What Can You Do With a Master’s In Business Analytics?

Let’s get right to it: you have picked an outstanding time to pursue a business analytics degree. Demand is high for graduates who can expertly analyze data and use it to solve complex business problems.

“We’re seeing a broad increase in recognition for the skills that programs like the Tepper online MS in Business Analytics program provides,” said Stephen M. Rakas, executive director of the Masters Career Center. As a link between Tepper School of Business students and employers, he has a front-line view of the state of the market.

“There are two main tailwinds pushing this increase in demand,” Rakas explained. “One is the ‘return to normal’ in the overall marketplace. The second is that companies are increasingly realizing the value of data. These organizations are seeing just how much data can do, but they’re now facing a deficit of people with the skills.”

The labor database Burning Glass reports a 14.3% growth in business analyst jobs, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates the job outlook as growing “much faster than average.” At the same time, 92% of executives say they are accelerating investment in Big Data, according to a NewVantage Partners survey.

If you are searching for information on business analytics master’s degrees and have the kind of relentless, data-driven curiosity that makes you a good fit for Tepper’s online program, the above might just confirm what you already suspect. So, let’s get into what you can do with an MSBA.

How a Master’s in Business Analytics Benefits Your Career

A business analytics master’s degree prepares you for jobs that require advanced data analysis, decision-making and management skills. It can also help you move up at your company and gain more clout. As analytics functions become more coveted in organizations, those who have the skills also have the influence.

“Before, the analytics group was often a back-office group that crunched numbers and handed off the results. Now they’re really at the table contributing to the company,” said Rakas.

Moving up pays off. The median base salary for a senior business analyst is $91,000, according to LinkedIn. The salary range for a manager with a master’s in business analytics is $121,064 to $128,596, according to Salary.com.

Master’s in Business Analytics Careers

Here are the most common job titles for professionals with a master’s in business analytics:

1. Data Scientist
2. Business Analyst
3. Data Analyst
4. Digital Strategy Manager/Consultant
5. Business Data Analyst

Source: Burning Glass Technologies: Labor Insight™. 2021.

Don’t think of these titles as the only options for MSBA grads. Companies may use completely different names for positions that require similar skill sets. Or they may post positions that don’t explicitly call for a business analytics degree, but their list of requirements aligns closely with an MSBA.

Consider some of the job titles held by recent Tepper online MSBA grads.

A major advantage of a business analytics degree is that you have knowledge that appeals to a broad range of industries and employers. You wield in-demand technical abilities, such as machine learning and optimization, but you are also able to use those technical abilities to get results.

When an applicant or employee has a Tepper MSBA on their resume, companies know they can expect excellent quantitative knowledge, expertly honed decision-making abilities and the ability to translate results to team members and stakeholders.

Where Do Business Analytics Graduates Work?

Here are the top industries hiring for analyst positions, according to an analysis of job postings in the past year. These are grouped according to North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) categories.

Source: Burning Glass Technologies: Labor Insight™. 2021.

Because business analytics professionals are highly knowledgeable about organizational processes and have excellent communication and teamwork capabilities, companies across a wide range of industries are snapping up MSBA grads. You can see this reflected in the firms who employ Tepper alumni, including:

“Our students are able to pick the industries that they’re interested in and, generally, the places where they’d prefer to live,” said Rakas. “Or, they can choose not to leave their companies and instead move up.”

A Graduate Degree That Doesn’t Disrupt Your Life

The breadth of skills and demand for business analytics professionals opens up a world of possibilities. That includes geographic flexibility — you don’t have to move to Silicon Valley or New York City to succeed.

Search for “master in business analytics” postings on Indeed and, yes, New York, Seattle and San Francisco are among the top results by location. However, cities like Charlotte, Columbus, Phoenix and Tampa all have more than 100+ available postings.

For professionals who don’t want to move for a job, pursuing an online business analytics master’s degree can allow them to stay where they already have roots.

“That’s the power of the MSBA: you don’t have to make limiting or restricting decisions on where you’re going to live or choose from a small number of employers who are hiring,” said Rakas “There’s demand across the country.”

How You Can Get More Personalized Advice

This is all general information about master’s in business analytics careers. To really define your own unique possibilities, you need to talk to experts who can tailor their recommendations to your needs.

At Tepper, for example, you have access to:

• The Masters Career Center, where dedicated job coaches learn your career goals and then give you highly personalized advice on how to move forward.
• Faculty who are thought leaders in the analytics field and have an expert view of where the field is going — and how you can be at the forefront of that change.

If you are interested in applying for your online master’s in business analytics, start with our admissions counselors. Call 888-876-8959 or email us to set up a time to talk.

About Tepper’s Online MS in Business Analytics

The online Master of Science in Business Analytics at Carnegie Mellon University brings together the business expertise of the world-renowned Tepper School of Business and the leading-edge research of the #1-ranked School of Computer Science.

Tepper’s online MSBA graduates finish the program with robust, practical experience that they can immediately put to work.

“I chose to earn my degree online so I could simultaneously apply the knowledge I learned from class to the workplace,” said Dipali Mistri, data scientist at BM Technologies and a Tepper alum. “The Tepper online MSBA program stood out to me because it really emphasized the business value of analytics rather than just data science skills.”

Explore a comprehensive MSBA curriculum that encompasses data visualization, machine learning and optimization, large-scale data management and more. We invite you to find out for yourself by participating in a live class session. You can view upcoming open classes by visiting our virtual class visit page.