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What are some of the best schools in order to receive a business analytics degree?

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Kian’s Answer

Business analytics is so broad - first, you need to narrow down what type of analyst you might want to be, and what skills you are most interested in developing/using. Some analysts are heavy on the computer science or data science side, others are more math-based (I got into healthcare business analytics with a Fortune 7 company and I went to school for math), some have specialized knowledge, such as in retail/merchandising.


Business analysis is a "two-sided" (at least) skill. By that I mean the business analyst is a bridge builder - for example, between IT professionals and business leaders looking to implement a new system. The analyst in this case would need to have good technical understanding as well as business understanding and the communication skills to be a bridge between the two. (In my case, I bridge data science and operations research with clinically-minded leaders who need to build and assess new healthcare services in a financially sustainable way.)


Think about what "worlds" (besides the business world) you are skilled at navigating, or interested in. At that point, you can choose a school that will teach you both sides of the skill.

Kian recommends the following next steps:

Research different types of business analyst jobs: data, IT, finance, marketing, retail, healthcare, etc
Understand your skills and interests, especially where you want to "bridge"
Research schools that can teach you both (or multiple) sides of your desired analyst career
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Alex’s Answer

From my personal experience as a Business Analyst, I would recommend pursuing the ASQ Six Sigma certifications, https://asq.org/cert.  The certification process can be taken online or in a classroom setting.  I would recommend starting out with the Green Belt certification and then work your way up to the Black Belt and Master Black Belt.


What's nice about the Six Sigma certifications is they are recognized around the world and gives you unlimited access to different work environments (finance, manufacturing, technology, non-profits, small businesses...).


Another area I would focus on is statistics and data mining. Both of these skill sets play a major role in the Business Analyst profession. Data mining allows you to pull raw data and statistics allows you to take the raw data and convert it into useful information to aid in decision making. Both of these classes can be taken at any local community college or tech school.
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Miguel’s Answer

It is not about which school is the best to receive a business analytics degree, because a student can either be very motivated or not completely convinced about studying any specific degree.

Best recommendation I can give to any person looking to either receive an undergraduate degree and/also a master degree, is to look abroad, like for example Germany, Norway, Denmark, or Sweden.

Learning how other developed countries learn/teach could bring new ideas to any individual.

Miguel recommends the following next steps:

Search for undergraduate degrees in the US, complete it and then look for a graduate degree abroad (Europe), or the other way around.
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Shruti’s Answer

  1. University of Washington.
  2. University of California, Berkeley
  3. University of Denver
  4. Cyracuse University
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According to your location which is Midland, Michigan. I will suggest you try with Central Michigan University - Business Information Systems. As far as i know they do offer Analytics and also have tie up with consumer energy for data analytics.
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Monika’s Answer

Many schools have developed programs for aspiring business analysts. Students may earn a certificate, bachelor's degree or master's degree in this field. Undergraduate and graduate business analyst programs are typically available at 4-year colleges and universities.

Certificate Programs: Teach students how to collect and document an organization's business process requirements. Students learn to initiate functional system design solutions that can be implemented by information technology development teams.

Bachelor's Degree Programs:Business analysts may choose to major in information technology, finance or business administration. Several schools offer a concentration in project management or business analysis within these majors.

Master's degree programs in business analysis provide students with the skills and knowledge required for a career in private business or government. Courses equip students that have no previous business experience with management training, emphasizing technology implementation.

Top 04 Business Schools.
University of Pennsylvania offer Bachelor's, Master's
Massachusetts Institute of Technology offer Bachelor's, Master's
University of California - Berkeley offer Bachelor's, Master's,
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor offer Bachelor's, Master's
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David (Zeduo)’s Answer

Since business analytics is so broad, I figured I will list out a few qualities that will help you succeed in this field.

First and foremost, the ability to position yourself as a lifetime learner and stay curious is crucial. As a business analyst, both technical and non technical, you will encounter questions you/your organization haven't faced before. Staying curious helps you discover process improvement opportunities; learning new skills gets you solutions.

