Course overview
Turn data into decisive, strategic action
This hands-on course is designed for professionals ready to lead with analytics, providing a comprehensive understanding of the strategic value of data in key areas such as HR, finance, and marketing. You will develop the skills to confidently generate, structure, and apply data in decision-making, while linking strategic objectives to practical analytical techniques. By exploring data mining and analytics, you will enhance your leadership capabilities, improving productivity and gaining a better understanding of what is achievable within your organisation.
Effective leadership requires not only decision-making but also the ability to communicate insights clearly to stakeholders and influence organisational outcomes. This course emphasises the importance of data visualisation and data storytelling, equipping you with the tools to present complex insights in compelling ways. By mastering these skills, you will be able to align business goals with analytics, foster collaboration across teams, and deliver measurable results that drive success in the workplace.
What you’ll learn
In partnership with our Online MBA Programme, this 12‑week online course shows you how to turn data into practical, strategic action. You’ll learn how data is generated and structured, how to judge its quality, and when to use descriptive, predictive or prescriptive analysis to answer real business questions.
The course covers eight key areas:
- Data ecosystems
- Information systems
- Data mining and ethical data bias
- Data cleaning and visualisation
- Artificial intelligence
- Data analytics in the cloud
- Big data
- Databases
You’ll be able to apply these skills across your organisation/management area.
A final assignment is very practical. You will select a dataset (from a number of provided datasets), and clean the data as instructed and demonstrated during the course, extracting data insights and visualising the results by producing a digital dashboard.
Why data matters now
Data is now the clearest way to cut through uncertainty and compete. Used well, it shows what truly drives performance and connects day‑to‑day activity to strategic goals across marketing, operations, HR and finance. The value, however, depends on leaders who can judge data quality, choose the right level of analysis, act ethically and communicate insights in plain English. This course focuses on those capabilities: integrating analytics into decisions, preparing your organisation to use data responsibly, and turning insight into confident action.
Who should attend
Designed for all managers, team leaders and ambitious specialists looking to step up in efficiency, strategic planning and process optimisation. Relevant across manufacturing, services and the public sector, including healthcare and financial services, it suits supply chain, logistics and quality professionals who must link daily performance to strategy. Project and programme managers, transformation leads and internal consultants will gain methods they can use immediately. It also fits engineers, analysts and product or IT professionals who want to turn data and digitisation into operational value without becoming data scientists, and business unit leaders who need to make confident, ethical, data‑driven decisions.
How you’ll learn
This is an MBA online course delivered over 12 weeks, with approximately 100 hours of study.
You’ll learn through a blend of short, focused lectures that introduce the essentials; practical case studies that show how to apply them across marketing, operations, HR and finance; concise vignettes that surface ethical and organisational trade‑offs; guest video presentations with real‑world practitioner insight; and live, tutor‑led discussions where you test ideas with peers and get actionable feedback you can use at work.
Participants will be joining the existing Online MBA cohort, which provides an excellent opportunity for networking and idea exchange. The pace is designed to work alongside a full-time role but assumes steady weekly engagement.
There will be four live 2-hour tutorials:
- Tutorial 1
- Theory: Dirty data.
- Practical: A data cleaning analysis (assignment related)
- Tutorial 2
- Theory: Visualisation professional frameworks and data storytelling
- Practical: The creation of a digital dashboard (assignment related)
- Tutorial 3
- Theory: Visualisation professional frameworks and data storytelling
- Practical: Workflow building, statistical analysis and predictive analytics
- Tutorial 4
- Theory: Data and cyber security for leaders and managers
- Practical: Database and data searching using SQL
Online tutorials are typically scheduled every two weeks on weekdays from 12–2pm, most often on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, with final scheduling confirmed within eight weeks of the course start date. At each tutorial, you’ll have the opportunity to review the course learning thus far and also learn a new data hot topic and skill.
Assessment and certification
Your final assessment is an individual project (100%) that brings your learning together. You’ll choose one of six provided datasets, clean and prepare it using the techniques covered in class, extract meaningful insights using data mining techniques and knowledge, and present them in an interactive digital dashboard. You’ll finish with a clear, professional report emphasising the research you conducted and that explains your analysis and communicates the implications of your findings.
Successful completion earns you a University of Edinburgh Business School certificate, plus 10 Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF credits), equivalent to 5 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) credits. These credits can be put towards the University of Edinburgh MBA or Online MBA.
Course impact
This course empowers you to make quicker, more informed strategic decisions using reliable data. You’ll learn how to assess data quality, choose the appropriate analytic methods, and transform insights into compelling narratives and visuals that build stakeholder trust. By the end, you’ll have a practical toolkit ready for immediate application.
For your organisation, the course will foster a more consistent, evidence-based management approach. You’ll be able to identify and address data gaps early, manage ethical risks proactively, and develop a clear roadmap for data readiness across teams. The result: stronger alignment between business goals and analytics, enhanced collaboration between technical and non-technical teams, and a measurable improvement in the quality and credibility of decisions throughout the business.
Course lead - Dr Andrew Salisbury
Dr Andrew Salisbury is a distinguished university lecturer with over 20 years of experience across prestigious institutions, including the Universities of Sheffield, York, Bolton, and Edinburgh. He holds a PhD in Computing, Business, and Electronic Engineering from Lancaster University.
Throughout his career, Dr Salisbury has taught a diverse range of subjects, from Information Systems and Big Data to AI, Machine Learning, and Digital Transformation. He has delivered MBA and DBA modules in Business and Data Analytics, as well as Computer Science, to students internationally. In addition, he has designed online courses for renowned institutions, including UCL and the Open University. Dr Salisbury also serves on the Honorary Viva panel at the London School of Management and Technology (LSMT).
Beyond academia, Dr Salisbury has extensive practical experience training professionals across Europe and leading student collaborations with major companies such as Siemens, Cisco, and Pfizer. He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has taught Executive MBA modules in Big Data and Data Analytics to students in cities including Thessaloniki, Belgrade, Yerevan, Bucharest, Baku, Kiev, and Sofia.
Course dates
14 September 2026 – 11 December 2026
Course fees
£2000
Application terms
Applications are accepted until 5pm UK time on Tuesday 18 August 2026.
Our participants typically hold a 2:1 honours degree or higher. We do, however, take a holistic view of every application. If your academic background does not meet these specific criteria, your application may still be considered if supported by a good professional track record.
Successful applicants must also evidence a minimum of three years’ management experience.
Before applying, please ensure you have gathered all the required supporting documents, including a CV and your sponsor letter (if applicable). For further details, please see the application form.
Cancellation requests must be received by 9am on Monday 21 September 2026 to qualify for a full refund. After this date, a refund will no longer be possible.
For more information about this course, please email us: executive@business-school.ed.ac.uk