A Message from the Graduate Programs Office
Data is everywhere and every organization needs to apply data analytics. Whether you are new or experienced, have a business background or are a novice, our innovative MS in Business Analytics (MSBA) curriculum will prepare you for a career in business analytics by developing your data manipulation, visualization, and analysis skills.
The Isenberg MSBA program can be completed in as little as one year and will give you the analytical and core business skills to change the trajectory of your future. Coursework includes Business Intelligence, Application Development with Python, Data Mining, Data Science for Business, Data Management for Business Leaders, and more.
If working with data, industry professionals, and other business analysts to shape and improve your company’s future appeals to you, you’re on the right track with the Isenberg MSBA.
Nikunj Kapadia, PhD
ASSOCIATE DEAN
GRADUATE & PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS
ISENBERG SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
About the program.
The Isenberg Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) can be completed in as little as one year, which you’ll spend studying and working with equally driven peers to shape and improve your future. Regardless of your career track, this program will enhance your career opportunities by developing your data manipulation, visualization, and analysis skills, preparing you to excel in your work.
PROGRAM CURRICULUM
The MSBA program includes 11 courses, or 31-32 credits. Students engage with a comprehensive selection of core coursework that provides a foundation for using data analytics to solve problems and drive business strategy. Courses include Business Intelligence and Analytics, Data Management for Business Leaders, and Data Mining in Business. The core curriculum also places an emphasis on career outcomes by including the 1-credit, Career & Professional Development course, which helps MSBA students prepare for life after their degrees. MSBA students choose between two tracks— Business Foundations or Data Analytics—depending on career goals and prior business experience. Students can choose to further deepen their knowledge of data analytics by undertaking the optional concentration in Advanced Analytics.
Learn more at isenberg.umass.edu/msba
Choice of two specialty areas.
BUSINESS FOUNDATIONS
This 13-credit track helps students build the essential business analytics and management skills in high demand in today’s business world. In addition to core coursework, students complete four business courses that provide critical data and KPIs used in analytics: Financial and Managerial Accounting, Fundamentals of Finance, Marketing Strategy, and Organizational Behavior and Leadership.
DATA ANALYTICS
This 12-credit track provides students with in-depth data analytics knowledge and tools needed make insightful, data-driven decisions to improve business performance. Coursework includes Data Science for Business and then three electives from a selection of courses related to business functions and industries. Electives include Data Visualization in Business and Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Business.
Isenberg is accredited at the highest level by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). What does this mean for you? Your degree is monitored and held to a higher standard. In fact, only 25 percent of U.S. business schools achieve AACSB International accreditation. Our programs create the strongest foundation possible for your career advancement.
A practical way to pursue your passion.
The Isenberg MSBA program can be completed in as little as one year, which you’ll spend studying and working with equally driven peers to shape and improve your future. Regardless of your career track, this program will enhance your career opportunities by developing your data manipulation, visualization, and analysis skills, preparing you to excel in your work. And those new skills will serve you well in the coming years as the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 20 percent employment growth rate through 2028 in data-driven fields such as market research.
For international students, the MSBA offered on the Amherst and Newton campuses is ideal. Its STEM OPT classification allows students to extend their time in the U.S. to gain practical work experience, and the CPT requirements allow them to accept paid internships.
Learn more at isenberg.umass.edu/msba
How will you earn your MSBA?
We all have unique demands in our lives. That’s why Isenberg’s Master of Science in Business Analytics program offers on-campus, online, and hybrid study options to fit your life, all with the same industry-leading expert instructors and innovative curriculum.
Online As an Online MSBA student, you can work at your own pace, finishing your degree in as little as one or as many as four years, while receiving the same education, resources, and opportunities as your on-campus counterparts. Our convenient online platform provides students the opportunity to interact with instructors and each other during classes through message boards and review sessions. Working however best fits your lifestyle, you will also watch lectures, take tests, submit assignments, and receive course alerts through our online platform.
Amherst Amherst provides an ideal collaborative environment with a rich network of resources and academic opportunities, like Isenberg’s new Business Innovation Hub building. It offers inspiring spaces for experiential learning, career coaching, and networking events, as well as interview suites. The building also features new technology-enabled classrooms, computer labs, and virtual lab servers that bring the latest industry software to students wherever they study.
Newton You can also earn your MSBA just 10 miles from Boston at UMass Amherst’s Mount Ida Campus in Newton. This modern environment offers upgraded tech-enabled classrooms and access to many of the services offered at UMass Amherst—including the Isenberg Office of Career Success. The close proximity to the Boston business community, Newton–Needham Innovation District, and tech-focused I-95 corridor gives easy access to professional development opportunities through the Isenberg network and internships.
START ONLINE, FINISH ON CAMPUS, OR START ON CAMPUS AND FINISH ONLINE
If your schedule demands flexibility to accommodate work, a planned vacation, or another commitment, you can:
• complete your first three classes online in the summer before settling in for two semesters of on-campus studies in Amherst or Newton
• start your studies on campus and finish online after receiving your sought-after career opportunity
Voices of Isenberg MSBA
Data and the ability to understand it is power in business. I always enter a client conversation with data-backed objectives and proposals. My job is to maximize the value and use of powerful enrichment technology. When I meet with clients, I propose recommendations rooted in data points, priors, and future models.
ANNA MCCARTHY
‘20
The skills learned in the MSBA program are in demand by employers. I am able to showcase the skills in job interviews, case studies, and use these tools at my disposal so that I’m a valuable asset when I enter the workforce.
