11%
Increase in management analyst jobs, including business analysts, between 2019 and 2029. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Harness the Power of Data
MS in Business Analytics
Bridge the Worlds of IT and Business in a Growing Field
Put your quantitative and analytical skills to good use as a sought-after business analyst—one of the fastest growing careers in the nation.
Offered in partnership between the St. Thomas Graduate Programs in Software in the School of Engineering and the Opus College of Business, the MS in Business Analytics program is specially designed for people who operate in both data analytics and business operations. Stand out to employers after gaining fundamental skills in statistics, modeling, data analysis, database management, software, business communication, and industry analytics.
Designed in partnership with experienced analytics leaders, our experiential learning model uses group projects, simulations, case studies and guest speakers to prepare you to solve actual business problems.
With an MS in Business Analytics, you’ll learn how to build a narrative and use data visualization to influence key business decisions. You’ll have the ability to work within a database and talk shop with IT, and then translate that technical knowledge to senior leadership. Put yourself in the heart of smarter decision making and better problem solving by harnessing the power of data.
60%
Of IT executives plan to increase salaries for business intelligence and big data handling.
7K
New business analytics jobs created in the 7-county metro area over the next 3 years.
Program Overview
Format & Schedule
With our flexible schedule and course load, you can set your own pace and tailor the MS in Business Analytics program to your individual situation and career goals. Complete this 30-credit degree in as little as 16 months or up to a maximum of five years.
8 required courses (24 credits): Get a solid foundation of technical and quantitative knowledge in data science and analytics, and develop your data presentation and communication skills from the program’s core courses.
2-4 elective courses (6 credits): Build additional analytics skills, develop valuable business context, or focus on a specialty by filling the rest of your program with elective courses of your choosing.
*International students: The M.S. in Business Analytics is a STEM-designated and approved master's degree program.
Admission Requirements
- Current resume with education and work experience listed
- Answers to three essay questions
- Official Transcript(s) from your undergraduate and other graduate degrees
International candidates will need to complete additional application requirements, including an approved English Proficiency Exam and a course-by-course degree evaluation from an approved vendor for all degrees earned outside of the United States.
Elective Courses
Select six elective credits to complete your MS in Business Analytics degree program. Make yourself even more marketable to potential employers with the electives you choose. Expand your technical skills or broaden your knowledge to understand how analytics are applied in various business contexts and industries. Topics of specialized study include supply chain management, marketing analytics, data warehousing, health care analytics, Lean Six Sigma, and more.
Explore the Curriculum
Applied Learning
Our applied learning approach in the MS in Business Analytics program is designed to help you succeed in the classroom, and in today’s evolving business analytics landscape. Through real-world applications, you will explore business concepts through group projects and practical exercises, staying up-to-date by working in programming language used in many leading companies, reading case studies, and engaging with guest speakers. You will also work hands-on with professors and fellow students to promote individual growth as a dynamic, creative problem-solver. This applied learning approach will equip you to:
- Utilize data-driven decision making skills to influence key business decisions
- Play a key role and act as the bridge between data analytics and business operations within your organization
- Translate and provide technical knowledge to senior leadership
- Network with fellow professionals in your field
Career Impact
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average salary for a data analyst is $79,990 per year at master's degree level. Growth is also expected to be strong—34% between 2014 and 2024—one of the strongest growth rates of all industries.
Career Impact Facts and Figures
Format & Schedule
With our flexible schedule and course load, you can set your own pace and tailor the MS in Business Analytics program to your individual situation and career goals. Complete this 30-credit degree in as little as 16 months or up to a maximum of five years.
8 required courses (24 credits): Get a solid foundation of technical and quantitative knowledge in data science and analytics, and develop your data presentation and communication skills from the program’s core courses.
2-4 elective courses (6 credits): Build additional analytics skills, develop valuable business context, or focus on a specialty by filling the rest of your program with elective courses of your choosing.
*International students: The M.S. in Business Analytics is a STEM-designated and approved master's degree program.
Admission Requirements
- Current resume with education and work experience listed
- Answers to three essay questions
- Official Transcript(s) from your undergraduate and other graduate degrees
International candidates will need to complete additional application requirements, including an approved English Proficiency Exam and a course-by-course degree evaluation from an approved vendor for all degrees earned outside of the United States.
Elective Courses
Select six elective credits to complete your MS in Business Analytics degree program. Make yourself even more marketable to potential employers with the electives you choose. Expand your technical skills or broaden your knowledge to understand how analytics are applied in various business contexts and industries. Topics of specialized study include supply chain management, marketing analytics, data warehousing, health care analytics, Lean Six Sigma, and more.
Explore the Curriculum
Applied Learning
Our applied learning approach in the MS in Business Analytics program is designed to help you succeed in the classroom, and in today’s evolving business analytics landscape. Through real-world applications, you will explore business concepts through group projects and practical exercises, staying up-to-date by working in programming language used in many leading companies, reading case studies, and engaging with guest speakers. You will also work hands-on with professors and fellow students to promote individual growth as a dynamic, creative problem-solver. This applied learning approach will equip you to:
- Utilize data-driven decision making skills to influence key business decisions
- Play a key role and act as the bridge between data analytics and business operations within your organization
- Translate and provide technical knowledge to senior leadership
- Network with fellow professionals in your field
Career Impact
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average salary for a data analyst is $79,990 per year at master's degree level. Growth is also expected to be strong—34% between 2014 and 2024—one of the strongest growth rates of all industries.
Career Impact Facts and Figures
Telling the Story of Data
Jared Moen uses data visualization and storytelling to be a stronger communicator at Wells Fargo.
Telling the Story of Data
Featured Courses
Data Narratives
This course will focus on developing ability to understand the business needs for data insights, crafting those into an analytics problem statement, and developing a coherent and persuasive narrative of any data findings. Students will learn to create well-crafted data narratives and dashboards for business leaders while being able to translate insights into managerial decisions. Students will also be able to prepare raw data sets for their data narratives, executive summaries and technical memos. The Data Narratives course focuses on providing these fundamental data narrative and storytelling abilities while leveraging various tools to assist in the process.
Data Life Cycle for Analytics
This course covers the life cycle of data for analytics from the structure of relational and non-relational data stores through the extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) process into the analysis and presentation of data using data dashboards. Students will learn and practice acquiring, extracting, cleaning, and loading data from databases and other data stores. Students will learn to interpret and create data models, write and interpret the results of Structured Query Language (SQL), practice and apply industry ETL tools to solve business problems, and effectively communicate about data through the use of a dashboarding tool.
Business Analytics Practicum
This application-focused course provides the opportunity for students to experience a real-time business analytics project. Under faculty guidance and mentoring, small teams of students will work together to implement the breadth of methods and skills developed throughout the MSBA program to manage all aspects of client and project management; develop the project deliverables including business problem analysis, data transformation and analysis; and presentation of the results at the client site.
Featured Faculty: John Olson
John Olson is a professor in the Operations and Supply Chain Management Department. He teaches in the undergraduate, graduate and professional programs in the St. Thomas Opus College of Business. His teaching, research and service activities have focused on helping others develop and implement continuous improvement and quality programs.
Over the past 10 years, John Olson has worked with several Fortune 500 companies and health care organizations on their strategic planning process, metric setting and the implementation of quality and continuous improvement programs. In addition to his academic credentials, he holds a master black belt in Lean Six Sigma.
Seeing is Believing
Get in Touch
St. Thomas Opus College of Business is an incredible place to learn, meet inspiring peers and mentors, and build a strong career path. Don’t just take our word for it—experience St. Thomas firsthand. Visit a class, attend an info session, or chat with the admissions team.