Students who have at least five years of management and/or leadership experience may be eligible for credit by examination (CE) for the following graduate degree programs: Business Intelligence master of science, Digital Marketing master of science, or Entertainment Business master of science. A maximum of five courses may be considered for credit by examination.

Prospective students will be asked to submit their undergraduate transcript, a resume, and a letter of intent to qualify for credit by examination. The final decision to allow CE tests rests with the Program Director of the graduate degree program. Not all courses in these programs are eligible for credit by examination, and students must achieve a score of 85 percent or better in order to receive credit. A majority of the credits required for a graduate degree program must be completed at Full Sail University.

CE tests can only be taken one time. There is no fee to take the exam, but it must be scheduled through Enrollment or the Student Success Department prior to the beginning of a course. If a student starts a course, they are no longer eligible to take the CE test for that course.

If credit is earned, the tuition and credit hours are revised for the degree program accordingly. Successful completion of a CE test results in a test-out (TO) on the student’s transcript. The credit does not affect the student’s GPA but does count as hours toward graduation and maximum time frame.

CE tests are not available for all courses. Some technical courses may require both a written test and a practical test. Many intermediate and advanced courses in the program’s core curriculum are not eligible for credit by examination. A specific list of courses available for credit by examination may be obtained from the Enrollment team. Credits earned via credit by examination may change a student’s eligibility for certain types of financial aid.

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If you're seeking an online master’s degree in Business Intelligence, you have the option to test out of up to five courses in your degree program. You can find out more about how credit by examination at Full Sail works here: Credit-by-Examination Program for Working Professionals.

Here are the courses eligible for credit by examination for this degree program:

BIN520 Foundations of Business Intelligence

The Foundations of Business Intelligence course introduces students to the core concepts, processes, and tools of Business Intelligence. Lessons will introduce business process analysis (BPA) and cover the core business processes that business intelligence (BI) systems seek to address including finance and accounting, marketing, operations, and human resources. Students will explore the basics of common network, Internet, and BI architecture and technologies including data warehouses, data marts, and reporting tools and dashboard. Students will also develop a foundational knowledge of project management considerations for the design, development, and implementation of effective BI systems. Case study and interactive assignments will illustrate how elements of an effective BI system are used to solve a variety of real-world business problems. Finally, students will explore the structure of a formal literature review as they contrast business and academic research methods in preparation for the selection of their Capstone Thesis topic.

BIN530 Enterprise Data Management

The Enterprise Data Management course explores the “big picture” of enterprise data systems and sources, taking a holistic approach to knowledge management within organizations. This course will introduce enterprise and management-level information systems that support business processes including enterprise resource planning (ERP), decision support systems (DSS), supply chain management (SCM), knowledge management systems (KMS), customer relationship management (CRM), and human resources information systems (HRIS). Students will explore the impact of the Internet on traditional IT systems management with particular focus on the technical and policy impact personal smart devices and the unique security issues raised by mobile applications, social media, and cloud-based systems. The course will also introduce students to the fundamentals of logical data models and database design. Assignments focus on the communication and presentation of complex technical information to a range of non-technical audiences. Students will receive their Capstone business case that they’ll use to develop a project plan, data warehouse, final report, and presentation to be delivered at the completion of their degree Month 12.

BIN550 Business Intelligence Technologies

The Business Intelligence Technologies course develops students' understanding of data management technologies and processes that support successful business intelligence (BI) systems with an emphasis on the design and creation of a data warehouse. Lessons cover the practical planning and management of data warehouse projects including architecture and physical design. Topics include the basics of extract, transform, and load (ETL) processes as well as the implementation and management of data warehouses. Students will explore common BI systems architecture and the operational dimensions of BI technology including database administration, data warehousing, and data mining. The course will also examine the role of transactional databases and online transactional processing (OLTP) and explore common BI tasks including reporting, performance monitoring, and forecasting. Students will learn how technologies such as data warehouses, data cubes, data marts, and online analytic processing (OLAP) are used to access, analyze, and distribute organizational information. Case analysis and real-world examples will provide students with an introduction to basic statistical and analytic tools used by BI to solve problems and improve decision making in a variety of industries and contexts.