CHRISTINA HARVEY
‘22
Isenberg has given me a background in business and the technical skills of a data analyst through the classes that I have been taking. I’ve learned Python, advanced Excel skills, data management, business intelligence, data warehousing... Skills that are genuinely useful and are going to be applicable to my career.
SARAH HUMPHRIES
‘23
I believe the professors helped us explore different career paths. When I first entered the MSBA program, I was thinking that I was going to be a business analyst, but now I’m working in a different role and applying my analytical skills to pricing strategies.
ASHLEY HOANG ‘22
Build your career and your network.
As an MSBA student, you have access to career and professional development resources to help you find the career you want. At Isenberg we encourage you to connect with a career coach to plan for professional opportunities after your degree, network with alumni in the field, or explore the multitude of online resources and job opportunities available through the IConnect and Handshake platforms.
We design our analytics curriculum to benefit a wide range of students as they pursue their career goals. Helping our students to develop, and feel competent with, highly marketable business analytics skills and foundational knowledge is our focus.
Traci J. Hess, PhD
Senior Associate Dean, Douglas and Diana Berthiaume Endowed Professor of Information Systems
CAREER SERVICES
The MSBA program provides you with oneon-one career coaching, behavioral and technical interviewing workshops, career fairs and recruiting events, and job-search databases. The Office of Career Success is committed to the latest in professional development and will help you build a strong, diverse network targeting your desired career opportunities. They can help prepare you for your next position in Analytics, Consulting, Information Systems, Operations, Project Management, Risk Assurance, and more at companies including:
• Amazon
• Dell
• DraftKings
• JP Morgan
• Mass Mutual
• NBC Universal
• Oracle
• Pfizer
• United Health Group
• Wayfair
BY
THE NUMBERS
$81,714
AVERAGE STARTING SALARY FOR CLASS OF 2022
85% OF ISENBERG MSBA GRADUATES ACCEPT JOBS WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF GRADUATION*
ALUMNI NETWORK SIZE
50,000+ ALUMNI IN 82 COUNTRIES
REPUTATION
#6
BEST ONLINE MASTER’S IN BUSINESS PROGRAMS (U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT, 2024)
A WORLD OF CONNECTIONS
Isenberg’s network arms you with a rich set of perspectives to draw on both during and after your time in the program. You will work closely with a small group of fellow students all with different backgrounds and all aspiring to different career paths. Your professors will provide personalized instruction and support to help you accelerate your career. You will also tap into Isenberg’s vast alumni network by having the opportunity to attend alumni events in Boston, New York, and other cities across the United States.
Every step of the way.
Deciding to pursue a graduate degree is a career-impacting decision, and along the way, you will have many important considerations. From the moment you connect with us at Isenberg, a recruitment specialist will be available to answer any questions you might have. Whether you need assistance with the application process or have questions about the coursework, they’ll have you covered.
Once your journey as an MSBA student begins, a dedicated academic advisor will stay with you from enrollment up until the day you graduate—fully supporting your needs as a student.
Application Deadlines
FALL START SPRING START SUMMER START AMHERST
Early Action: Feb. 1 Final: June 1*
Early Action: Aug. 1 Final: Nov. 1* N/A NEWTON
Early Action: Feb. 1 Regular: April 1 Extended: June 1* N/A
ONLINE
Priority: June 1 Final: July 1
Priority: Oct. 1 Final: Nov. 15
N/A
Priority: Feb. 1 Final: March 15
*Domestic applicants and international students currently on a Visa studying in the U.S.
Application Requirements
• Application and fee
• Personal statement
• Graduate School Short Essay
• Resumé/CV
• Official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended
• Two letters of recommendation
• GMAT/GRE score (waiver may apply)
• For Non-Native English Speakers Only: English Language Proficiency Scores
CONTACT
Isenberg Graduate Programs Office grad@isenberg.umass.edu | 413.545.5608 | isenberg.umass.edu/contact-us
Isenberg MSBA Curriculum
STEM OPT The MSBA degree offered on the Amherst and Newton campuses is ideal for international students. The STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) classification allows students to extend their time in the U.S. to gain practical work experience, and the Curriculum Practical Training (CPT) requirements allow them to accept paid internships. Our MSBA STEM degree offers students highly sought-after technical expertise.
Isenberg School of Management
University of Massachusetts Amherst 121 Presidents Drive, Amherst, MA 01003 www.isenberg.umass.edu
The Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has one of New England’s top-ranked public business school undergraduate programs, according to U.S. News & World Report. Founded in 1947, Isenberg is AACSB accredited and has 4,300 undergraduates majoring in seven business disciplines, ranging from accounting and marketing to sport and hospitality and tourism management. More than 2,000 students are enrolled in nationally and internationally recognized on-campus and online graduate programs. The school’s 50,000 alumni live and work in 86 countries, and many of them serve as mentors, guest lecturers, and network connectors for Isenberg.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst, one of the nation’s top-ranked public universities, is located in the heart of New England where our 24,000 undergraduate and 7,800 graduate students discover their strengths, expand their vision, and reach out to change the world. Here we have more than 1,400 full-time faculty members dedicated to creating vast opportunities for our students. UMass Amherst is distinguished not only by the excellence and breadth of its research and academic programs but by a diverse community united in the commitment to the relentless pursuit of progress. For more information, visit: umass.edu.