A course-by-course look at the BSDSBA & BBA, MIS Curriculum: What do you actually study?
Four years is a long time to commit to something you only half understand. The Bachelor of Science in Data Science & Business Administration (BSDSBA) runs data science and business administration subjects together from semester one—not as parallel tracks, but as a single curriculum designed to produce someone who can work at the intersection of both.
This article walks you through the curriculum year by year—what each phase teaches, how the coursework builds, and what you will be able to do by the time you hold two degrees.
Introducing the double degree in Data Science & Business Administration
The Double Degree in Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Business Administration & Bachelor of Business Administration, Major in Management Information Systems (BSDSBA & BBA, MIS) is a degree offered through a partnership between Asian Institute of Management and the University of Houston.
Graduates of this program receive two credentials: a BS in Data Science and Business Administration and a BBA in Management Information Systems.
It’s important to note that this is a double degree program. A double degree is different from a double major. This program offers a single integrated curriculum designed to satisfy the requirements of two separate universities simultaneously.
The program is built around four learning goals: communicating business value, working with data science tools and platforms, applying programming languages and big data analysis, and making sound decisions within teams.
Each year of coursework builds toward these outcomes.
Graduates qualify for roles including Business Analyst, Data Analyst, Digital Strategist, Tech Consultant, and Global Business Specialist—careers that are increasingly in demand as data and fintech in Asia continue to grow.
A walk through the BSDSBA & BBA, MIS curriculum
Each year of the program has a distinct academic focus. Here is what students study and why.
Year one: Building the foundation
Year 1 builds the base for both tracks at the same time. The courses include First Year Writing I for professional communication; Finite Math with Applications for mathematical reasoning; Business Computer Applications for practical digital tools; Business Principles for an introduction to organizational management; and General Introduction to Programming for foundational coding logic.
By the end of Year 1, students can approach business problems analytically, have built foundational business skills, and write basic code.
Year two: Going deeper into both tracks
Year 2 raises the level of difficulty across both disciplines. Business administration courses in this year include Principles of Macroeconomics and Principles of Managerial Accounting, which cover market dynamics and how organizations interpret financial data. Data Structures and Algorithms moves the technical track into more demanding territory, focusing on how data is organized and processed at a fundamental level.
Year 2 also includes two University of Houston general education requirements—World Cultures Through
Literature and the Arts and The United States to 1877, which are part of the academic profile needed to satisfy both institutions’ degree requirements.
By the end of Year 2, students can analyze economic conditions, read financial data, and handle increasingly complex programming challenges.
Year three: Applied and advanced work
Year 3 is where data science subjects reach their most advanced point before the optional move to Houston. Students apply what they have built across both tracks to real systems and business problems.
The courses include Systems Analysis and Design, Machine Learning II, Big Data and Cloud Computing, Elements of Marketing Administration, and Professional Selling. The summer term of Year 3 is when University of Houston faculty begin teaching, marking the point where both institutions’ academic requirements formally merge within the shared curriculum.
By the end of Year 3, students can build and evaluate machine learning models, work with large-scale data infrastructure, and apply business strategy to real organizational systems—the full combination the program has been building toward.
Year four: Two paths, one outcome
In Year 4, students choose whether to finish the program at the AIM campus in Makati or transfer to the UH campus in Texas to complete the remaining BBA, MIS requirements.
Both paths lead to the same result: two diplomas and alumni status at both institutions.
By the end of Year 4, students have satisfied the academic requirements of two universities and are ready to graduate with two degrees.
The facilities behind the curriculum
One of the many reasons students choose the Data Science and Business Double Degree is not just the curriculum. On the campus of both institutions, students have access to the latest technological innovations and learning-conducive facilities.
The ACCeSs@AIM Analytics, Computing, and Complex Systems Laboratory is home to “Super Jojie,” one of the country’s fastest supercomputers, with a peak performance of 1.2 petaFLOPS. The Aboitiz Tech Space is an AI-powered classroom built for data-driven coursework and collaboration.
Students who complete Year 4 in Houston gain access to the M.D. Anderson Library and the UH Campus Recreation Center. As an undergraduate business school in the Philippines with a formalized US university partnership, the program connects students to strong facilities on both ends of the degree.
A four-year path built for two credentials
The BSDSBA curriculum builds steadily. Year 1 covers fundamentals. Year 2 deepens both tracks. Year 3 brings advanced applications and the start of UH instruction. Year 4 opens options most undergraduate programs do not offer.
The data science and business tracks run together throughout as a single integrated curriculum. Graduates leave with two degrees, two alumni networks, and a credential combination that is directly applicable in markets across Asia and the United States.
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