BIN630 Data Visualization and Creative Reporting

The Data Visualization and Creative Reporting course will sharpen students' abilities to present complex results to a wide range of audiences across an organization. Students will learn about practical techniques and the latest tools for developing impactful data visualizations and infographics. The course will address concepts and design considerations for dashboards, user interface, and web-based reporting and examine how each supports a variety of knowledge management requirements. The course will address the use of dashboards, including web-based and desktop widgets and stand-alone software applications. Students will also explore current technical and user interface considerations of responsive web design as well as data-fusion techniques and the presentation of real-time, location-based, and social network data.

BIN560 Business Intelligence Analytics

The Business Intelligence Analytics course provides an overview of fundamental concepts, tools, and techniques used to extract meaningful information from an organization's data in order to support effective decision making. The course will further develop students' understanding of statistical and analytic techniques used in forecasting and predictive analysis. Special emphasis will be placed on probability and an introduction to the Bayesian Paradigm and Bayesian statistical methods. Lessons will cover topics including statistical inference, decision making under uncertainty, predictive modeling, and modeling of random processes. Assignments will emphasize the role of business process analysis and critical thinking in the planning of BI projects and data warehouse projects.

BIN580 Data Mining

The Data Mining course will examine how data mining tools, techniques, and intelligent processes are used to identify patterns in data that yield information, insight, and enterprise intelligence. Students will explore data mining concepts and practical techniques and methodologies for extracting information from large data sets using algorithms. Lessons will cover a variety of data mining and machine-learning processes and concepts including clustering, association, classification, and outlier analysis. Students will apply course concepts as they use professional data-mining tools on large data sets. This course will also address estimating the value of data mining insights and examine project management and reporting issues specific to data mining.

BIN610 Patterns and Recognition

The Patterns and Recognition course will examine advanced data-mining concepts and techniques used to identify meaningful statistical patterns and relationships in data. Students will explore the use of algorithms in a variety of BI processes from basic pattern recognition to search engines and real-time analysis (RTA). Assignments will use case studies to emphasize the role of data mining in supporting effective organizational decision making. Students will also examine how algorithms are used to support social network analysis as well as speech and image recognition. Students will apply course concepts using data-mining tools to examine live data sets that support development of their capstone project.

BIN620 Process Modeling and Analysis

The Process Modeling and Analysis course will address how business intelligence systems are used to support the analysis and improvement of business processes. In addition to an exploration of business process modeling (BPM), process simulation modeling (PSIM), and enterprise risk modeling the course will examine a variety of statistical simulation and modeling concepts including model validation, sensitivity estimation, and Monte Carlo simulation. Lessons will also cover AB testing and optimization through simulation, including the use of Bayesian statistics in simulations used to support optimization processes. Selected cases and assignments will explore practical application of business-process analytics in solving real-world quality control, user-experience, and process-improvement problems. Students will also explore the application of course concepts in decision support systems (DSS) and the selection of key performance indicators (KPIs), including the use of balanced scorecards to monitor organization performance.

BIN650 Business Intelligence Leadership & Communication Skills

The Business Intelligence Leadership and Communication Skills course will refine students' abilities to listen, ask questions, and explain complex processes, policies, and results to variety of audiences across an organization. Students will match visualizations and infographics with text and motion graphics to create effective, informative, and engaging presentations in a range of media. Lessons cover a variety of operational topics including vendor selection, management reporting, and legal issues that affect business intelligence (BI) policy and implementation. Exercises will emphasize skills necessary for successful BI professionals including listening, negotiation, and meeting management. Students will also work to finalize their capstone project presentation.

BIN660 Business Intelligence Case Studies

The Business Intelligence Case Studies course will synthesize student learning through case analysis and the practical application of business intelligence (BI) analytic processes to a range of business problems. Throughout the course, students will use a series of case studies to address a variety of real-world problems involving enterprise level business analysis. The course will focus use of BI processes, tools, and techniques to generate viable solutions to complex problems in a variety of domains. Activities will focus on developing the creative problem solving and critical thinking skills to support the range of BI decision-making processes from identification and analysis of problems to the presentation of results. Students will practice virtual meetings, interviews, and presentation skills in a variety of group and individual exercises.

If you're seeking an online master’s degree in Digital Marketing, you have the option to test out of up to five courses in your degree program. You can find out more about how credit by examination at Full Sail works here: Credit-by-Examination Program for Working Professionals.

