Analytics goes beyond traditional data analysis and business intelligence. It aims to turn big data into actionable intelligence. The Analytics market in the US is estimated to be worth USD $29.53 billion by 2019. So, undoubtedly, the US is the market leader when it comes to education and training in advanced analytics. In this post, we will look at the best universities MS Business Analytics in USA.
MS Business Analytics in USA
As an industry, big data is growing at a rapid pace, with nearly 2.3 trillion gigabytes of data being generated every day. The data galaxy is doubling up every couple of years. So, the ability to make sense of all this data and use it to change the way we live and interact with one another is set to inevitably become a vital part of the business.
While Business Intelligence (BI) is concerned with measuring past performance, Business Analytics (BA) programs tend to focus more on prescriptive and predictive techniques (e.g. “what should we do?” and “what happens next?”). Data Science is closely related and overlapping with data/business analytics.
MS Data Science programs are primarily focused on data modeling & programming. In contrast, MS Analytics degrees usually concentrate on mining data in order to achieve specific business goals (e.g. more profits). Read Jobs and Salary after MS Business Analytics.
MS Business Analytics vs MS Data Science vs STEM-MBA
For those who are interested in pursuing MS Data Science, please refer to the article on Top Universities for MS in Data Science in USA.
If you are not sure about the right program, read MBA vs MS Business Analytics vs MS Data Science and MS Machine Learning & AI vs MS Data Science vs MS Analytics.
Typical Class Profiles for Top Universities for MS Business Analytics in USA
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Top Universities for MS Business Analytics in USA – Tier 1
It’s a bit hard (and sometimes not fair) to rank programs as each curriculum has its own strengths and uniqueness. Hence, I have listed the best MS Analytics programs in the US in tiers.
Priority has been given on the full-time programs, curriculum, student feedback, and reviews on popular & credible portals like Analytics Vidhya, Data Science Central, Masters in Data Science, KDnuggets, MBA Crystal Ball, Predictive Analytics Today, Masters Portal, etc.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
The one-year Master of Business Analytics is at MIT is one of the best programs in analytics in the US. The program prepares students for careers that apply and manage modern data science to solve critical business challenges.
The program is tailored for current students or recent college graduates who plan to pursue a career in the data science industry, as well as those seeking career advancement or change, especially engineers, mathematicians, physicists, computer programmers, and other high-tech professionals.
The curriculum includes various scientific and analytics tools that build up the career of the student. The curriculum consists of five required fundamental subjects, one required Analytics Capstone project, one required project class, six three-hour modules, one pro-seminar, and a minimum of three focused electives. Partner companies include brands like BCG, McKinsey, IBM, BMW, and many more.
The capstone project is a key component of the Master’s program. The project gives students an opportunity to work on real-life data science problems with industry practitioners. The capstone project allows students to work in teams of two with sponsor organizations around the US and abroad for seven months.
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UCLA (Anderson)
Although it’s a relatively new program, the 15-month MS Business Analytics program at UCLA has been ranked as No. 2 in the world (QS) for the last couple of years.
The curriculum, taught by world-renowned faculty, merges technical and theory-based pedagogy with practical immersion through a summer internship and a corporate-sponsored Capstone: Applied Analytics Project (AAP).
The AAP gives MSBA candidates the opportunity to apply the knowledge acquired through MSBA coursework to solve practical, real-world business analytics problems. By partnering with a corporate client, students develop and showcase their knowledge of business analytics, hone their communication skills, and delve more deeply into an area of interest beyond the classroom.
University of Texas at Austin (McCombs)
The MS Business Analytics at UT Austin focuses on statistics, programming, and predictive analysis in a business context. It’s a great program for folks from math, computer science, and engineering backgrounds. The 10-month program prepares students for how to harness vast amounts of data and use it to build a better business.
Industry partners include names like Walmart and Deloitte. It’s a great program and provides offers excellent opportunities and support to the students related to the field of big data and data analytics.
The program is ranked #3 by QS World University for Master’s in data science programs, and the program has the highest GMAT and GRE averages of any Texas McCombs non-doctoral program.
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University of Southern California (Marshall)
The Masters in Business Analytics program at USC Marshall is one of the most competitive and oldest programs in the US. In 2014, the MS Business Analytics (MSBA) program at the USC Marshall School of Business had received 300 applications in the early round. Only 18 were admitted in that cohort.
It’s an 18-month program for full-time students. Students will gain in-depth training in the analysis of big data, including statistical modeling, data management, visualization, information security, optimization, and decision-making under uncertainty.
It’s a perfect program for the managers who want to develop or sharpen their analytical skills, and recent college graduates with a strong analytical background, who are interested in pursuing a career in the exciting and fast-growing field of business analytics and data sciences.