In addition, learn to see the bigger picture. Being detail-oriented is important, but you must not lose sight of the big picture. Learn to analyze problems from different perspectives. The ability to see the bigger picture will help tremendously during cross functional collaborations. This will take time to develop, and it is definitely worth your effort.

Last but definitely not least, get into the habit of backing your discoveries/suggestions with data. Being able to manipulate data is crucial in this day and age. You can look into sql, python, and R. However, as important as data is, you need to be extra careful when it comes to making decisions using data. I personally prefer being data-informed as opposed to being data-driven. Data helps you tell a story, it's not the full story.

You will be successful as a business analyst if you possess all these qualities.

In terms of schools: If you want to be more technical, go to schools near silicon valley, near seattle, UIUC, CMU and of course, all the ivy league schools. If you want to be more business facing, finding schools with good business programs will set you up good. Let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck!

Thank you comment icon Thanks . This is very helpful ! Candace Soulier
Thank you comment icon Thank you . I appreciate it Siddharth Sharma
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Rahul’s Answer

Researching for a Graduate School is tougher than it seems. First you need to decide upon a degree plan that interests you. When you say business analytics, what exactly do you have in mind. What work role do you think Business analysts do, does that sort of work bore you or interest you is entirely upon yourself. I won't deny the fact that rankings are important and unless you graduate from an IVY League college. You need to talk to more and more people. That will give you a clearer picture. Tuition, Location, Course Structure -these are some of the basic questions that you need to ask yourself. Graduate study is expensive and you need to make sure that you are well prepared for the course you plan to take.

Rahul recommends the following next steps:

Talk to people about the field.
Read the coursework of each college
Be patient and you'll be okay
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Kajol’s Answer

There are many best schools but what matters is what we gain from those business analytics courses in these respective schools. Every course structure is different and every instructor is different. One question we need to answer before applying to these schools is that, are we actually getting the value which we want form the course or not.
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Anna’s Answer

USC is a great business school overall. Harvard has an online business analytics certificate for professionals. Here are some other options: https://www.mastersindatascience.org/schools/top-masters-in-analytics/

Anna recommends the following next steps:

Are you looking for undergraduate, graduate, or certificate?
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Sonam’s Answer

It depends on what are you looking for in university or college.Nothing is best unless you put your hard work ,analysis to achieve it. schools just help us to reach 1 step closer to reality.My experience in UMass was similar I won’t say it wasn’t tough to master the art of getting assignments, communication right but it’s always so much to learn.

Dont just see good school see how can it make you good in your career.
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Leondra’s Answer

I don't believe the school matters as much as successful application of skill. There are also some certifications that will help.

Leondra recommends the following next steps:

Do research on a school that is affordable and with a curriculum that covers all of the material, not just executive level knowledge
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Priya’s Answer

You can do CBAP
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Monica’s Answer

A BA is a job title that says "I'm extremely good at looking at business functions and looking into what makes them tick, then finding creative and cost effective ways of making things better." It's also a project based role which is great if you're really excited about seeing things Start and End. It also is a career that encourages out of the box thinkers.

There isn't one specific degree that will make you a BA, but instead lots of skills you can develop through a series of College majors that would make you desirable when recruiters are reviewing your resume. If you were interested in going down this path, I would recommend a major that deals with data. Such as a Mathematics, Computer Engineering, Business Administration &
Management, Finance, Accounting, and/or MIS
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Mohammadusman’s Answer

Business Analyst certification can be obtained from a variety of online and on-ground schools. Much of Business Analysis is covered under Computer Science or Information Systems, but if anyone wishes to pursue such an in demand certifiable skill there is Global Information Technology located in Lathrup Village, Michigan. They offer a plethora of certified classes with one being Business Analysis. However, there are many other schools and institutions that can aid in pursuing a diploma or certificate in Business Analysis.
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Tamara’s Answer

After having gone through this path, I would advise you first decide a few things i.e. 1) are you looking for an undergrad or grad degree? 2) if you are looking for a grad degree are you looking for a full-time/part-time/hybrid or online program? 3) are you limiting yourself to US or Non-EU schools? 4) also considering how fast this industry is growing and how many institutions have joined this bandwagon, I would advise you pay a close attention to the actual curriculum as some of the degrees will be more technical-focused whereas some others may be more exec-focused i.e. around digital transformation etc.
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Jason’s Answer

