Students join the Smith School with a variety of technical skills and educational and professional backgrounds. In the MS in Marketing Analytics program, students will use SAS, R, Tableau, and Excel in their first semester. Incoming students do not need to be proficient with these tools prior to the start of classes, however, having some prior experience will help you learn more effectively. The resources below have been compiled to assist incoming students with preparing for their fall coursework during the summer months.
UMD students have unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning, an online library of instructional videos covering the latest software, creative, and business skills.
BUMK 726 Required Pre-Skills Assignment
MS in Marketing Analytics students enrolled in BUMK726 should complete this course by Sunday, August 20 at 6:00 p.m. eastern time. Students are required to submit (via BUMK726 Canvas page) their course certificate within the first week of the BUMK726 class. To earn a certificate, students must complete the final exam with a score of 80% or higher. The exam is designed to be a learning opportunity, so students can retake the exam as many times as needed.
- Statistics Review Asynchronous Course, "Data Analysis For Decision Making"
- Cost: $50 per student
- Registration: https://umd-smith-execed.catalog.instructure.com/courses/msma-dadm
Optional Summer Assignments and Reading
- Business Writing and Communications
- LinkedIn Learning: Communication within Teams
- LinkedIn Learning: Communication Foundations
- LinkedIn Learning: Tips for Better Business Writing
- LinkedIn Learning: Own Your Voice: Improve Presentations and Executive Presence
- A Plain English Handbook: How to Create Clear SEC Disclosure Documents
- Excel (for students with no Excel experience)
- SAS
- LinkedIn Learning: SAS® 9.4 Certification Preparation
- The Little SAS Book: A Primer
- SAS How-To Tutorials
- UCLA SAS Learning Modules
- R
- LinkedIn Learning: Master R for Data Science
- The Book of R: A First Course in Programming and Statistics
- UCLA R Learning Modules
- Introduction to R Notes
- Tutorials Point R Tutorial
- Tableau
- SQL
- Python
- TensorFlow
The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business recently published its Summer Reading List 2023, as recommended by faculty.