Read the Job Market Trends for Data Science, ML/AI & Data Analytics during COVID-19 Phase.
University of Washington (Foster)
The 12-month MSBA program at Washington blends technical skills, analytic frameworks for interpreting data, and business acumen for translating insights into actions.
From operations and finance to programming and modeling, to machine learning and artificial intelligence, this is an integrated, comprehensive curriculum for business intelligence.
North Carolina State University (Institute of Advanced Analytics)
North Carolina State University is considered to be one of the premium institutions for data science. It also offers a Masters in Analytics program. In fact, it is the first and preeminent analytics degree in the US. In terms of placements, acceptance rate, curriculum, and value for money, the MSA program at NCSU is placed along with MIT, Carnegie Mellon, UC Berkeley, and Harvard for data science talent.
It is a 10 months master’s program that teaches all the tools and skills regarding data science. The curriculum in the NCSU changes regularly on the basis of the business and market conditions. The curriculum includes Mathematics; statistical techniques; analytics tools, methods, applications; analytics practicum. Various techniques and tools related to data mining data analysis and data engineering are taught to the students with real-time projects. Read MS Analytics at NC State: Interview with Admissions Head.
University of Rochester (Simon)
The MS Business Analytics program at Rochester provides excellent training in Python, R, and Tableau to help you leverage big data insights. It’s a great program for the folks who are from Economics, Marketing, and Non-Engineering (but quantitative) backgrounds.
Students can finish the MS program either in 10 months (without internship) or 17 months (with internship). Please be advised that the institute does not guarantee an internship; though the careers service of the Simon Business School has got a good reputation among employers.
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University of Minnesota (Carlson)
The Master’s in Business Analytics program at Minnesota teaches students how to extract insights with creative data analysis, and then apply the results in real business settings. It’s a great program and highly ranked in all the popular tables like QS, Poets & Quants, etc.
As per the program website, 100% of 2015 and 2016 MS in Business Analytics graduates received offers for employment across the country within 3 months of finishing the course. Graduates now work at McKinsey & Company, Amazon, Facebook, Ford, Expedia, Ameriprise, Google, and other standout companies.
Have a look at the student feedback:
Read:
MS Business Analytics in Canada – Top Schools, Eligibility, Costs, Deadlines, Jobs, and Salaries
MS Business Analytics Admits in USA for Indian Applicant with NGO Experience
Southern Methodist University (Cox)
The Master of Science in Business Analytics program at SMU Cox provides students with the expertise and specialized Analytic skills. Career opportunities are available in IT, marketing, operations, consulting, and other domains.
The broad and intensive curriculum across a range of management disciplines and functions explores the latest methods of translating data into relevant information for decision-makers.
The program can be finished in two semesters. The program attracts candidates from a wide range of backgrounds that include economics, math, engineering, marketing, and science.
Students have the option of two program specializations or tracks:
- Business Process Analytics- DB Concepts & Applications
- Customer Analytics – Marketing Research & Customer-Centric Analytics
Michigan State University (Eli Broad)
The Master’s program at MSU is taught by the Faculties from the Schools of Business, computer science, and statistics. It’s a one-year program and very practical-oriented in nature. The program offers students the opportunity to work on data sets arranged with corporate and faculty support. It is also a full-time, fixed curriculum, cohort-based program to help ensure a solid team-focused program.
The curriculum includes courses in business strategy, data mining, applied statistics, project management, marketing technologies, and communications taught by leading MSU faculty.
The annual base salary for the class of 2016 was $85,200. For the class of 2017, the summer internship average pay is approximately$26/hr. 32 of the 33 students landed a summer internship.
Read:
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Jobs and Salaries after MS Business Analytics
Carnegie Mellon University (Heinz College)
Within the MISM program, the Business Intelligence & Data Analytics (BIDA) track is a blended program for folks who are interested in the intersection of data analytics, management, strategy, and IT.
The curriculum includes advanced analytics coursework in machine learning, structured and unstructured data analytics, and predictive modeling. Additionally, the range of electives is also very impressive at Carnegie Mellon.
The 16-month program includes a 10-week summer internship. The program can also be finished in 12 months if you have at least 3 years of work experience.
Purdue University (Krannert)
The MS Business Analytics and Information Management at Purdue’s Krannert School of Management is a full-time, 11-month designed to provide knowledge regarding various information technologies and analytical techniques. A rigorous curriculum will be followed by the students to understand various software tools used in the market. The program is ideal for students that will pursue analytical-type careers (e.g. Data/OR Analyst, Data Scientist, Decision Scientist, Business Consultant, etc.).
