Making an Impact at Ameriprise

Getting his master’s degree in Business Analytics was a big deal for Juhaan Johar ’18 MSBA. He was only a few years out of school when he began at St. Thomas, placing him alongside seasoned professionals in the program.

The Master of Science in Business Analytics degree is a partnership program between the St. Thomas Graduate Programs in Software and the Opus College of Business. This unique partnership melds quantitative methods, data management and business coursework. It also leads to a mix of students in the courses.

Some students enter the program with decades of software and tech experience. Others bring in years of business and management skills. Johar's classmates ranged from MBA students to professionals in data science. “We complemented each other with our different strengths and weaknesses," he says.

The diversity of backgrounds, career stages, and functional roles helped develop his critical communication and teamwork skills. "It was clear we weren't all the same. In group work, the MBA students are the ones speaking out, leading and presenting. Data science students may be more reserved, but bring special technical skills to the team.”

Courses in advanced statistics, data visualization and health care analytics helped advance Johan's on-the-job growth. Course projects also helped him identify his career goals: “The business side of reporting and predictive analytics really interested me."

Johan secured a new job in the financial services sector at Ameriprise just before graduation. It's one of the largest financial planning companies in the United States and among the 25 largest asset managers in the world. 

His experience in the MS in Business Analytics program has prepared him to work effectively in a large, matrixed organization and across departments. “I found a great career at Ameriprise and love what I’m doing so far.”