In a more practical saying, Business Analysts serve as a function to communicate with both the business and the development teams, in order to drive better project outcomes. Even though Business Analysts are not directly taking part in business or development activities, Business Analysts should be the best to consult to understand the situation. Requirements analysis and gap analysis are major deliverables provided by Business Analysts within the business scope. In collaboration with developers, Business Analysts should be able to build a feasibility plan to make things happen.
The writer referenced the QS Business Master’s Rankings for Business Analytics 2023, as well as MBA programs specialized in Business Analytics, to get a full list of Business Analytics education programs in the States. The following factors are considered for each business programs:
- AACSB certified: Global Business Education Network; connects educators, students and business, and provides career-oriented services
- STEM certified: recognized science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs; can be used to apply for 24-month OPT (Optional Practice Training) extension
- Capstone Project: practical industrial project that could help gain project experience
- Internship: some of the Business Analytics program offers a short term during the semester internship, which is usually about six to eight weeks
- Curriculum: syllabus and study goals
- International Students Rate: it is used to measure the program’s culture diversification and your student experience, but you could always add to your portfolio to experience more by studying abroad
**Please note that the checklist is only used for academic purpose. If you need the full list of universities and programs, you could contact us for further information
To achieve better study outcomes, you need to be clear about your study goals. A business analytics program could help students in the following aspects:
1) Acquire business analytics methods;
2) Gain insights in one applicable fields;
3) Receive career development services
Top Asked Questions:
1. Should I take an engineering degree to learn programming?
To be a Business Analyst, database (SQL) and statistical (R/Python) languages are adequate for daily work competency. An engineering degree will enable you to be a developer, software engineer, or equivalent. According to Glassdoor, the average salary of a Business Analyst is $70k and the average salary of a Software Developer is $90k in Toronto. (https://www.glassdoor.ca/) The expected learning outcomes and career goals is very important to choose between engineering and business programs.
2. Compare MBA and MS in Business Analytics:
Personally, I don’t think it is a good idea to compare MBA with Master of Science programs. However, if you might be wondering, there could be a reason. MBA is usually the most expensive investment in a business school, hence representing the highest quality of formal business education. Students go to business school not only to learn the business facts, but also to interpret the facts and make better business decisions. All these considerations make MBA still the optimal choice for business students.
MS in Business Analytics is more focused on leveraging the data technology to empower a business. Nowadays, digitalization is a major trend in all sectors of business. The practical data analytics skills learnt from MSBA could help students get adapted to most of the future career trends.
From the employment perspective, you could check the following indicators to evaluate if a MS in Business Analytics program is a good choice for you:
- Skills Set built through the learning program
- Project Experience and internship experience
- Career Outcomes: 1) employment rate within six months’ graduation; 2) companies and roles of the alumni; 3) graduates’ career paths in the five years
3. What Can I do after graduating from Business Analytics program?
The typical roles after graduating from MSBA are Business Analyst, Data Analyst, Business Intelligent Analyst, Consultant and Product Manager etc. Some of these roles are more business driven and roles like BI Analyst requires higher technical backgrounds.
Decision Model to pick a business analytics program:
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