North Carolina State University. SAS is in their back yard.
Thank you comment icon These are young people they may not know what SAS is. Consider your audience. Victor René Opio
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Danielle’s Answer

Regardless of reputation, best FIT school is better all around for your career success. Take a look at individual programs at more than just the "best" universities, all of them will have different personalities. You can directly reach out to programs and ask: "what do the majority of alumni from this program do post-degree?" Is it what you want to do? I would start with the universities listed above, but then go into the department's page and look for the "faculty/staff" tab. Take a look at the faculty's bios/CVs. It will often list where their degrees are from. That can widen your search!
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Victor René’s Answer

I have gone through the college and university route and I have learned that it is good to get a foundation of learning how to study. I would recommend an Associate's degree but beyond that in this world, I recommend certifications.

1. Join IIBA and download the Business Analyst Book Of Knowlege (BABOK).
2. Forever and a day, as a business analyst, you will be involved with processes. Learn every repeatable process that there is out there.
3. Don't get hung up on titles. The BABOK says that anyone that does business analysis is a BA.
4. BA's are often tasked with PM duties. But they are very distinct. Learn the differences.
5. In order to be a good BA, you must enjoy technical writing. Learn how to write instructions.
6. Requirements come from somewhere. That is called the Source of the requirement. A requirement has to be validated often by a test. The type of test is commonly one of the IDTO. An Investigation, Documentation, an actual Test, or an Observation.
7. You must manage the requirements. Learn what a Requirement Traceability Matrix is, often referred to as an RTM.
8. Learn what tools you will need everywhere you go as a BA. I take my BA toolbox with me everywhere. These are tools that I have mastered and help me get the job done. MS Office, Visio, Acess, XML Editor, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, or Fireworks, HTML editor.
9. After you have a good understanding of the processes and procedures a BA performs by studying the BABOK, take the test. If you flunk, don't let it get you down. Learn from your mistakes. As a kid, you often fell but got back up. Do you want to be recognized as a BA? Get over any obstacles and get it together.
10. Collect references from your work. As a BA, you will run JAD sessions and interview many SMEs. Sometimes over and over for different projects. Don't be afraid to ask them to be a reference if you decide to move on or in the event you get laid off. Typically, BAs and TWs are safe from layoffs because you are a vital position for projects.

Victor René recommends the following next steps:

A. Learn Tableau, this is a visualization tool for data. It will be used more and more as Big Data needs to be analyzed.
B. Learn SQL and PL, you will often be asked about databases and you need to understand them and be able to create your SQL search statements.
C. Learn Hadoop and Big Data tools in order to be indispensable. We live in a data intensive world.
D. Learn the 10 domains of Information Security
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Leondra’s Answer

There are many great schools and even online MOOCs (practically free) and bootcamps that can prepare students for this kind of career. Of course going to IVY league or ivy league adjacent schools is always promoted but what matters most in this field is application and the will to learn.
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Tyler’s Answer

If you're curious about different business analyst occupations, I highly suggest looking at a few of the options at this link https://datausa.io/search/?q=analyst&dimension=PUMS%20Occupation.

Each page provides employment, education, location, and skills data on different analyst roles. I tried finding a definitive answer to what the best school is for these occupations, but the pages only provide total graduations and percent graduation rates. Advice given by previous respondents is likely a better indicator of university quality.
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Swapnil’s Answer

Please see the below link, I find it very useful for students. This is very detailed and easily understood list where author has described eligibility, admission criteria, Cost and many other important details :

https://www.mastersindatascience.org/schools/top-masters-in-analytics/

Thank you comment icon From my understanding, these are young people looking for guidance from someone that has done the work. Having them off the go look at someone else's list, in my opinion, is not helpful? They can do their own research. Give them something to chew on. Victor René Opio
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Christina’s Answer

The University of Pennsylvania offers a certificate in Business Analytics through Coursera.org. https://www.coursera.org/specializations/business-analytics.

