Questions

What do you hope to achieve during your postgraduate study at Birmingham?

With a data-driven mindset, I will efficiently apply analytical techniques to solve problems and create innovative solutions.

Business analytics is a highly relevant field, and this programme at University of Birmingham offers international exposure, networking opportunities, and partnerships with leading companies. This will help me build valuable connections and gain insight into global business practices.

What are you looking forward to most on your course?

I want to learn how to extract actionable insights from data, enabling me to influence key business decisions, improve efficiency, and contribute to business growth. The skills I will gain from this degree will also be transferable across a wide range of industries, from banking and healthcare to marketing and supply chain management. Business analytics is critical for optimising processes and improving performance, giving me the flexibility to choose my sector!

What have been your first impressions of Birmingham so far?

My first impressions of Birmingham have been overwhelmingly positive. When I stepped into the city, it felt like a breath of fresh air. I saw people from all walks of life. From shopkeepers to fellow students, everyone is friendly, which creates a real sense of community. The city is also quite neat and quiet, providing a pleasant atmosphere. I was welcomed by sunny weather when I first landed here.

It’s reassuring to see how affordable food and other essentials are, allowing me to settle in comfortably without breaking the bank. Additionally, I feel safe travelling alone, which is an important factor for any newcomer.

What was your motivation for postgraduate study?

Business Analytics is a dynamic field that combines data analysis with business strategy to help organisations make informed decisions. The business sector in Bangladesh has experienced significant growth and transformation in recent years. The startup ecosystem in Bangladesh is gaining momentum, with entrepreneurs launching ventures in areas such as fintech, e-commerce, logistics, education, and technology. Young entrepreneurs are shaping innovative solutions into sustainable, scalable, and impactful outcomes that address real-world challenges.

I have also spent a lot of time watching vlogs, which has inspired me to create my own content. In today’s data-centric world, organisations across industries rely heavily on data to make informed decisions. I believe that this Master’s programme will equip me with the skills to analyse and interpret complex data, which is highly sought after by employers. At the same time, I believe that with the knowledge I gain from this degree, I can also aspire to become an investor or CEO. This programme offers a unique combination of business strategy, statistical analysis, and technical tools like Python. This blend will provide me with a holistic understanding of how data can drive business success.

Tell us about yourself and your journey to postgraduate study.

Although I come from a Computer Science Engineering background, I have always envisioned myself working in the corporate world. When I discovered the Business Analytics course, it piqued my curiosity because it offered the perfect blend of data science, technology, and strategic business decision-making. This aligns perfectly with my background in computer science and my interest in the corporate sector. The interdisciplinary nature of this course is fascinating, as it leverages my technical foundation while opening doors to opportunities in data-driven decision-making across industries. As a CSE student, I am equipped with skills in programming, algorithms, and data structures, which I believe make me well-suited to tackle the challenges of the corporate world through advanced data analysis, predictive modelling, and optimisation techniques.

As part of my undergraduate studies, my team members and I had to write and present a thesis paper. Our paper, titled “An Advanced Data Fabric Architecture Leveraging Homomorphic Encryption and Federated Learning,” is a pioneering concept on which we worked for over a year. Among hundreds of thesis papers, ours secured full funding from King Saud University to be published on the globally acclaimed platform, Elsevier. This is one of my biggest achievements, as I was involved in critically evaluating articles from various sources and synthesising the information into a coherent narrative that addressed our research question. Additionally, I worked on image processing to check the accuracy of tumour detection, which could enhance the identification of cancer cells. Currently, our paper has an impact factor of 18.6 on Elsevier and has received the Best Editor Award from Information Fusion journal.

I have applied to several business courses, but I was most excited when I received the email confirming my acceptance to University of Birmingham. I’ve never been particularly passionate about studying, but the content of this course makes me very excited for the upcoming year!