Krannert School of Management at Purdue University is specialized in developing the students from STEM backdrop to growing in prominent roles in the organization. Students will have an opportunity to work with real-time projects through experimental learning at Krannert School of Management. The school has been using an analytical business approach to develop industry leaders for a long time.
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Duke University (Fuqua)
Duke Fuqua’s 10-month Master of Quantitative Management (MQM) Business Analytics focuses on analytics strategies and tools within a selected industry, such as finance, marketing, forensics, or strategy.
The program will help the student to solve actual business problems by leveraging interdisciplinary perspectives. It will also help students to understand how data is used in various aspects of the business.
The student gets training in communications and analytics in the context of all the specializations like finance, marketing, forensics, or strategy. Duke University provides a special Capstone project which is a 6-week intensive program specially designed to work with specific tools of the Major or Core subjects preferred by the students. In this program, the individual gets an opportunity to work with the real-time projects of the students.
Georgia Institute of Technology
The one-year MS analytics program at Georgia Tech is designed for students from a wide range of backgrounds – business, computer science, economics, linguistics, engineering, theater, statistics, and history.
Georgia Tech’s interdisciplinary approach to analytics gives students the opportunity to learn and work in cross-disciplinary teams. Students gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge analytics techniques in statistics and operations research, big data, and high-performance computing.
The core curriculum lays the foundation; 15 hours of electives allow students to specialize in one of three analytics tracks:
- Analytical Tools
- Business Analytics
- Computational Data Analytics
Additionally, students receive funding to attend an analytics conference; have access to free cloud computing resources, software, and training; and take part in Georgia Tech’s Business Analytics and Big Data Industry Forum.
Last but not least, opportunities for networking and career placement are excellent at Georgia Tech.
University of Chicago (Graham)
The Master of Science in Analytics at Chicago is a 12-month program. The curriculum emphasizes core tools and methodologies, including a large range of applications (e.g. risk analytics). Students work for three quarters on a capstone project and have the option to take workshops and short courses in R, Hadoop, Python, etc.
This program is aimed at candidates who have got a love for analytics and intend to be future leaders. Cohorts include recent BS graduates (science or social science) with two years of working experience; early- or mid-career professionals who want to advance up the job ladder; and mid-career leaders who need better analytical skills to improve their decision-making.
Graduates have ended up as data scientists, senior analysts, and strategy directors.
Northwestern University (McCormick)
The 15-month MS Analytics program at Northwestern takes a three-pronged approach to its MSIA, with rigorous training in business skills, critical IT tools, and every area of analytics — predictive (e.g. forecasting), descriptive (e.g. data mining), and prescriptive (e.g. optimization and simulation).
Courses are taught by tenured faculty from the schools of engineering, management & journalism, and industry leaders.
Additionally, the opportunities for real-world experience is awesome – 8 months for an industry project, 3 months for the summer internship, and 10 weeks for the capstone.
Indiana University Bloomington (Kelley)
The MS in Business Analytics from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana is one of the most sought-after programs in the US. The 15-month Online Master of Science in Business Analytics attracts the majority of students with at least two years of work experience.
This program adds professional smarts to a bachelor’s degree in IT, stats or business—one that’s designed to prepare folks for technical management and consultancy positions.
Graduates went on to become brand analytics manager, e-commerce project manager, web metrics analyst, or consultant to senior decision-makers.
DePaul University (Driehaus & Kellstadt)
The MS Business Analytics program at DePaul is designed to meet the industry-wide need for financial professionals with exceptional data analysis skills. It’s a great opportunity to study in the center of Chicago’s financial district, steps away from firms like Aon, Boeing, JP Morgan Chase, and United Airlines.
DePaul University is a center for Predictive Analytics and Data mining where the students work with real-time analytics cases through sponsored projects and internships. Students will have the opportunity to specialize in growth industries and occupations including Economics, Finance, Healthcare, Hospitality, Human Resources, Marketing, and Supply Chain Management.
Read: Best Online Courses on Data Science, Machine Learning, AI, Big Data & Analytics
Best MS Data/Business Analytics Program in USA – Tier 2
New York University (Stern)
This is a great program for analytics. The only reason that I have not listed NYU in Tier 1 is that it’s not a full-time program. This program is explicitly aimed at senior-level professionals interested in business strategy and data science. The NYU program is NOT a STEM-designated one. Hence, no scope for OPT.
Its unique format blends online study with five campus sessions—called “modules”—at NYU Stern and rotating global locations (e.g. New York, London, Dubai, Shanghai, etc.). Though it’s part-time, the degree can be completed in 12 months.
