ADAN 7430 ML/AI Algorithms I

This course demonstrates how to merge economic data analysis and applied econometric tools with the most common machine learning techniques, as the rapid advancement of computational methods provides unprecedented opportunities for understanding big data. This course will provide a hands-on experience with the terminology, technology and methodologies behind machine learning with economic applications in marketing, finance, healthcare, and other areas. The main topics covered in this course include: advanced regression techniques, resampling methods, model selection and regularization, classification models (logistic regression, Naive Bayes, discriminant analysis, k-nearest neighbors, neural networks), tree-based methods, support vector machines, and unsupervised learning (principal components analysis and clustering). Students will apply both supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques to solve various economics-related problems with real-world data sets. No prior experience with R or Python is necessary.

Course overview

Department
Advancing Studies
School
ADV
Credits
3
Level
Graduate
Offered
Periodically

Catalog details

Prerequisites
ADEC7301/ADAN7301

Catalog text is imported from the reviewed Boston College course snapshot. Confirm eligibility in EagleApps.

Course evaluations

Response-weighted averages from Boston College’s official course evaluations (Avalanche/Blue).

Course rating
4.08 / 5 · Very Good
91 responses
Instructor rating
4.15 / 5 · Very Good
91 responses
Terms evaluated
11
Most recent: Spring 2026

Scales: overall ratings run from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent); agreement questions from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree); weekly effort from 1 (up to 1 hour) to 5 (10 or more hours).

Evaluations by term and instructor
TermInstructorCourse overallInstructor overallWell organizedClear learning objectivesIntellectually challengingHelpful assignmentsApplicable beyond courseAttendance necessaryWeekly effortResponses
Spring 2026Arvind Sharma4.44.94.64.75.04.74.93.97–9 hrs/week14 of 20
Fall 2025Arvind Sharma4.54.44.04.04.34.04.03.87–9 hrs/week6 of 7
Fall 2025Stefano Parravano3.54.03.04.04.54.54.04.0—2 of 8
Summer 2025Razvan Veliche4.34.34.74.34.34.34.32.010+ hrs/week3 of 5
Summer 2025Stefano Parravano5.05.05.05.05.05.05.05.07–9 hrs/week1 of 3
Spring 2025Arvind Sharma4.64.94.94.94.94.74.94.97–9 hrs/week7 of 8
Spring 2025Razvan Veliche3.53.53.34.04.34.04.04.07–9 hrs/week4 of 5
Fall 2024Arvind Sharma4.34.34.34.64.44.44.34.27–9 hrs/week9 of 15
Fall 2024Razvan Veliche4.64.64.64.64.85.04.84.37–9 hrs/week5 of 8
Summer 2024Razvan Veliche3.03.34.04.04.74.33.33.010+ hrs/week3 of 5
Summer 2024Stefano Parravano4.84.84.84.84.84.84.84.8—4 of 4
Spring 2024Ashuraj Sirohi3.52.73.84.35.04.04.33.0—4 of 5
Spring 2024Razvan Veliche3.93.64.34.04.74.34.64.54–6 hrs/week10 of 11
Fall 2023Razvan Veliche—————————7 of 11
Fall 2023 (midterm)Ashuraj Sirohi4.04.54.04.54.54.54.03.57–9 hrs/week2 of 6
Summer 2023Stefano Parravano—————————2 of 2
Spring 2023Ashuraj Sirohi3.83.84.34.04.35.04.84.5—4 of 4
Spring 2023Razvan Veliche—————————2 of 5
Fall 2022Ashuraj Sirohi4.04.05.05.04.05.05.05.010+ hrs/week1 of 3
Fall 2022 (midterm)Razvan Veliche4.05.05.04.05.05.05.0—7–9 hrs/week1 of 3

Data freshness

Course and evaluation data last updated 2026-10-09. Source details and limitations are documented in Data Sources and Methodology.

Instructors

  • Arvind Sharma
    Spring 2026, Fall 2025, Spring 2025, Fall 2024 · Official rating 4.65/5
  • Ashuraj Sirohi
    Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Midterm Fall 2023, Fall 2022 · Official rating 3.52/5
  • Razvan Veliche
    Summer 2025, Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 1 2023, Midterm Fall 2022 · Official rating 3.74/5
  • Stefano Parravano
    Fall 2025, Summer 2025, Summer 2024, Summer 2023 · Official rating 4.56/5