3 Top Career Options With Masters in Business Analytics

Earning a Master of Science in Business Analytics, or MSBA, can open the door to various career opportunities. If you’re already working in the field, this degree path can help you to progress to a higher position or even increase your pay grade.

For those not already working in the business field, this master’s degree is a chance to launch a new and exciting career in a challenging field.

Keep reading to learn a few career paths you can choose when earning an MSBA.

Business Analyst

Also known as a data architect, data analyst, or data scientist, a business analyst specializes in mining and analyzing data.

To succeed in this career field, you’ll need to blend computer science with statistics. You’ll use your digital skills to search for data as it relates to businesses, then analyze that data to assess current business models, optimize your workflow, and more.

Duties as a business analyst may vary from one company to the next, but some common responsibilities include:

Managing company databases, keeping them organized, and analyzing the data to give the business an idea of what’s working and what isn’t.
Creating statistical models lets the company make projections about its future successes or shortcomings.
Design creative visuals of the data and how it can be applied to improve a business’s operations.

This career is increasing in demand and is expected to grow by 14.3 percent between 2016 and 2026.

Market Research Analyst

Like a business analyst, a market research analyst focuses on big data. But rather than focusing on tracking this data, in this position, you’ll work to compile reports based on the data you receive.

These reports are designed to help your company learn what the data means, how their business is affected, and the changes they can make.

The data you’re analyzing can include information about consumers and clients, spending habits, market sales trends, and more.

Some of the responsibilities you can expect to handle in a career as a market research analyst include:

Compiling spreadsheets and complex reports to make data and research easier to digest by those who aren’t data-savvy.
Conducting surveys and opinion polls to collect additional useful data that can’t be combed from the internet or through business operations.
Utilizing statistical software and techniques to make predictions about a company’s future.

Earning your MSBA online will allow you to keep your current career before starting a career as a market research analyst. If you’re already working as a researcher for a company, this degree can also make it possible to move up the ladder to this position after graduation.

Project Manager

Another common career that you can launch with an MSBA is as a project manager. While this may not seem like a data-centric career, it relies heavily on using data to plan, budget, and oversee a business’ operations.

Some duties you’ll perform as a project manager include:

Identifying data that showcases challenges a business is facing.
Aggregate data to determine what moves a business needs to make to improve operations.
Budget and plan projects.

Project managers are in demand in various fields, including IT, engineering, construction, and more.

Data Analysis

Whether you want to put your computer skills to work in search of data, prefer a customer-facing approach to conduct surveys and polls, or want to manage a team, an MSBA can help you get there.