Arizona State University (W.P. Carey)
The 9-month MS Business Analytics program at ASU is designed for recent college graduates with a strong quantitative background.
Courses are available in Enterprise Analytics, Applied Analytics, Data Mining, Business Analytics Strategy, and Marketing Analytics.
University of Notre Dame
The Notre Dame Masters in Business Analytics program is a special program that enables the student to understand both the business and analytics. Various analytical principles and techniques are taught to understand the data which ultimately results in decision making. Master’s in Business Analytics is a 12 months analytics program that has more importance towards the integration of business and data analytics so that the student will have the power of transforming the data, build up the ideas and provide insights to make a better decision in the organization.
George Washington University
The George Washington School of Business offers M.S. in Business Analytics. College’s faculty are committed to providing advanced scientific principles as a curriculum to make the students understand the deep foundations of various analytical methodologies and technologies which help them to take decisions in a real-time project. It is an intensive 10 months program where the students work more with live projects. The college also offers the part-time format of the course which has a course duration of 24 months.
Drexel University
Drexel LeBow’s Master of Science in Business Analytics program is a program designed specially in Decision Sciences and MIS department. The students who are interested in being a part of the Drexel University will learn various quantitative methods, strategy, and operations with fact-based insights and an in-depth understanding of business performance using statistical explanatory and predictive modeling and quantitative analysis of data.
Read: MS Business Analytics in USA: Admissions, Academics and Job Prospects for International Students
Bentley University
Since the last 20 years, Bentley University has been in the industry of data analytics training. Bentley University helps in developing the distinctive skills and the knowledge to translate the data by combining both the analytics and business together which in turn adds up the value in decisions taken in the organization. It offers 3 Major programs in Data Analytics like Audit Analytics, Business Analytics & Marketing Analytics which allows the students to select a core subject as a career elective.
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University of Texas at Dallas
The Master of Science in Business Analytics (MS BUAN) provides students with an in-depth foundation in business analytics and data science. The program educates the students with various aspects of data science, big data, and business analytics. Finance, Healthcare, IT, Marketing and operations are the core courses at the University of Dallas which provide the base foundation of all the tools and techniques used in the core subjects. The association with the core subjects in business applications is considered to be the specialty of the university.
Read: UT Dallas and UConn Admits for Indian Applicant with NGO Experience
University of Cincinnati
The Master of Science in Business Analytics program is a 12 months program at Lindner College of Business, the University of Cincinnati is ranked among top 20 Universities in the world by QS Ranking and top 10 business analytics program in the US. Master of Science in Business Analytics is a program at the University of Cincinnati that provides expert knowledge regarding descriptive, predictive and prescriptive analytics. Various skills which are necessary to understand the data like data visualization, statistical modeling, data mining, optimization, and simulation are taught to the students to analyze and understand various datasets and insights. Real-time projects are assigned to the students so that the student can also be a part of corporate learning.
University of Connecticut
MS in Business Analytics and Project Management at the University of Connecticut is specially designed to meet the growing demand for professionals who can handle both business analytics and project management skills in the organization. MS in Business Analytics and Project Management is accredited by SAS Institute and the Project Management Institute (PMI) which indicates the value of the curriculum at the University of Connecticut. The university ranked top 6th college for predictive analysis. Many tools, techniques, and technologies are taught to the students so that they can understand, analyze and predict the data with appropriate scientific explanations. The university offers both part-time and full-time courses to the students along with real-time projects and internships.
Other Top Universities for MS Analytics in USA (Tier 3)
- Louisiana State University – MS Analytics
- Emory University – MS Business Analytics
- Harrisburg University of Science and Technology – MS Analytics
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Lally) – MS Business Analytics
- Washington (Olin) – Masters in Business Analytics
- Boston University – MS Computer Science with Data Analytics Concentration
- Rutgers – MBS Analytics: Discovery Informatics & Data Sciences
- Texas A&M – MS Analytics
- University of Maryland – MS Business Analytics
- Columbia University – MS Information and Knowledge Strategy
- Cornell University – MEng Data Analytics Track
- University of Iowa (Tippie) – MS Business Analytics
- Virginia (McIntire) – MS Commerce: Business Analytics Track
- UC San Diego (Rady) – Master of Science in Business Analytics
- UC Davis – MS Business Analytics
- San Francisco State Univesity – MS Business Analytics
- University of Florida – MS ISOM: Business Intelligence & Analytics Specialization
- Fordham University – MS Business Analytics
- University of Miami – MS Business Analytics
- University of Colorado Denver – MS Business Analytics
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Acknowledgment: This article has been co-authored by Parinita Gupta.