Explore online MBAs in data analytics programs
An online MBA program in data analytics can help you build the skills you need to use data to inform business decisions. Explore online MBA in data analytics programs on edX.
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Why earn an MBA in data analytics online?
Develop analytics leadership skills
Gain cutting-edge technical business, analytics, and leadership skills.
Learn around your schedule
Take online classes for an MBA in data analytics when it works best for you.
Qualify for new career possibilities
Get prepared for in-demand analytics roles in a growing field.
Embrace digital tools that can help you make better business decisions. Enroll in an online master's in business administration (MBA) with a focus on data analytics, and start learning about topics like data mining, predictive analytics, and data visualization.
See MBA programs with a data analytics focus
What to expect from a data analytics MBA program
An MBA in program covers business fundamentals and focuses on using data to make effective and strategic decisions. Data analytics is a specialized track within business administration. Data analytics majors learn to collect, clean, organize, analyze, visualize, and present data.
Students in MBA in data analytics programs take a combination of general business courses like accounting, marketing, and management, and specialized analytics classes like data analytics visualization and presentation, data analytics for business, and data-driven decision-making.
The typical data analytics MBA takes about two years to complete and requires 30-48 credits. Some online programs, however, may offer a faster path to graduation.
How to get into an online MBA in data analytics program
Admission requirements for online MBA in data analytics programs vary by school. In general, programs require that data analytics applicants have or submit:
- A bachelor's degree from an accredited university with a minimum 2.5-3.0 cumulative GPA
- Relevant professional experience
- A résumé or CV
- An application fee
- Official college transcripts from all schools attended
- Letters of recommendation
- GMAT/GRE scores (waiver may be available)
If your undergraduate degree is in a non-business field, you can increase your chances of acceptance by completing some basic business prerequisites.
Curriculum for online MBA in data analytics programs
Data analytics MBA programs typically offer core business courses, data analytics specialization courses, and electives. Many also require a capstone project at the end of the program. Some common MBA in data analytics courses include:
- Data-driven decision-making: Students learn to analyze and use data to make rational and profitable business decisions and to solve various business problems.
- Advanced marketing analytics: This course explores how to use data analytics to find business insights, including customer preferences and market trends.
- Data analytics, visualization, and presentation: Students get experience using tools to analyze, visualize, and present data. Topics include data-driven strategic decisions, forecasting, and trend identification.
- Time series analysis: This class examines time series analysis methods in business. Learners use the autoregressive integrated moving average and the Box-Jenkins autoregressive moving average models.
- MBA in data analytics capstone: Students complete a data analytics capstone project in the final semester of the program. They choose a real-world problem and integrate the skills and knowledge gained while earning the degree.
Possible careers for data analytics MBA graduates
An MBA in data analytics online degree can prepare you for in-demand jobs working with data to make smart business decisions across various industries. Below, we highlight some popular careers to consider once you earn your data analytics MBA degree:
Analyze data to help organizations make better decisions and solve problems.
Use tools to find meaning from data.
Look at marketing data to help companies create successful products and services.
Explore data to help businesses make strategic decisions.
Salary expectations
Graduates with an MBA in data analytics can pursue multiple lucrative career paths. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that data scientists earned a median annual salary of $112,590 as of May 2024. This is more than double the median annual wage for all workers, which is $49,500.
The BLS reports that operations research analysts made a median annual salary of $91,290 as of May 2024. Factors that influence your earning potential include prior education and degree levels, geographic location, employer, and previous professional experience.
Career outlook
The BLS projects a 36% job growth rate for data scientists between 2023 and 2033, which is much faster than the outlook for all occupations.
The BLS also projects about 20,800 job openings for data scientists annually during this decade.
The demand for data analytics professionals will be driven by the need for help analyzing and making meaning from the increasingly large amounts of data that organizations now collect.