Here are the courses eligible for credit by examination for this degree program:

MAR512 Digital Marketing Fundamentals

Students in the Digital Marketing Fundamentals course will analyze the growing influence of digital marketing and how to harness the power of the Internet and technology to help an organization become a strategic force on the web. Students will also analyze the best strategic methods for success in the ever-changing digital realm.

MAR632 Digital Storytelling and Branding

Students in the Digital Storytelling and Branding course will learn how to define a brand’s voice to ensure consistent and meaningful customer experiences at every brand touch point. Students also learn how to use storytelling principles to strengthen a business and make deeper connections with their customers. Finally, students develop and articulate their own personal brand identities for real-world business use.

IMK592 Consumer Behavior and Analysis

The Consumer Behavior and Analysis course explores consumer behavior and analyzes methods that motivate consumers to purchase products and/or services. The emphasis of this course is to identify specific digital marketing campaigns and gauge their success and/or failure in inspiring the consumer to purchase the product or service. One approach studied is personalized marketing—a valuable tactic which allows a marketer to track specific consumer interests and make suggestions on future purchases. This course examines how to develop digital marketing plans that incorporate a consumer behavioral analysis.

DMK542 Digital Design and Usability

Students in the Digital Design and Usability course will demonstrate their understanding of web design and user interface principles that will help them achieve their marketing goals. Students will also analyze web standards, web design fundamentals, web interface and usability, and web design issues that influence search engine rankings.

IMK522 New Media Marketing

Students in the New Media Marketing course will learn how an organization determines which new media approaches will accomplish its marketing goals and further its success. Students will analyze the ways in which organizations identify and engage influencers in its target market using mobile, social media, content marketing, online video, and location-based technologies.

DMK512 Advanced Digital Marketing Strategies

The Advanced Digital Marketing Strategies Course addresses all of the marketing strategies that are particular to this extremely competitive digital arena. The goal of this course is to identify the many components of digital marketing and to examine each one of these component's unique marketing approach. This course explores the following: affiliate marketing, email marketing, global marketing, social media marketing, and search engine marketing. A thorough understanding of each one of these aspects is necessary to cultivate a successful digital marketing campaign. Advanced topics are discussed within each type of marketing strategy, and companion case studies align with the course content.

IMK622 Advanced Search Engine Optimization

The Advanced Search Engine Optimization course builds on previous course content and expands into strategic approaches for search engine optimization (SEO). Organic search methods, directory listings, and paid placement tactics are analyzed for their effectiveness in attaining search-marketing goals. New trends in search engine marketing and search engine optimization are explored through course curriculum and case studies. Additional inherent complexities of the Internet are examined that impact the development of effective search engine optimization practices, for example, websites with abundant content, advanced technology, and more personalization capabilities.

IMK642 Strategic Internet Public Relations

When a bad product review arises on a blogger’s website, how can a company reach out to this consumer and correct the problem? How do you combat this potentially harmful issue in a proactive way that will strengthen your brand and protect your company? Internet public relations requires an individual who understands the open community of the Internet and how to initiate positive public relations strategies. The Strategic Internet Public Relations course examines proactive public relations methods that are unique to the Internet. In addition, the course addresses how a publicist can become an integral part of protecting the image of a company and how relationship management must be aggressive in this highly accessible medium.

DMK662 Digital Analytics and Optimization

The goal of analyzing web metrics is to create and provide a measuring system that defines a trend or a characteristic within a company’s digital marketing structure. As presented in the Digital Analytics and Optimization course, metrics can be used to explain an outcome, correct a problem, chart a future trend, and/or gauge the success of a marketing endeavor. Understanding metrics and being able to craft reporting structures that meaningfully analyze this data will assist a marketing team to make productive decisions that facilitate growth and strengthen the company’s marketing goals.

DMK672 Digital Marketing and the Law

The Digital Marketing and the Law course addresses emerging topics relating to the legal aspects of digital marketing. Topics covered include intellectual property, copyright, domain names, trademark issues, and the First Amendment. From a marketing approach, legal considerations are presented that can potentially affect the development of a marketing campaign. Students explore, through the course content and case studies, the impact of the Internet and technology on the legal arena. The course traces regulatory issues concerning the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission, among others.

