Pre-Skills

Students join the Smith School with a variety of technical skills, educational, and professional backgrounds. Incoming students do not need to be proficient with all of the tools listed prior to the start of classes, however, having some prior experience could help them learn more effectively. The resources below have been compiled to assist incoming students with preparing for their master's coursework.

UMD students have unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning, an online library of instructional videos covering the latest software, creative, and business skills.  

 

Case Competition Preparation 

All MS in Supply Chain Students will experience a case competition during New Student Orientation. Review all materials at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fNk5cnMxactQn7gIS4WqHXIbfa71_ZYO prior to Tuesday, August 20:   

 

Summer Pre-Skills Assignments for BULM 710: Data Driven Decision Making I

BULM 710: Data Driven Decision Making I (DDDM) will focus on analytical principles that can guide complex decision-making. A strong understanding of statistics will be critical to successfully completing the course. 

Recommended

To prepare for coursework, it is strongly recommended that students complete the following no later than August 18, 2024: 

Study Time Required: It is estimated that it will take 3 hours to complete these assignments. 

Required

All students are required to complete "Spreadsheet Modeling: Introductory Section (SM)," an online course from Harvard Business Publishing. This online course focuses on fundamental skills in spreadsheet analysis that will be used in DDDM. This assignment accounts for 5% of the grade for DDDM.

Study Time Required: Go through the various units making sure to constructively use the active learning method that is the basis of this online course. The faculty instructor for DDDM will be able to monitor your progress through the various parts of this online course. Harvard Business Publishing estimates that it will take 6 hours to complete this course. Please assume this as a minimum to be safe and plan accordingly. Students are urged to register for SM and begin studying the course material as soon as possible.

Performance and Due Date: SM includes a Final Exam with only once chance. Performance in this online exam will account towards the 5% of the grade for BULM 710. The deadline for taking the SM final exam is Sunday, August 18, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. eastern time. 

Academic Integrity: Students will complete this assignment under the University of Maryland's Code of Academic Integrity. Any violation of this code, such as receiving help from another individual in taking a Test, will result in an academic integrity sanction, including the possibility of an “XF” on your transcript with the notation “failure due to academic dishonesty”.

Course Number and Name: Spreadsheet Modeling Online Course, Excel 2013: Introductory Section

Cost: $45, to be paid individually by the student directly to HBSP

Login Information:

Technical Difficulty? Contact the Harvard Business School Publishing Technical Support at custserv@hbsp.harvard.edu or 800-810-8858 or see https://hbsp.harvard.edu/contact-us/.

Please direct questions about the BULM 710 pre-skills assignment to Professor Ashish Kabra (akabra@umd.edu).

 

Pre-Skills Assignments for BULM 711: Data Driven Decision Making II 

BULM 711: Data Driven Decision Making II will also focus on analytical principles that can guide complex decision-making. A strong understanding of Excel will be critical to successfully completing the course. 

Due Date: It is strongly recommended that students complete the following before the start of Term B (October): 

Study Time Required: It is estimated that completing all of these LinkedIn Learning modules will take 6 hours. Please assume this as a minimum to be safe and plan accordingly. 

Please direct questions about the BULM 711 pre-skills assignment to Professor Maria Gisela Bardossy (bardossy@umd.edu).

 

Optional Assignments and Reading