Business Analytics is applied to nearly every industry (Healthcare, Media, Financial Services, etc).

If you want to focus on a particular industry, go to a college you can afford that has a good program for the industry you want to work. You can get a degree in Business and take Data analytics courses to supplement your curriculum.

For example,
1) Healthcare Administration-University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
2) Business - University of Michigan, Michigan State


If you want to major in Data Analytics/Data Science and not on a particular industry, here are a few schools with programs:

Carnegie Mellon University.
Stanford University.
Santa Clara University.
University of Michigan - Dearborn.
University of Texas at Dallas.
University of Virginia.
University of Florida.

Good Luck!
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Estefania’s Answer

<span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">First is important to know that business analytics is the practice of iterative, methodical exploration of an organization's data, with an emphasis on statistical analysis. It is used by companies committed to data-driven decision-making. </span>

<span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">That being said, is crucial for a student to start looking into what kind of specialization you will want to focus and see how the course requirements of each school relate to the field that you were thinking about. Asking for "best schools" one can easily tell you, well go to MIT, but being more realistic, it is all about perspective. A school is mainly its program, but you also have to look into things such as financial aid, room and board, probability of getting in. </span>

<span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">A regular accredited school can do the trick if it's within reach for you, at the end of the day the student is going to be you, and it is for you to get the most out of the program. Just remember, college is not only about getting good grades, it is also about associating, being part of extracurricular activities. Join clubs, do some volunteering, find an intership and most importantly, enjoy your time there. </span>
Thank you comment icon HTML tags in your response really? Victor René Opio
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Malcolm’s Answer

None. In my opinion, if you don't go to a top-tier ("impressive") school, it's a waste of money. No one I know in analytics has ever made a hiring decision based on where you went to school (or didn't go to school), what you studied (or what you didn't study). We look at candidates' aptitude based on pure skill all of which can be learned on the internet. If you peruse LinkedIn and see a lot of analytics people with STEM/analytics master's degrees, keep in mind that foreigners need them in order to obtain work visas in the US.
Also, the only hiring managers who care about "certificates" are managers who don't know to test if the candidate knows their stuff. Your resume gets selected based on your experience. If you don't have any experience, you better have some really amazing relevant projects you can show us.
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Alex’s Answer

Caleb... Having been an analyst for numerous global corporations, my recommendation would be to look into the ASQ 6-Sigma certifications, https://asq.org/cert/catalog . I would start with the Green Belt certification and once you obtain it, work on the Black Belt and Master Black Belt. The ASQ certifications focus on process improvement and cost reduction using data collection and analysis.

With all businesses focusing on cost reduction and savings, this path with give you the most return on your investment.

The other path I would pursue concurrently is financial data analytics. I recently migrated from Business Analytics to Financial Analytics to fill a gap in our company. There is a high demand for people with a financial background.

You may want to check out this site for potential schools: https://www.mastersindatascience.org/schools/top-masters-in-analytics/

Alex recommends the following next steps:

Research ASQ Certifications
Research Schools Link
Thank you comment icon Somewhat helpful but not hitting the mark. The focus was on becoming a BA. How do you recommend to a young person to learn to be a BA. It is not at ASQ, that is for testers and correlating work not directly BA material. Victor René Opio
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nikitha’s Answer

The best schools to pursue Business Analytics degree are Duke,NYU, MIT,UT Austin. You can decide based on the curriculum and specializations.


https://poetsandquants.com/2016/01/18/business-analytics-masters-at-the-top-100-b-schools/
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Julia’s Answer

The University of Connecticut offers a graduate program to receive your Master's in Business Analytics and Project Management. There is a curriculum ranging from introductory courses about Data Management, SQL, R, and SAS to advanced classes involving Python and Big Data coding languages. You can finish these classes within a year and a half if you attend full time through the fall, spring, and summer. They have also adjusted to online learning due to COVID-19 very well and have courses that are offered fully online.
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Joshua’s Answer

Collin county community college

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