If you're seeking a master’s degree in Entertainment Business, you have the option to test out of up to five courses in your degree program. You can find out more about how credit by examination at Full Sail works here: Credit-by-Examination Program for Working Professionals.

Here are the courses eligible for credit by examination for this degree program:

MAN603 Project and Team Management

Students in the Project and Team Management course are responsible for two main objectives. The first involves learning the principles of project management, including: creating a project management plan, correctly ordering tasks, understanding and considering all factors that contribute to a successful project, and staying within budget. The second objective requires students to explore the various factors of team management and creating a productive team, including: matching project objectives to team member skill sets, motivating a team to accomplish project goals, empowering team members to take ownership of a project's success, and providing mentorship to aid the team's success.

GEB6508 Entertainment Business Finance

The Entertainment Business Finance course focuses on the financial decisions and issues facing the entertainment industry professional. During this course, students identify and evaluate entertainment business opportunities and projects using financial principles, while also learning how to raise the necessary finances to fund an entertainment company and/or project. Students develop financial projections including startup funds and pro forma income statements for their chosen business. Additional topics in the course include the development of financial decision-making skills, financial planning, capital management, operations expense management and personal finance.

This specific course uses the Florida Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS).

MAN6447 Negotiation and Deal-Making

Negotiation and deal-making are essential business skills that enable entertainment business professionals to grow companies, establish a strong business presence, and enhance product development. In this course, students explore the skills needed to become a strong negotiator and deal-maker, through instruction in topics like deal-structuring skills, self-awareness and negotiation skill development, tools and concepts for negotiation preparation, development of deal memos and contracts, negotiation and deal-making role-playing and critiquing the role-playing scenarios.

This specific course uses the Florida Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS).

BUL5629 Advanced Entertainment Law

This course explores advanced topics related to entertainment law, with an emphasis on entertainment contracts and intellectual property protection. Students explore, through lectures and case studies, how the digital revolution has impacted the entertainment industry and learn strategies for protecting and exploiting rights within the digital domain, with a focus on the role that entertainment law has played in the industry's evolution. Students also have the opportunity to understand the impact of entertainment law on their specific entertainment field and examine how evolving trends are affecting the way contracts are structured within their respective industry sector.

This specific course uses the Florida Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS).

MAN630 Executive Leadership

This course examines the qualities necessary to be an executive leader in today’s entertainment business field. Various industries are examined to ensure an understanding of a given industry’s leadership styles and traits. Students explore effective decision-making processes, power and influence, mentoring, leading organizational change, and investing in and managing relationships to achieve business goals.

MAR630 Business Storytelling & Brand Development

The Business Storytelling and Brand Development course covers the two main aspects to building a strong presence in the business and consumer market: storytelling and brand development. In this course, students learn how to implement brand development strategies that help companies become icons within their industry. Students also learn how to use storytelling principles to strengthen a business and deliver a superior customer experience. Finally, students develop their own personal brand identity and create tools for real-world business use.

MAR681 Digital Marketing

The Digital Marketing course focuses on the development of effective marketing plans that promote entertainment within a dynamic digital environment. The course takes an integrated approach to digital marketing through a combination of hands-on exercises, case analysis, and current industry research. Students will explore how to coordinate marketing initiatives across online and offline channels and between Desktop and Mobile audiences. In addition to understanding the tools and techniques required to create a digital marketing plan, students will develop the skills to manage their own professional presence online.

EBM591 Product and Artist Management

The Product and Artist Management course addresses management issues and scenarios that apply to artist management and gives students tools and strategies to help resolve these issues. Students in this course also address product management and its unique issues including the interconnectivity of artist and product management activities. Finally, students have the opportunity to apply these advanced management techniques to their specific entertainment field and examine how these principles can be applied to their business projects.

MMC6257 Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution

The Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution course focuses on issues currently affecting media publishing and distribution. Students will study traditional as well as new digital publishing and distribution models. The course also addresses issues within the industry such as piracy, social media, digital rights management and legislation. Students will explore strategies for protecting and monetizing their creative content and will utilize traditional as well as new distribution models to develop a publishing and distribution plan for their chosen business.

This specific course uses the Florida Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS).