis work.

Procedure for Completing the Final Examination

The final exam consists of writing a literature-based or experimental thesis, supervised by a faculty advisor, and is assigned 16 ECTS credits. The dissertation must be original and constitute a first scientific investigation of a topic aligned with the educational objectives of the degree program.

The thesis topic is agreed upon with the advisor, in line with the academic discipline it pertains to.

A literature-based thesis involves the critical collection and analysis of bibliographic material related to the cultural and professional content of the master’s program.

Students opting for an experimental thesis must actively contribute to a theoretical or applied research project and document their results in a final report, showing appropriate autonomy and critical perspective. This work may be carried out under the advisor’s guidance at public or private institutions, in Italy or abroad, with which formal agreements have been established.

The thesis is written and defended in English during a public examination session, according to the provisions of the degree program’s regulations.

Graduating