The Master of Science in Business Analytics
An innovative program – leveraging the expertise of our straight-from-industry faculty – that provides students with analytical knowledge to navigate an evolving business landscape.
Due to increases in the quantity and quality of accessible data, along with improvements in computing technology, the importance of analytics has grown dramatically over the past few years in all sectors. As a result, the demand for graduates with analytics skills has also increased.
The University of Alabama’s Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) program focuses on teaching students how to use statistics, operations research/management science, data mining, machine learning, probability, algorithms, and data management in an integrative fashion to better understand, predict, and manage the behavior of systems and processes.
The primary objectives of the program are to:
- Prepare students for in-demand analytics positions in industry and government
- Teach students the principles of managing data
- Provide students with hands-on experience in the use of cutting-edge analytics techniques to solve large-scale problems using data from or inspired by real-world problems
- Teach students software packages and programming languages commonly used for analytics projects including SAS, SQL, Python, R, and Gurobi
- Teach students how to interpret results, communicate results effectively, and utilize tools that promote reproducibility
- Educate students on the landscape of the Analytics community and the various opportunities for continued skill development throughout their career
Program Info
The program follows a cohort model, where groups of students are admitted and take all classes together. Using this model allows us to supplement instruction with large projects that span multiple classes and demonstrate the end-to-end analytics workflow. In addition, the University of Alabama’s MSBA program:
- Was developed using input from analytics professionals working for companies including Procter & Gamble, Belk, Walmart Stores, Inc., NBA, ESPN, TruMedia Networks, Neiman Marcus, and Allstate
- Is taught by an interdisciplinary faculty team with expertise spanning Statistics, Information Systems, and Operations Research
- Includes two 3-hour seminars with content that varies to accommodate changes in analytics practice
Admissions
Admission into the Master of Science in Business Analytics program is accepted on a yearly basis.
The deadline to apply to the program is March 15.
The requirements for entry are listed below:
- A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college.
- Transcripts from all colleges attended.
- A Statement of Purpose outlining your reasons for desiring the degree.
- An up-to-date Resume.
- 3 Letters of Recommendation.
- An official and competitive (60th percentile or higher) GRE or GMAT score.
Tuition & Cost
Information regarding tuition and cost of attendance can be found on UA's student accounts website.
FAQs
Q; What is an acceptable GRE/GMAT score?
A: Average test scores will vary over time based on the candidate pool. We consider a score that is greater than or equal to the 60th percentile score to be competitive for consideration.
Q: What is the application deadline?
A: The application deadline is March 15 in the same year that the applicant intends to start
Career Outcomes
Manderson students who have taken Business Analytics courses offered within the Master of Science in Business Analytics program have been employed at:
- Adobe
- Bank of America
- Booz Allen
- AstraZeneca
- Belk
- PNC
- Regions
- Tango Management Consulting & Analytics
- KeyBank
- StoneRiver Property Management
- Ford
- ExxonMobil
- USAA
- Georgia-Pacific
- Chick-Fil-A
- Activision Blizzard
- Cracker Barrel
- Belk
- P&G
Interested in learning more?
Contact Us
Nickolas Freeman | Program Coordinator
- nkfreeman@culverhouse.ua.edu
- (205) 348-8992
- Bidgood 237
April Ingram | Director of Specialized Masters and Ph.D. Programs
- aaingram@culverhouse.ua.edu
- (205) 348-5497
- Bidgood 104C